ManilaMailDC.Net - Hello Albert!

Hello Albert!

The “Hello Garci” tapes may be illegal in the Philippines, but not in the embassy. Some officials and staff, according to insiders, have been secretly taping, listening or distributing copies of these current best-seller. So widespread has this become that there is now general suspicion among top officers, including Ambassador Albert del Rosario, about the loyalty of some of the officers and staff.. Who are the diehard Arroyo loyalists? The traitors? The prospective “balimbings” ?
Before the controversy over the ‘Hello Garci” tapes and “Call Jueteng,” everyone
in the embassy was free to talk about anything under the sun. Not anymore. Many, particularly the vocal ones, have clammed up. “One’s friend my turn out to be an enemy,” said one extra careful staff member. “We just talk about how corrupt the President and her family is at home, making sure there are no “bugs” around. or only with intimate friends in the community. The result is that no one knows who are the loyalists and the traitors in the embassy.
According to some Tsismosos, so delicate has the situation become that some have stopped using the greeting “Hello?.” when answering the phone in the embassy or calling someone outside. They are afraid the loyalists might misconstrue that as mocking the President. They just say, “good morning or good afternoon, or this is the Philippine embassy?etc.”
Because even the ambassador, who is often absent from his post, don’t know who are the loyalists and the traitors. The result is that only a small circle of officers are being briefed by Ambassador Albert del Rosario about the situation. Those whose loyalty are in doubt are sidelined. This division has become more pronounced recently that only those whose loyalty are beyond reproach were invited to the ambassador’s briefings after he returned from a long vacation.
When Secretary Alberto Romulo secretly came here last month to try to meet with top American officials, the prospective balimbings spread rumors that “no American official wanted to see Romulo.” The ambassador quietly hosted a dinner for Romulo at the residence but invited only those whose loyalty were beyond reproach. Like President Bush who selects his audience, the ambassador selected only a few to attend the dinner.
A secret survey conducted by Tsismoso showed that majority are hoping “Maam,” whom Garci addressed in the tapes, would resign. “She and her family are comparable or worse than the Marcoses or Estradas,” whispered one to a close friend. “Tuloy na,” another remarked, meaning the people should oust her. Former loyalists were dismayed. “Anak ng jueteng should now be changed to ina ng jueteng,” said a former supporter. Many, particularly those who have not been receiving their salaries on time are mixing their denunciatons with “anak ng p?.” “Bansut na, tanga pa,” said another who noted that while it was common among politicians to cheat in elections, they let their aides do that, not themselves.
For the underlings, their only hope is that they will not become victims of any change in government. For them, their favorite expression when they talk to friends whom they consider to have clout in Manila is “remember me when you are in power.”
@9PTCA = ***
The infighting in the inner circles of the Philippine festival committee and the other chairs still continues. It seems that everyone is claiming credit for the successful fair and parade and the equally successful traditional gala ball. One group is reportedly so angry because some volunteers were not given due recognition and credit. They complained that their names have been scrapped – deliberate or not —- from some programs and brochures. .Others have denounced the alleged presence of interlopers whose only contribution, they assert, was to create cleavages, rifts pare, and rivalries among the various committees. So intense was the infighting that some have reportedly resorted to libelous assertions about alleged “relationships” among the leaders and volunteers, including their private lives. Like the Republicans in Congress, there are demands by these groups for an apology to the volunteers whose service had not been recognized. .
Hello Garci! Will you make sure that next year there will be no infighting among the leaders of the festival.
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It’s tragic that while the Garci-gate and Jueteng-gate are still in the investigative stage, many Filipino Americans have already passed judgment and pronounced the President guilty. Ask any Pinoy in the Washington D.C. area who have access to the Filipino channel or newspapers about their opinion of the situation in the Philippines and 80 to 90 percent would say the President is guilty. But when confronted with the possibility of Vice President Noli de Castro assuming the presidency, they balk. Many say it’s better to follow Sen. Aquilino Pimentel’s suggestion for a snap election.
Diyos ko po!
Tsismoso’s suggestion is for the President to confess that she was only talking to Mike, not Garci. Proof? Manufacture the “original tape.”