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By Ian M. Seruelo

Gloria’s CPR – Certain Path for Removal

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

We do not have to deeply study the country’s long history or the accounts of different social upheavals, uprisings and revolutions so we may be able to discern which direction this current political crisis is heading. A short glimpse down memory lane will enable one to see clearly where the actions of Malacañang will lead to.

Gloria Arroyo’s handling of her critics and of legitimate people’s protests through her controversial CPR (Calibrated Preemptive Response) will for sure be her own CPR (Certain Path for Removal). Suppressing dissent has never known to stop it. On the contrary, muzzling dissent assists it, albeit inadvertently, in increasing the pressure until it gains enough force and momentum to overpower the same source of the oppression.

Even elementary physics will remind us that decreasing the space will increase the pressure. Take for example a water pipe, the bigger the tube the lesser the pressure but using a smaller tube or constricting the same will cause an increase in water pressure. In the same way, choking the voices of dissent by decreasing the democratic space will certainly lead to increasing dissent and pressure from the oppressed masses.

Gloria has closed all venues for her to legally answer the charges of electoral cheating and massive corruption by utilizing squid tactics – shooting down the impeachment proceedings and the issuance of E.O. 464. Now with street protest mounting she is deploying her CPR bully tactics. I don’t gamble but I will bet against anyone – P1000 to P1 – that if these handling by Malacañang is not stopped then in less than a year she will be removed from office one way or the other.

With these in mind I can’t help but confirm that Gloria Arroyo is indeed such a big fan of George Bush. Bush’s wars of aggression against what he labeled “terrorist” states are rationalized as “preemptive strike”. Now Gloria wants her very own war against the Filipino activists rationalized as “preemptive response”. Well, that sounds convenient as Gloria is now pushing for the Anti-Terror Bill in Congress that could easily classify an activist as a terrorist.

Now, here comes our bright congressman, Raul Gonzales Jr. with his press statement about CPR and his remarks about the recent prayer/protest march led by Church leaders which was met by water cannons.

Junior said and I quote: “I am supportive of the CPR. I reject mayhem, chaos caused by protests. The government cannot allow such inconveniences.”

“The dispersal of the rallyists was not a violation of the people's rights to peaceful assembly and prayer. The dispersal was an enforcement of the laws that were violated by those rallyists. The government can no longer countenance any group; no matter how small, that appropriates public roads for their own purposes to the detriment and inconvenience of everyone else,” he continued.

Just like many thinking Ilonggos, I really don’t want to give an iota of credence to Junior by replying to his empty and stupid remarks. But well please put up with me.

Junior, if you reject “mayhem” and “chaos” and “inconveniences” caused by protests then you could have denounced the way your master, Gloria, was put to power. I know that Junior is just concerned about the traffic caused by these rallies. Well, that is a very shallow reason to suppress a fundamental right of the people, isn’t it? And anyway, rally or no rally, the traffic is always heavy in Manila.

And what laws did those rallyists violate? The last time I read the highest law of the land – the Constitution – Section 4 of the Bill of Rights still reads the same: “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.”

Clearly our cute Junior is just trying to please Daddy. So maybe we can forgive him. But then again, we should in fact thank this father-and-son tandem. These are the type of people who will hasten Gloria’s CPR – Certain Path for Removal!

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Here are some comments of this column’s readers on my previous articles. They were sent using text messages.

From 09102018275 in relation to the article “EO 464 is unconstitutional”:

“F u hav 2 dissect d provision of the Const., u have 2 interpret it in its totality. ‘inclusio unios, est exclusio alterius’ otherwise ‘ignorantia legis…’ka.”

(Yup, that’s true! Indeed that was my point in the article. Thanks!)

From 09193660745:

“Gud aftnn Mr. Ian Seruelo. I’ve read “The “initial” victory vs. PECO. I have the impression dat I cud help da public/motorist preserve/maintain der engines in gud condition & save fuel. I may opt to give it free of charge if dy buy & show ur p6/issue to me. But wil b favored w/ advocacy awareness thru ur paper. My way of saying thank you for a gud sales response frm taxi & jeepney operators in ilo2>> Marlo Colimbo, Int’l Rep (Phil) MagnaGuard (USA).”

(Mr. Colimbo, please email me so you can discuss more of your offer. Maybe many Ilonggos will be interested with your product. Thanks!)

(For comments and reactions send SMS to 0919-348-6337 or email to ianseruelo@yahoo.com.)