Malayang Trillanes

My reaction to the editorial of Malaya today......

The www.blogger.com which powers the blogspot.com sites is a foreign, privately-owned blogging site and therefore is not bounded by our laws. The Magdalo blog is not a website but a webpage. The difference and distinction of the two is that, a website needs to have a registered domain name while a "blogsite" is just a webpage that is part of the blogger.com website. Going back to blogspot, before a user is able to use the site, he/she has to become a member first by agreeing to the user's agreement - which is ordinarily a "contract" executed between the website owner and the user and this most common to public-users site, prior to posting or creating blogs. No one can edit, remove or shut down a blogspot site without the authority of the website master and the blog owner. However, the site can be filtered by local authorities just like what they do in China which recently made an international furor by shutting down or filtering legitimate sites the likes of Yahoo.com and others for what the Chinese authorities believed was threat to national security. National security? Government authorities who still have this kind of thinking must be confined to techshop for upgrade on their obsolete mindset. Gone are the days of national security paranoia with the advent of internet technology for everyone can now use the internet to express their freedom of expression as long as they do it responsibly. "Free speech" is a constitutionally guaranteed right. Expressing it through any kind of medium such as the world wide web or internet does not make it unlawful as long as it is not libelous or subersive. The contract between the owner of the Magdalo blogspot and Blogger.com is a private international contract, which is therefore outside of the AFP jurisdiction.

On the left leaning party-list joining the political arena and electoral contest, I predict that one day we will wake in surprise with the "communist" or "socialist" - whatever we call them, running the government. I don't care if that happens. What I care most and that my biggest concer is if that communist or socialist leader is just like the present crop of democrat leaders - corrupt. My analysis is that there are two strategies now being employed by the left, through the underground movement which is armed struggle and aboveground political action under our democratic system, to achieve socialist goal. Again, I don't whether we are socialist or democratic, although I prefer for the latter, because there is nothing significant that distinguishes one from the other but leadership, honesty and competence in serving the public.

Above ground, left leaning organizations are enjoying successes in three successive electoral contests, winning seats in congress, enjoying the "porks" for their constituents which in effect helps increase their grassroots membership thru their party-list organization. I wouldn't be surprise if one day, this party-lists will become influential political parties giving the likes of Lakas or NPC a run for their money. If these progressive party-lists will be able to organize 70% of the entire population, that's going to be a headache for mainstream politicians. This is what I believe is the military's nightmare in the making. Probably, military strategists are having increasing concerns over this thing and this is evident on direct pronouncement from the top brass urging the electorate not to vote for left leaning party-lists. The AFP should not be going to this extent lest they be accused of "electioneering." The Comelec should be the one responsible for this because they are the one responsible for churning out rules. Let's say, some party-lists are engaging in vandalism which is punishable by our laws. You can see their graffiti on walls, posts, bridges or anything they can write on or posters. Yet, come election time, they are allowed by Comelec to just get away from this offense. This maybe is one opportunity the AFP can capitalize rather than engaging itself in electioneering which is likewise an offense under our election laws and they also get away with it. Meanwhile, party-lists may continue increasing their ranks instead of doing vandals and continue their rants against shenanigans of sitting administration but it should be for the right reason. Don't just oppose the Government for the sake of opposition but rather offer alternatives for the benefit better policy-making.

For the Magdalo group and Trillanes, it is an indeed an uphill battle going against the mighty and powerful. Joining the election is one strategy to pursue your reformist idealogy and that is the freest expression. Winning is a bonus! Mabuhay!