YPS

* I wrote this piece amidst the haka haka that the impeachment complaint that was going to be presented to congress was defective and flawed. I found it even stranger that the complaint came from an individual whose only (alleged) connection to congress was a congressman he had met, by chance, at some event in the past. Even if we assume that this complainant is just an eager beaver individual anxious to put his name in the anals ( not a misprint) of Philippine history, it still begs the question of how he got his hand in the cookie jar first. With congress coincidentally re-convening on Nov 5 (Guy Fawkes Day) the newsies are full of speculation that this day in congress will be one of plots, payoffs, and if were lucky, a good hanging. Who will betray who? Will the colors of the opposition change? Will we be rubbing shoulders with the ( ex?) speaker who looks suspiciously like Homer Simpsons father?

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

-JPG

Reports abound that the impeachment complaint against the President is a sham and that people were paid to endorse the complaint. Assuming that the impeachment complaint is intentionally flawed and designed not to prosper, then the overall effect is to immunize the President impeachment for another year.

This stems from a provision that the President can only be threatened with impeachment once a year. I suppose this is to prevent harassment from the opposition in Congress and to avoid a possible mother of all filibusters which would be the daily filing of impeachment complaints.

But this hue and cry from the opposition again begs the question; why was the "genuine" opposition beaten to the punch? The provision of a one per year impeachment complaint is clear. And whether or not you count the year from the day the complaint is was filed or the day it was killed in congress, a definite timeline exists. Why then can the opposition not get their complaint in first? The answer seems to be simple; that the administration congressmen are working harder to keep the President in power than the oppositionists are working to oust her.

But why should I be surprised. After all it seems to be in our genes, this putting off for the last minute, the preparations for a major event. Especially, I notice, when the odds of winning are less than likely.

Fortunately, not winning in the ASEAN sporting competition has no repercussions on us as a people other than the agonizing repetitiveness of the inane reminiscing of how we used to win basketball tournaments in a time that only Ronnie Nathanielsz and Quinito Henson seem to remember.

In the case of our politics though, it implies volumes about the kind of people we see as oppositionists. Their self perpetuated image of being the stalwarts for democracy raging against the machinery of a corrupt establishment becomes suspect and as such, their motives as well. Add to that the latest expose of elected officials receiving money in and from Malacanang and we might be tempted to assume that the oppositionist have a adopted a position that whatever happens, there is still an advantage to having GMA as president. After all, naambonan pa naman sila.

I really hope Im wrong but my conspiracy loving gut says I don't think so. After all It takes just two oppositionists to endorse an impeachment complaint and any individual that wants to file that complaint has one full year to prepare it.

Paano tayo di pupulutin sa kangkungan...eh mukhang lagi tayong natutulog sa pansitan.

Somebody please tell me Im wrong.