This was the warning aired by a senior pro-administration lawmaker as he assailed the Department of Justice "for brewing again another destructive and diabolical scheme intended to weaken the political opposition, but which has farreaching and grave effects on many constitutionally protected freedoms and liberties of Filipinos, notably that of the right to free expression, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press which are all sacred and won at so dear a cost as indubitably shown by our people’s colorful past."

Cebu Rep. Antonio V. Cuenco, chairman of the House committee on foreign affairs, also said that this will also "spell the death of an informed public opinion and the end of transparency in all official acts of the government, and all these will be disastrous to the functioning of democracy."

Cuenco explained that "the interest of society and the maintenance of good government demand full discussion of public affairs. We must not restrict, in any way or manner, not only the myriad access to matters of public concern, but also the varied views and opinions of our citizens."

As one vintage Court decision aptly puts it, Cuenco said, "Complete liberty to comment on the conduct of public men is a scalpel in the case of free speech. The sharp incision of its probe relives the abscesses of officialdom. Men in public life may suffer under a hostile and unjust accusation, the wound can be assuaged with the balm of a clear conscience."

"Thus, no government official should be onionskinned to any adverse comment with respect to his official acts. If they are, then they should have no business or right to continue discharging their tasks and duties," Cuenco added.

Cuenco also explained that "adherence to truth and fairness is not only the virtue by media practitioners. Their constant inquisitiveness and skepticism are also virtues. In fact, these are paramount ingredients in the journamists’ profession so that the interest of truth will be served at all times. It is not surprising, therefore, that the media invariably maintains adversarial relations towards the government to function effectively as a watchdog of governmental acts and affairs."

"Besides, it is improper, to say the very least, if the government cries foul to twisted, biased, or sensational reporting. With all the vast resources of the State, the government could always present intelligently its own side and position to a raging issue with its own media. With all its immense powers, it could, by itself, develop, defeat, or strengthen whatever public opinion it may want to deal with," the congressman added.

"Unfortunately now we are witnessing a kind of behavior and response that is reminiscent of the friars during the Spanish colonial period – obscurantism and bigotry – as exemplified by Secretary Gonzales and his minions at the DoJ who all do not believe that a free press affords the best avenue for every citizen to present his or her grievance to the government."

"For them, one who is critical of the government is either a destabilizer or a rebel. Thus, they expect deference. It is not obeisance or subservience. What they want is for the media to kowtow to their whims and standards," Cuenco stressed.

Pimentel urges President to stop pretensions on AFP

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) said yesterday President Gloria Arroyo should stop pretending that she does not know the basic reasons the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) continues to be wracked by unrest and divisiveness.

Pimentel challenged the President to be forthright and transparent as she plans to hold a dialogue with the restive military officers and men "to look into the root causes" of their discontent and the recurrent coup threats against her government.

"With or without a dialogue, Mrs. Arroyo knows what is causing all these troubles in the military establishment. But if she will keep evading the issue, then, that dialogue will be only for show and nothing tangible will come out of it," he said.

Pimentel said if the President is determined to quell the tension and disenchantment in the AFP, the first thing she must do is to order the release of the report of the AFP Inspector General’s office on its investigation of senior military officers who were mentioned in the "Hello Garci" tapes as allegedly involved in the 2004 electoral fraud in Mindanao.

He assailed the alleged failure of the AFP leadership to disclose the findings and recommendations of the investigation report several months after it was completed and submitted by then Inspector General, Rear Admiral Mateo Mayuga, now flag-officer-in-command of the Philippine Navy.

"They are keeping the Mayuga report under wraps, obviously because the President has prevented them from declassifying it. Why should the report be kept under wraps when it is a public document and the Filipino people, including the 120,000 members of the AFP, are entitled to know its contents?" the senator asked.

The refusal to release the report, saidPimentel, has no doubt contributed to the restiveness in the military.

Pimentel said the situation was aggravated when the generals implicated in the alleged poll- rigging in Mindanao were promoted to key positions even before the AFP Inspector General could conclude the investigation.

On the other hand, certain military officers, like former Marine Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani and Col. Alexander Balutan, who mustered the courage to expose election anomalies in Mindanao were harassed by the AFP leadership and are now facing court- martial proceedings.

He said the perceived endemic corruption in the AFP, particularly among the senior officers, should likewise be addressed and eliminated if the unrest and demoralization in the military are to be quelled.

Archbishop says RP needs right leaders for country

By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO

More than merely changing leaders in the country, the most basic need is having the right leaders for the country, said Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz.

Cruz said what the country needs right now are nationalist leaders who are pro-God and pro-Filipinos.

This is because he said, most of the country’s government leaders are in love only with power and might and not with God.

"They are pre-occupied with serving themselves, relatives, and friends, not their neighbors. They are subservient to foreign interests and concerns over and above local considerations and national welfare," he said.

"This kind of leaders can be qualified as anything but nationalists. And these are exactly the leaders who have slowly but surely led the country where it is now – in a deep and wide socio-political quagmire," he added.

It is for these reasons he said, that the country is in need of rescue.

To have them (nationalists) to hold the helm of national leadership, he said, has become an imperative for the Philippines.

And the more these people are, the prelate said, the better it is for the country.

"The faster nationalist leaders come to the rescue, the more propitious it is for the Filipinos," he said.

"There must be and there are Filipinos who qualify for actual and potential nationalist leadership in the country of 83 million," he added.

But the question now, Cruz said, is how to identify them, group them as one socio-moral nationalist force, and to see to it that they continue or digg in to hold leadership positions in the country.