[Daisy]

This was posted from another site with the dream and hope for a better Philippines....CHEERS!

Quote

By:
Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS*
Chairman, Filipino United Network (USA)

How would you like to launch a historical fight against graft and corruption in the Philippines and “buy” back morality in our government --- all for just One Dollar?

You and I have always abhorred the corruption among our government officials in the Philippines, from top to bottom, and deplored the sad state of our country, where more than 70% of our people wallow in massive poverty. While the issue is a complex one, the most obvious etiology of this shameful malady is the overwhelming graft and corruption among our amoral and decadent government leaders.

Would you be willing to invest a dollar --- yes, one single US dollar --- in the fight against graft and corruption in the Philippines?

Leading us in this battle is a man of God, the Reverend Father “Among Ed” Panlilio, the newly elected “Miracle” Governor of Pampanga, a man of dignity and integrity.

What happened in that province is amazingly unbelievable. A humble priest, without political experience, without a bank account, without a political machinery, beating two “unbeatable” seasoned, well-funded, and powerful political giants. “Impossible,” said the political gurus when “Among Ed” first started his crusade. But the Greater Power above obviously had a grander plan for “Among Ed,” and proved the pundits wrong. Suddenly, there was hope for the Philippines.

Armed with his unblemished character, moral ascendancy, love of country, and a strong commitment to honesty and transparency in government, “Among Ed” handily won the election, in spite of widespread vote-buying and rampant cheating. It was evident that a visionary leader with integrity can truly inspire and bring out the best in the Filipino.

The billions of “missing” revenues from the Lahar collection under the past administrations, which Governor Panlilio has discovered since he assumed office June 30, 2007, is only the tip of the iceberg of the invasive cancer of graft and corruption afflicting every level of government in the entire country.

Unfortunately, an honest man makes crooks and villains nervous and uncomfortable, so there is now a move to eliminate “Among Ed, or oust him thru a Recall, courtesy of his enemies, including the majority of the town mayors who have lost their personal cut from the Lahar collection and other government projects., since Governor Panlilio took over.

One can easily imagine what he, as a man of God, of honesty and decency, of principle and genuine love of country, can do when elected President of the Philippines. A dream, yes. A tall order, definitely. An impossible task? No, not with the Divine Providence, you, and people power on his side!

Governor Panlilio has adopted Gawad Kalinga as the pillar of his vision for Pampanga and the nation. His crusade is gaining speed and momentum, and like Tony Meloto’s GK, it will soon be unstoppable. Two giant national religious groups are now supporting “Among Ed.” Filipinos around the world are rejoicing and rallying behind him. And we want you to be a part of this historical transformation.

Come fly with Governor Panlilio in this moral crusade. Our country and our neglected poor need heroes like you in our battle for morality in government, for justice and dignity for our people. This is, indeed, a revolution. Not a revolution of arms where blood will be shed, but a revolution of ideals and of principle, where dreams and vision, sweat and tears shall bathe the nation clean.

All this crusade needs is your personal commitment and moral support for “Among Ed,” an investment for the future of the Philippines. Let’s not miss this opportunity. Let’s use our power to help change our country for the better. The Reverend “Among Ed” Panlilio is heaven-sent and is the hope for our ailing nation.

Please make your check for one dollar, or whatever amount you wish, payable to: FUND FOR HOPE, and mail it to: 1830 Mirmar Road, Munster, Indiana, 46321, USA, or to Buenaventura Condominium, 62 E. Osmena St., Guadalupe, Cebu City, 6000, Philippines. Kindly include your full name and email address for our Historical Archive. This will be the best one-dollar investment you’ll ever make.

The funds will be used to purchase media time and space for Among Ed, for flyers, posters, newsletters, brochures needed in the crusade, and to fight the Recall planned by his political opponents.

Join the revolution, help our country and our people, and leave a proud and lasting legacy for our children and the future generations to cherish with honor and dignity.

May God bless you and your loved ones! God bless the Philippines!


PLEASE SEND THIS LETTER TO ALL YOUR EMAIL CONTACTS AND REQUEST YOUR FRIENDS TO DO THE SAME.

*************************************************************

Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana, USA, is Chairman of Filipino United Network (FUN-USA), Vice Chairman of Filipino American Leadership Council (www.FALCONadvocacy.com) and Vice President for Far East of Cardiovascular Hospitals of America (www.cvhospitals.com), Wichita, Kansas. He is a columnist for five newspapers and one magazine in the United States and five newspapers and one magazine in the Philippines. Google him for more information. His email address is scalpelpen@gmail.com
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This post has been edited by Daisy: 05 January 2008 - 06:44 AM

[Alan S]

I like the idea, but, sadly, I fear that corruption is too deeply entrenched in the Philippine system for it to work.
There are too many people making far too much money to allow things to change, without compulsion.

Having looked at the situation for many years, I truly believe that the only way there will be a dramatic change, and that is what is required, is for a revolution.
And I dont mean a peaceful one, such as that that ousted Marcos.

Something like the French revolution, with a few heads rolling, (literally) would concentrate peoples minds wonderfully.

The biggest mistake that the poeople of the Philippines made was in not executing Marcos and all his family when there was a chance to.
That would have kept future politicians on the "straight and narrow", for many years to come.

[mattwilkie]

Alan S, on Jan 5 2008, 09:08 AM, said:

I like the idea, but, sadly, I fear that corruption is too deeply entrenched in the Philippine system for it to work.
There are too many people making far too much money to allow things to change, without compulsion.

Having looked at the situation for many years, I truly believe that the only way there will be a dramatic change, and that is what is required, is for a revolution.
And I dont mean a peaceful one, such as that that ousted Marcos.

Something like the French revolution, with a few heads rolling, (literally) would concentrate peoples minds wonderfully.

The biggest mistake that the poeople of the Philippines made was in not executing Marcos and all his family when there was a chance to.
That would have kept future politicians on the "straight and narrow", for many years to come.

Totally agree with you. Peaceful is impossible what will likely happen is "Among Ed" will be killed before reaching a position where he could make
real change. The country needs to go through the natural stages of progress and change that seems mapped out in history with a lot of countries
including France with the revolution also the fact of the execution of the corrupt officials it would also release the capital that has been stolen over many years by the officials and theyre families. With execution if theyre connected families are also killed the wealth would have to return to the state due to it no longer having anyone to inherit it and in doing so would literally turn the political field into a level playing field where something may actually be done to bring around change. For anyone who thinks is a bit harsh with family executions how many of these political families have problems sleeping at night knowing children in theyre country from the lack of basic essentials??

[Mike S]

Wow Alan ...... don't hold so much back ....... I sure wouldn't want you for my campaign manager ....... but I do have to agree with you ....... would be a great deterrent .......... kinda like cutting a mans hand off in public for stealing ......

[Daisy]

I truly understand your reactions...can't blame all of you because Philippine's cases of graft and corruption is as clear as night and day....vote buying, killing each other, manipulation, and treachery are rampant during election...and even after...and the fact that "Among Ed" (Our Ed) won and alive is indeed a miracle, it could not be otherwise. We are peace loving people as proven by EDSA revolution -1 and the empeachment of ERAP, so if there will be a massive information drive and sectoral lectures on awareness of the Philippine Situation, we still stongly believe that the anti-thesis is not a bloody revolution but through a democratic process called ELECTION! My family is poor but we can't be intimidated during election because we are informed! This is the primary objective of the Crusade...let all Filipinos be informed!!!

This post has been edited by Daisy: 06 January 2008 - 09:05 AM

[Bob Ward]

After reading more on the recall process Ed is facing, he has an uphill battle at best. The election process and the rules thereafter have been manipulated to let the corruption stay in place. If you win, as Ed did, then all his opponents have to do is get together and vote him out. SAD, but true.

It doesn't help that he made the mistake of accepting the P500,000 from unknown sources. Especially since it may come out that Gloria was the source.

The people in the government around Ed are all pissed that they no longer recieve their share of the graft. They will do what they have to do to get it back. Legal or not does not matter but they will try the legal way first I'm sure.

Disceminating information is a good start for the Filipino people, but taking that course won't get the majority of the Filipinos on the side of justice and reform. It will take a more radical approach to get them to take some type of immediate action. If the people in Pampanga would take to the streets in mass when Ed is recalled, this would be a start!

[tom_shor]

Alan S, on Jan 4 2008, 06:08 PM, said:

I like the idea, but, sadly, I fear that corruption is too deeply entrenched in the Philippine system for it to work.
There are too many people making far too much money to allow things to change, without compulsion.

Having looked at the situation for many years, I truly believe that the only way there will be a dramatic change, and that is what is required, is for a revolution.
And I dont mean a peaceful one, such as that that ousted Marcos.

Something like the French revolution, with a few heads rolling, (literally) would concentrate peoples minds wonderfully.

The biggest mistake that the poeople of the Philippines made was in not executing Marcos and all his family when there was a chance to.
That would have kept future politicians on the "straight and narrow", for many years to come.

Unfortunately this sort of thing once begun is not limited to the people who deserve it. It builds up momentum that is difficult to stop. Then you have people involved taking advantage of a situation to eliminate people they don't like or Who annoy them. Anyone who speaks out about the excess killings would likely be included, as well as anyone who has something they might want.

The people you are talking about also include the countrys best educated. Since they are doing the whole family how many doctors and educators would also be included.

It is also very doubtful that all thos sudden available wealth would be fairly distributed. It would more likely result in a new wealthy uneducated and brutal elite who would have no hesitation to kill to protect their new status. (Since that is how they got it in the first place.)

I don't think the french revolution is a good example to follow. It spawned Napolean who plunged europe into bloody wars for twenty years. France itself was unstable for at least another twenty years after that. (I still don't think they are stable)

Look at Cambodia. They purged the corrupt and the opposition. How many died in that one.

Yes shooting the Marcos clan might have done some good. If it stopped there. Or even Erap and his bunch. But a widespread purge usually creates a whole new set of problems.

I hope the new governor of Pampanga will be successful in his efforts and does not end up with an abruptly short carreer. Perhaps a few more like him will begin to do some real good.

This post has been edited by tom_shor: 07 January 2008 - 02:20 AM

[Alan S]

Mmm, I dont know.
20 years of troubles is less than the people of the Philippines are suffering now.

We, in the UK, had a civil war which did a lot of good in ridding the country of the worst of the corruption.
It took more than 20 years to become stable again, but when it did, things move forward by leaps and bounds.

However, despite my views, I doubt that the average Filipino would go that route: they are too peace-loving.

Also, despite my scepticism, I do hope that the campaign works.
Anything that may improve the lot of the average Filipino MUST be worth trying.

[Daisy]

Our optimism amidst desparation never ceases... Oftentimes and almost unexpectantly, something or somebody will come up... At this point it is the Governor “Among Ed” Panlilio who has the courage to reveal the truth!!! This man of integrity deserves the support of everyone who wants to put a stop to the rampant corruption in Phil politics...a dollar to loss and a country to redeem!!!!CHEERS Philippines!!!!!!!