Driven To Distraction

There are rumors in the grapevine that there is going to be two new stations, and both are based in Metro Manila. There are rumblings that it might be on the 87.5 MHz frequency and the 104.3 MHz frequency , both owned by the Philippine Broadcasting Service.

Let’s just say that there are officially two government stations in the FM band today. One is the present 104.3 DWBR-FM, where radio jocks like Bob Novales, George Boone, Jun Sta. Ana, among others, go on air.

The other one is the recently secured 87.5 frequency. This one apparently will have a CHR format that will go up against the likes of Magic, RX, Play, among others.

The 104.3 frequency will be very interesting though in the coming days. From the teaser, it says it will be Metro Manila’s Hit Back Music Station, so expect music from the 80’s and 90’s to dominate the playlist. But the one thing I’m really very excited is the roster of top-tiered DJ’s, soon to be announced. The cast is extremely stellar – perhaps the best assembly of DJ talents since 101.1 KISS-FM of 1985 or RT of the 90’s.

To give you a clue, two of perhaps the best DJ’s in FM radio history are projected to be together in this project. A third one is perhaps one of the most innovative radio executives ever. It will be a combination of radio personalities coming from RT, KISS, Magic and K-Lite.

Not only that, PBS-BBS recently created an FM Radio division, which was tasked by Bong “Sonny B.” Aportadera, the head of PBS, and recently from 99.5 Play FM, to overhaul the station. The division is said to be headed by Carlo Jose Villo.

Four days ago, George Boone announced on his Facebook page that his show “Fresh” will have its last broadcast on DWBR this Friday morning.  My theory on the two new stations that:

FM 1 is CHR/Pop, which would compete with Magic, RX, Play, Home Radio and Mellow.

FM2 might be Classic Hits/Hot AC, which would compete with RJ 100 and Retro 105.9, plus new from the PBS AM stations.

 

Again, this is pure speculation. We better wait and see what’s gonna happen on Monday.

 

That’s how the Marcos family did it.Like a thief in the night.

Around 12 NN today, Former President Ferdinand Marcos has been buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani with full military honors, giving closure to his family and supporters but reopening wounds inflicted by his 21-year rule marked by human rights atrocities.

The “simple and private” funeral rites, as requested by the Marcos family, were carried out late Friday morning so that the remains of Marcos would be interred by 12 noon, Chief Superintendent Oscar Albayalde said in an interview with different media groups.

Albayalde said there was a 21-gun salute for the late strongman as part of the military honors, but there was no parade that marked a state funeral service.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa told reporters outside the cemetery gates that 3 helicopters brought members of the Marcos family and the remains of the late dictator to the LNMB.

Reporters who were at the Heroes’ Cemetery said they thought there would only be a rehearsal for the burial until the PNP chief himself arrived on site.

Dela Rosa said police were only informed about the final schedule of the burial on Thursday night. He said authorities were ordered to ensure that the former president would be “buried properly.”

Palace spokespersons said they did not know about the burial, which was carried out while President Rodrigo Duterte was abroad. He left Manila on Thursday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting in Peru.

Maximum tolerance

Asked how the police would deal with anti-Marcos groups who were expected to flock to the area, Dela Rosa said, “Maximum tolerance, hindi maximum paluan (not maximum beating)….We are prepared [for them].”

RJ Piniera, a media relations officer of Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, said Imee flew to Manila last night.

“Kaming mga Ilocano pupunta ng Manila kasi [may] pasasalamat rally baka sakali mailibing(We Ilocanos will go to Manila because there’s a thanksgiving rally in case the burial pushes through),” Piniera said.

Marcos supporters were reportedly informed about the plan but were asked to keep it confidential.

The funeral rites for Marcos took place over a week after the Supreme Court, voting 9-5, ruled in favor of a hero’s burial for the former president. The petitioners against a state interment for Marcos, mostly Martial Law victims, had filed manifestations before the Court that they would file a motion for reconsideration on the ruling.

SC spokesperson Theodore Te said the burial is not prohibited as the Court had already lifted the status quo ante order on it.

‘Like a thief in the night’

Vice President Leni Robredo strongly condemned the hero’s burial for Marcos and reiterated her position that “he is no hero.”

“Like a thief in the night, the Marcos family deliberately hid the information of burying former President Marcos today from the Filipino people,” Robredo said in a statement.

Barry Gutierrez, counsel for the anti-Marcos court petitioners, said the burial was illegal because of the outstanding appeals.

“It’s not really surprising that this is happening. Marcos flouted the law when he was still alive, and even at his burial, he is still breaking the law,” Gutierrez told Agence France-Presse.

“We are shocked and angered,” Gutierrez added.

Anti-Marcos groups and others opposed to the burial, who were caught flat-footed by the surprise burial, also slammed the Marcoses for their “underhandedness” and said they would mark the day with a “Black Friday” protest.

“This is a continuing deception, deviousness, abuse, and underhandedness of the Marcos family. They are just continuing the abuses and atrocities committed during the martial law regime,” said Albay Representative Edcel Lagman.

Rule of plunder, abuse

Marcos ruled the Philippines for two decades until forced into US exile by the “People Power” revolution, a largely peaceful event that inspired democracy movements throughout Asia and around the world.

Marcos, his infamously flamboyant wife Imelda, and their cronies plundered up to $10 billion from state coffers during his rule, according to government investigators and historians.

The dictator also oversaw widespread human rights abuses to maintain his control of the country and enable his plundering, with thousands of people killed and tortured, previous Philippine governments said.

Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International in 2004 named Marcos the second most corrupt leader of all time, behind Indonesian dictator Suharto.

The Philippines’ foreign debt went from $2.67 billion in 1972, when Marcos declared martial law, to $28.2 billion in 1986, according to the World Bank.

After Marcos died in Hawaii in 1989, his family began a successful political comeback and tried repeatedly to have him buried at the heroes’ cemetery, where other presidents and celebrated military figures are interred.

Imelda became a congresswoman and fended off all corruption charges against her.

Two of her children established themselves as influential politicians. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, was the more successful, becoming a senator before almost winning the vice presidency this year.

However previous presidents had refused to allow the burial in the heroes’ cemetery because of Marcos’s crimes, so the family kept the preserved body in a glass casket at his home in the northern province of Ilocos Norte.

The family’s fortunes changed with the election of Duterte, a longtime ally of the Marcos family, as president in May this year.

He said Marcos deserved to be buried at the heroes’ cemetery based on the fact he had been a president and a veteran of World War II.

Duterte also said he owed loyalty to the family because his father served in the Marcos government and the family had helped fund his election campaign. (taken from Rappler.com)

 

MY TIDBITS ON THE BURIAL:

It looks like many friends of mine who are Loyalists (except one, who is an exception to the rule) are now asking me to move on and telling me to commit suicide. But with me, it’s not the case. I can ask the teacher who’s teaching Philippine History to make me a guest lecturer on Martial Law to educate the youth on the massive corruption, nepotism , and human rights violations. Even Malacañan has been caught off guard by this. Now, I think that #NeverAgain has meaning once more, and also, I think that the burial was done clandestinely to prevent opposition to the SC ruling. Shame that money can be used to buy Supreme Court Justices and even the highest post in the land. Even the Dutertrolls, with their Marcos Trolloyalist allies are now celebrating because naisahan na naman nila ang mga anti-Marcos at mga pro-Aquino. O bayan ko, bakit ka nagkaganito?

THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAD DAY IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY. But the fight is not yet over.

Like many of the anti-Marcos crowds who were awaiting the decision, at 1:00 PM, PST, I was stunned to hear that the SC has ruled in favor of the Marcoses. That is one decision that they pulled a dick move on. And according to Marcosian statistics, 30% are anti-Marcos? Come on. Unlike you goddamned Nazi fanatics, I know historical facts that can never be changed, like the U.S. Army records that show Marcos never founded “Ang Maharlikha” and that his boasting that he is the hero of Bessang Pass was never true.

Author’s Note: This is a repost of Mr. Walden Bello’s Rappler post, which I truly loved. For the benefit of those who have Rappler blocked, here it is.

If Hitler were alive today, he would probably send this message to his latest self-declared admirer.

My dear Rody:

You seem to have shocked the world with your comparing your plan to kill three million drug users to my slaughtering three million Jews. If I may make a slight correction, it was six million Jews. And please do not make the same mistake.

You adopted the right strategy. Shock and awe and disarm. Claim you will kill three million, and if you kill only a million, people will say, he’s not so bad after all. He can be reasoned with. They might even call you a liberal. Psychological disarmament of the enemy, as I demonstrated in Munich, is half the battle won.

I want to inform you though that killing even a million undesirables takes organization. You can profit from our mistakes. We began with firing squads, but our troops just could not keep up with the great numbers of Jews, Slavs, and other sub-humans that had to be disposed of. It was only after three years that we hit upon the solution of industrial extermination via gas chambers and crematoria.

However, you lack the capital and time to build such facilities. So my suggestion is that you make use of the asset that the Philippines has such a great supply of: labor. 16 million people voted for you. If you can mobilize even just 100,000 of them, to supplement the 100,000 members of the Philippine National Police, you’ll be well on your way to fulfilling your promise. Many of those who voted for you fit the profile of bullies, what you call “butangeros.” Others are fanatics who will do whatever you say. These are the two personality types that you ought to recruit. Forget the rest; they’re unreliable. Organize these selected types into a fraternity like my SS or SA and initiate them to their task by organizing manhunts for undesirables. There is no better method of learning than on-the-job training and nothing binds a group more tightly than the shared experience of shedding blood.

Like our comrade Idi Amin, I am worried that you continue to be lenient with the media. I disagree, however, with his recommendation that you terrorize all your critics into submission. Goebbels tells me you can actually buy off 90 percent of the press with money or appointments like diplomatic posts. In this regard, your appointing Locsin Ambassador to the UN was a master stroke. Now, this former human rights advocate is even justifying my getting rid of the Jews! Goebbels was right: Everyone has his price.

Or nearly everyone. There will always be that 10 percent that will resist bribery. These people can be framed on drug charges or simply eliminated through well planned “incidents” or “accidents.” You are, of course, the expert in such methods.

On the Americans, I fully support your strategy of attacking them rhetorically but not moving to evict them. You have to score points with the nationalists, and the Americans understand that. Remember, you may be a fascist like me, but so long as you serve US security interests, they will back you. Of course, you may be criticized by the human rights desk at the State Department, but you have many friends at the CIA and the Pentagon who prize stability above all in a socially turbulent country like yours and choke when they have to pay obeisance to such vapid concepts as “human rights” and “democracy.”

As for the Chinese, be very wary of them. I know their dictatorial style fits your temperament, but they are serious about driving the Americans from Asia. You might think you can manipulate them, but they will swallow you whole. You are better off with the Americans than with those cunning heirs of Stalin and Mao.

On the local communists, you know of course that the German Bolsheviks were my mortal enemies. But I understand the game you are playing with your communists in appointing them to key positions: you want to implicate them in your repressive actions so that they would lose credibility and legitimacy among the people and thereby cease to be a real threat. I also made a deal with Stalin, so I could secure my eastern front as I attacked in the west, so I understand you occasionally need to make a pact with the devil to achieve the greater good.

On your political opponents and allies, I admire the way you have destroyed the Liberal Party simply by offering them morsels like committee chairmanships in the House and Senate in return for their loyalty. They have been totally tamed, except of course for that woman de Lima, who I know you will permanently neutralize at the opportune time.

I would be more worried by some of your current “friends” – the people who have jumped on your bandwagon to advance their ambitions and could easily betray you at the opportune moment. I refer in particular to Gordon, Cayetano, and Marcos, who wear their ambition to be your successor on their sleeves. I had to order the extra-judicial execution of such ambitious freewheeling individuals like Rohm and Strasser during the Night of the Long Knives. You might have to do the same at some point.

I would like to end by congratulating you on your biggest coup, which was to call yourself a socialist. Little did your backers know that you meant a National Socialist like me. The big German capitalists like I.G. Farben and Krupp ended up enthusiastically backing me since I saved them from the Communists. I notice that Ramon Ang of San Miguel is now praising you to high heavens as the country’s savior, and other oligarchs are falling in line. Of course, some of your followers who expected you to initiate a social revolution will be greatly disappointed. But they were willing dupes, and such people get what they deserve. They will never understand that supermen like us are beyond ordinary morality.

Oh, one last thing. Forgive me but my followers do not allow me to alter the racial hierarchy. They gave me so much trouble when I conferred the title of “honorary Aryans” to our Japanese allies during the Second World War. They have said that being Malay, you belong to one of the inferior Mongol races. But I think I can lobby successfully to at least make you an equal of the Mediterranean race. Anyway, what are a few racial sub-categories between friends? And the important thing, after all, is not to be classified a Jew or drug user or an anti-fascist dog.

Fraternally yours,

Adolf Hitle