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| The Defense Secretary; News, Updates, appointments | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 30 2006, 10:04 AM (9,566 Views) | |
| flipzi | Oct 30 2006, 10:04 AM Post #1 |
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Cruz’s ouster could demoralize AFP’ By James Mananghaya The Philippine Star 10/30/2006 Some quarters have expressed apprehension over the reported plot by some Cabinet members to ease out Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, who was among those reportedly blamed for the defeat of Charter change initiatives of the administration. Officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the ouster of Cruz could disrupt the reform programs he initiated in the defense and military establishment. "Maganda iyong Capability Upgrade Program na sinimulan under his term. Kung mapapalitan iyan maaaring maging back to zero na naman," the official said. He said any successor in the defense department would be unable to continue the reform programs initiated by Cruz. The official said the Philippine Defense Reform Program, aimed at enhancing the capability of the military in dealing with enemies of the state, would lose its focus and momentum once Cruz is ousted from his post. The source explained Cruz’s ouster would could cause the defense establishment to lose focus on its internal security operations. Another official said Cruz should be spared from politics. The official stressed Cruz should be allowed to continue reforming the military establishment and implement policies and programs that have not been implemented by his predecessors. "Dahil sa kanya meron tayong Philippine Defense Reform Program... Dahil din sa kanya, nailayo ang mga sundalo sa pulitika dahil sa limitation ng kanilang election duties," the official pointed out. "Meron pang New National Defense Act na siya rin ang may initiative. Dapat tingnan ang output niya at hindi dapat tanggalin," he said. Given more time, Cruz could institute more reforms in the military, which should be reason enough for him to stay in his post. Another official also pointed out Cruz has implemented much-needed reforms in the Armed Forces, which benefited the enlisted personnel. "If enlisted personnel are well funded and better trained, they would be able to perform their functions without having to worry about anything, especially the future and security of their families," the official said. He said the programs being implemented under Cruz’s watch are urgently needed, especially now that the government is bent on crushing the communists. "Leave politics to politicians, and let government officials who want reforms to institute changes," the official said. Cruz has claimed three Cabinet members he did not identify were "unhappy" over his position on the people’s initiative which he branded as "constitutionally infirm." The reported imminent ouster of Cruz came following the Supreme Court decision last week dismissing the people’s initiative petition filed by the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) and Sigaw. A ranking Malacañang official disclosed of talks within President Arroyo’s official family that Cruz might be sacked or demoted because of his ties to the law firm that he founded together with Antonio Carpio and Arthur "Pancho" Villaraza. The law firm reportedly helped turn the tide against Charter change as it reportedly failed to obtain favors from Mrs. Arroyo, the Palace official said. http://philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200610300410.htm Secretary Cruz, considering what he hsas achioeved for the military should remain as a prime mover/ decision-maker in the military organization. HIS OUSTER WILL SURELY DEMORALIZE THE MILITARY PGMA and her cha-cha advocates must not use let the issue on cha-cha pollute the atmosphere in the military. Anyway, only FVR and Joe de Venecia are the ones pushing for it, holding PGMA and her government hostage. Which is worse, failure of chacha train to reach its destination or ANOTHER COUP? |
 " Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them! - Art. II Sec 1, Philippine Constitution " " People don't care what we know until they know we care. " getflipzi@yahoo.com | |
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| flipzi | Oct 30 2006, 10:18 AM Post #2 |
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Let me add this;
To that aspect, the Defense Sec should reallly be very careful in unleashing his own side. He has to consider the fact that he belongs to the administration team. He should have kept his own point of view on this case, which is very sensitive to the ruling govt, to himself. Then again, PGMA must consider the bigger problem in dealing with the military. Any demoralization may bring about more destructive scenarios than cha-cha. For this aspect, i say yes, spare the man. For the courageous secretary, he really must be more careful next time. 
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" Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them! - Art. II Sec 1, Philippine Constitution " " People don't care what we know until they know we care. " getflipzi@yahoo.com | |
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| flipzi | Oct 31 2006, 01:11 PM Post #3 |
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GMA moves to put out Cabinet fire By Paolo Romero The Philippine Star 10/31/2006 President Arroyo moved yesterday to douse a fire in her Cabinet that was sparked by the fiasco in the Supreme Court over the people’s initiative to amend the Constitution. Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz drew the ire of some of his colleagues in the Cabinet for his unfavorable comments on the failed people’s initiative and on plans by some lawmakers to convene Congress into a constituent assembly without the Senate. Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor said that he and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita began patching things up on Sunday even as some Cabinet members said Cruz might have overreacted to reports that his former law firm had a hand in the Supreme Court (SC)’s ruling against the people’s initiative. Cruz co-founded a law firm with SC Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who penned the SC decision, and Arthur Villaraza. Defensor said it was agreed that Cruz and other Cabinet members would refrain from speaking on the issue and concentrate on the task at hand, which is to help those affected by super typhoon "Paeng." "When the President comes back, things would be patched up and instead of headlines that could be exploited by the opposition, it would be better for us to stop issuing more statements and concentrate on the work at hand," Defensor said in a phone interview. Mrs. Arroyo left the country Friday for a five-day visit to China followed by a few days’ stopover in Hong Kong. She said yesterday she might cut short her trip if the typhoon caused heavy destruction. Defensor said Cruz called him up Saturday and complained of being demonized by his Cabinet colleagues over the SC ruling. He said he told Cruz that he would try to clarify matters with Ermita, who later issued instructions that no more should be said of the issue. He told Cruz that nobody was being blamed in the Cabinet for the people’s initiative’s defeat in the SC. Cruz, he said, did not tell him the names of the three Cabinet members who were allegedly plotting to remove him. Defensor said he was not aware of the existence of a "white paper" that Cruz said circulated about two weeks before the SC handed down its ruling. The "white paper" hit him for opposing the people’s initiative. "Maybe his was just a reaction on news items that some (law) firm was very happy (about the SC decision) or something like that. So I think issues took off from there but let it pass," Defensor said, referring to a statement attributed to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez. Defensor said he also spoke "with other people concerned," apparently referring to Cabinet members who might be want to remove Cruz. He stressed, though, there are no such moves to oust Cruz. Defensor admitted that Cruz’s disclosures to The STAR over the weekend created "unnecessary tensions" within the administration. "There are bigger fights now after the (defeat of the) initiative so there’s no need to bicker among ourselves and fight among ourselves," he said, apparently referring to the May 2007 elections. "The Cabinet cannot be perfectly homogenous and the only question is if you can toe the line because we’re all supposed to be for Charter change. In fairness to him, he toed the line," Presidential adviser for political affairs Gabriel Claudio said. Claudio suggested that Cruz might have been misled by those wanting to divide the Arroyo administration. He did not elaborate. "He should give his colleagues in the Cabinet the benefit of the doubt... members of the Cabinet should be wary and be careful about not being led on and fomented by the opposition itself to create discord with the end in view of crippling the administration’s program for reforms and its campaign in the elections in 2007," Claudio said. Gonzalez said Cruz might be overreacting as it would be too much for him to think that Cabinet members can ask the President to have him removed. "Now if he was the discordant note in all that situation, probably he feels that after what he wanted happened, then it is natural for one who knows he is in the minority thinking in the Cabinet in connection with people’s initiative, and considering the strong language used in the decision made by his law partner, probably he feels that there might be something that will not favor him," Gonzalez said in a telephone interview from Hong Kong. At the Defense department it was business as usual for Cruz who presided in a National Disaster Coordinating Council press briefing with Vice President Noli de Castro on the effects of super typhoon Paeng. Cruz was all smiles as he declined to answer questions on reports that some Cabinet members were plotting his ouster. "Dapat ayusin muna itong Typhoon Paeng. Nakafocus muna ako dito sa trabaho ko eh (We need to deal with typhoon Paeng first. I’m focused on my job)," Cruz told reporters. A group called Labor Alliance for Better Order and Reforms (Labor) urged Cruz to withdraw his support for Mrs. Arroyo. The furor over the people’s initiative and Cruz’s controversial position drew mixed reactions even from Mrs. Arroyo’s allies. House Deputy Majority Leader Abraham Mitra of Palawan and Rep. Rodolfo Albano III of Isabela said it should not be impossible for the President to sway her Senate allies into supporting con-ass to bring about the political reforms she wants to achieve during her presidency. "Hard, yes, but not impossible. It’s time she and pro-Cha-cha groups go on a charm offensive," Mitra said. Albano said there is a greater need for Senate support for con-ass following the SC’s decision. He suggested that Mrs. Arroyo consider holding a dialogue first with her allies in the Senate and later with all senators. "I think (Defense) Secretary Nonong (Avelino) Cruz is correct on this issue. The President should listen to him," Albano added. Their colleagues raised a different view. Leyte Rep. Eduardo Veloso said the SC decision rejecting people’s initiative was "full of personal angst" of its ponente Justice Carpio. "It appeared to be more of a column article full of personal angst rather than a legal document of landmark importance," Veloso said. He said there was "seeming involvement of personal affairs in the interpretation of our laws." Carpio’s law firm, Villaraza & Angangco, was said to have had a falling out with the President. Carpio co-founded his law firm with Arthur "Pancho" Villaraza. Its most high-profile client is President Arroyo herself. It has been referred to as "The Firm" for its image of power and influence. "I respect his stand because he is a noted attorney but I would have respected him even more if he were the secretary of justice," Cagayan de Oro Rep. Constantino Jaraula, chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments, said. Another administration lawmaker, Bohol Rep. Eladio Jala, called on Cruz to "stop hitting the people’s initiative petition since this is already water under the bridge." He urged Cruz to focus on AFP modernization. The Philippine Bar Association, for its part, said the demand by pro-Charter change advocates for the resignation of Carpio was "unfair and uncalled for" and "undermines the integrity" of the SC. For Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, removing Cruz from the DND will derail the ongoing modernization of the AFP. "I hope that the President is not again pushed into making decisions that would affect the Department of National Defense by advisers who are clearly pushing... their own political agenda," Biazon said at a press conference. "If Cruz is replaced at this point when there is a clear consensus between the Defense department and some legislators, these reform programs could again be jeopardized," he said. Sen. Ralph Recto, meanwhile, advised Malacañang to "cut its loses" by abandoning its plan to amend the Constitution, this time through constituent assembly. "I have been telling them that, "cut your loses’. They have not won a single legal battle before the Supreme Court... from executive order 464, calibrated police response, PCGG, so on and so forth. Their record is unblemished with victory," Recto said in a radio interview. Recto also defended Cruz who drew brickbats from some administration allies for calling the people’s initiative "constitutionally infirm." Cruz was also criticized by pro-Charter change officials for asserting that a constituent assembly without the Senate would never succeed. Meanwhile, Abegail Binay, daughter of Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, asked the SC to sanction Speaker Jose de Venecia for openly lobbying for Charter change. "It seems excessively obvious that Speaker De Venecia should be sanctioned, along with others who may have pressured this honorable court, but his penchant for lobbying is the most blatant and egregious illustration and he even brags about his style," Binay said in a nine-page omnibus motion filed through her lawyer Rene Saguisag. –Delon Porcalla, Christina Mendez, Marvin Sy, Jess Diaz, Jaime Laude, Jose Rodel Clapano, James Mananghaya http://philstar.com/philstar/News200610310401.htm ================================================ Good move, Ma'am. :thumb: |
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" Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them! - Art. II Sec 1, Philippine Constitution " " People don't care what we know until they know we care. " getflipzi@yahoo.com | |
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| possible | Oct 31 2006, 04:17 PM Post #4 |
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 My impression is that the Secretary will be a tough nut to crack given that his efforts don't only affect the security interests of the Philippines alone... It's refreshing to see a man who doesn't just sing along, suck-up and go with the flow like the parasites around him this high up in the government. I hope he stays there. 
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War. What is it good for?--James Brown What's love got to do with it?--Tina Turner Only the intelligent are brave. | |
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| flipzi | Oct 31 2006, 06:40 PM Post #5 |
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 The man made himself MORE ADMIRABLE and respectable in the eyes of the people under him and aside from us here. |
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" Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them! - Art. II Sec 1, Philippine Constitution " " People don't care what we know until they know we care. " getflipzi@yahoo.com | |
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| epigone | Oct 31 2006, 07:04 PM Post #6 |
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Based from the disinformation I have gottten from people who are adept at that kind of skill, one thing is certain. Nonong is not ( I say NOT!) a Chinese spy! |
| "Provocation is a valid defense against homicide"- Canadian Law on MSantor who 'cough, cough..', passes by my company room with a cup of coffee, waits for me in the bus shelter together with his friends and provoke me, and has been stalking me in forums like army.ca, navy.ca, timawa.net, militaryforums.com... He indeed is 'SEEKING DEATH' - Holy Bible. | |
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| flipzi | Nov 1 2006, 11:09 AM Post #7 |
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Epi, Could you tell us more about that "Chinese spy" issue? |
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" Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them! - Art. II Sec 1, Philippine Constitution " " People don't care what we know until they know we care. " getflipzi@yahoo.com | |
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| israeli | Nov 1 2006, 11:38 AM Post #8 |
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could that guy be the one who is desperately pushing for Cha-Cha (now, he is calling it CON-ASS!)? he has HUGE ears and he can make Ate Glu plain stupid with all of his presumptions, assumptions and insinuations.  i feel sorry for Nonong Cruz nowadays. his association with the Villaraza and Angangco Law Offices (formerly Carpio, Villaraza and Cruz Law Offices) in the past made him this administration's "black sheep". |
| "I'm very determined. If I decide what something is worth doing, then I'll put my heart and soul to it. The whole ground can be against me, but if I know it is right, I'll do it. That's the business of a leader." - Lee Kuan Yew | |
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| Fmr TOPP Awardee 82'PNP | Nov 1 2006, 05:27 PM Post #9 |
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His ouster does'nt need for him to lick a wound. It was a laudable feat that made him a principled man being one of the the known dancer to the tune of the regime's drumbeats. This undertakings of the regime to kick him out, and his vocal criticism tells us an obvious message. ( No need to elaborate) |
 "GUILTY CONSCIENCE NEEDS NO ACCUSER" | |
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| possible | Nov 1 2006, 05:32 PM Post #10 |
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To suspect the Secretary of being a "Chinese spy" is completely ridiculous, particularly given the fact of his name being virtually synonymous with the American-supported Philippine Defense Reform program, as well as his efforts against the JI and other threats to the security interests of the Americans, Australians, and other significant proponents of the War on Terror.  Edit: ...:armyLol: |
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War. What is it good for?--James Brown What's love got to do with it?--Tina Turner Only the intelligent are brave. | |
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