AJLPP Update

December 23, 2008

Political Situation Heats Up for Elections May 2010—AJLPP

By Arturo P. Garcia

Manila--The political in-fighting among the reactionary political formations are bound to sharpen as the US-Arroyo ruling clique tries to consolidate its forces and probably rig the May 2010 elections as in 2004.

With the Arroyo ruling clique at the top, three political formations are gearing up for the 2010 Presidential elections. These are the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (KAMPI) of the fake president Arroyo, the Lakas-NUCD of ex-president Ramos and the Nationalist People's Coalition of the old Marcos crony Eduardo Cojuangco.

Ranged against these dominant formations are the far smaller parties which stand to benefit from the discredit of the dominant parties, but which tend to be fractious.

The Disunited Opposition

These include the revived Nacionalista Party of Manuel Villar, the resurrected Liberal Party of Mar Roxas of the Araneta clan , the Partido ng Masang Pilipino of former president Joseph Estrada, the PDP-Laban of Aquilino Pimentel, and the makeshift coalition called United Opposition (UNO) led by Mayor Jojo Binay of Makati City.

The PDP-LABAN is one of the oldest party formed by Senator Pimentel in the early 1980 against the Marcos Dictatorship. Pimentel harbors presidential ambitions but never made a run for it. It is now being managed by Jojo Binay who announced his presidential ambitions late this year.

Former President Joseph Estrada have announced that he might run again as the opposition bet “ if the opposition cannot unite under one candidate”. Despite his conviction, Estrada enjoys some popularity with the people.

The Arroyo ruling clique consolidated the KAMPI party led by DILG Secretary Puno and the sons of GMA –Mikey and Dato are pushing charter change through a constituent assembly in a maneuver to prolong its rule.

PGMA enjoys absolute control in the House as proven by the junking of the four impeachment tries against her and the latest replacement of Joe De Venecia. But the Senate has refused to collaborate with the House of Representatives, especially because of popular opposition to the Arroyo project of charter change.

The Arroyo ruling clique is preparing to rig the 2010 elections in order to protect its loot and secure impunity for its criminal liabilities. It is preparing to employ massive electoral fraud and terrorism in the same proportion of the 2004 schemes to secure the election of its own candidates.

AFP as a factor in Politics

Contradictions among the factions in the military and police will also sharpen. They have run deep and wide because the Arroyo ruling clique has persecuted those officers and men who have denounced its criminal policies and activities and has favored those who are not only partisan of the ruling clique but are also flagrantly engaged in corruption and other lucrative criminal activities within and outside the military and police services.

The ongoing war against the MILF and the NPA is again a factor in the years to come. The last two people’s uprising – in 1986 and 2001 was fomented by the terrible wars in Mindanao and rest of the islands.

The AFP was wore down by the NPA and the MILF insurgency in Mindanao in the 1980’s and this cause the military to mount a failed coup in 1986. The US gave the go signal for the formation of the rebel officers- Reform the AFP Movement (RAM) in 1984 that brought down Marcos in 1986.

In 2000, the US-Estrada regime launched an all-out war in Mindanao against the MILF bases that caused disgust in the military. The AFP moved against Estrada in 2001.

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The Arroyo ruling clique is preparing to rig the 2010 elections in order to protect its loot and secure impunity for its criminal liabilities. It is preparing to employ massive electoral fraud and terrorism in the same proportion of the 2004 schemes to secure the election of its own candidates.