#SuperficialGazette: Your Official Source of Revised Historical Facts

 

 Wazzup Pilipinas!

A typhoon named "Ferdie" is in the country while we're marking Marcos' 99th birth anniversary. Meanwhile, on September 11, 2016, the Official Gazette officially became a #PartnerForChange by subtly revising history. It has now become the official source of revised history.

Filipinos have taken to Twitter to offer their own examples of historical revisionism. There was even a site made to give emphasis on this blatant intent to brainwash the people, especially the Millennials who were not yet around to witness the many human rights violations, plunder, extrajudicial killings, and many other atrocities that happened during the Marcos regime whose reign of terror was catapulted during the Martial Law era.

The next thing they will post might be similar to what the netizens posted on Twitter:

"In 1986 there was an EDSA thingy that kinda ended a Martial Law thingy. But we're not sure who the dictator was."

"During February 1986, a few Filipinos decided to take a stroll down a street called EDSA. "

"During martial law years, more than 3000 people decided to leave their families for holidays and never returned."

"We had such a huge surplus of electricity in the martial law days that people were lining up to be electrocuted! "

"The workers building the Manila Film Center were so committed that they offered themselves up as building material."

"Mocha Uson was the first "journalist" to cover the People Power Rally in 1986. She was only 4-years-old at that time."

 

"There it is. #SuperficialGazette. Denying the elephant in the room. Insisting that the emperor still has clothes on."

Historical Revisionism: Duterte Administration Rewrites History In Favor of Marcos

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines is the repository of government documents as stated by law. 

We are not in the business of revising history. We only convey what is documented in the official records. 

We continually update materials to keep them as historically accurate as possible.
The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines is devoid of any political color and affiliations." - Ramon L. Cualoping III, Assistant Secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office

Above is the team behind the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines' efforts to revise our history. Huddling with another corrupt president who will probably receive a special greeting like the dictator.

The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines drew flak from netizens late Sunday for supposedly applying "historical revisionism" in its post commemorating the birth anniversary of late President Ferdinand Marcos late Sunday. For its part, the Official Gazette says it is "not in the business of revising history" and only states "what is documented in the official records."

The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines has become a tool for historical revisionism! People running the Official Gazette now (Duterte’s term) are insulting the very set of people they’re supposed to serve.

According to reports, the Official Gazette on Sunday, September 11, posted on its Facebook page the late dictator's photo with a long caption, edited the caption to allegedly downplay the Martial Law era, deleted that photo after going viral, and then reposted it with a shorter caption.

Netizens who are anti-Marcos, many of whom are pro-Aquino, criticized the Presidential Communications Office and accused it of attempting to revise the country's history. Some even called it "miscommunications office" and called on President Rodrigo Duterte to fire the staff.

The Presidential Communications Office has admitted to failing to think thoroughly about the implications of the Official Gazette’s Facebook post glorifying the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos for his birthday.

This is what happens when the Official Gazette is not managed by professional and credible historians. Please stop using our tax money to sanitize our country's dark history. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. We demand a public apology!

The Office of Disinformation and Miscommunication should rename theOfficial Gazette to Official Marcos Fairy Tales. I wonder how it would commemorate the September 21 declaration of martial law? On September 21, 1972, Filipinos lived happily ever after.

Former deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte has taken to social media to vent her frustration over the Official Gazette’s seeming evolution (or is it devolution?) from a chronicler of important events in the country’s history to a government-run Marcos propaganda machine.

PCO Asec Ramon Cualoping III explains the Social Media Card to commemorate former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos' 99th birthday and the corrections made on the caption posted on the Official Gazette on Sunday.

"We continually update materials to keep it as historically accurate as possible. The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines is devoid of any political color and affiliations," he said.

He reiterated that "there was no revision of history and there will never be."

We got the comments (on the first caption of the Social Media card that was posted) from social media, and "we adjusted and edited the caption immediately," he said.

"This is a learning lesson for us and we will improve accordingly based on our efforts to have a streamlined national communications policy," he added.

To the people presently running the Official Gazette, we, the Filipino people, are not paying you with taxes from our hard-earned income just to be an instrument of pro-Marcos revisionism of our history.

In the name of truth, fairness and justice, please add the following facts about Ferdinand Marcos:

1. He was a dictator.
2. He was a mass murderer.
3. He was a human rights violator.
4. He was a thief and plunderer.
5. He allowed his family and cronies to steal from the Filipino people.
6. He ordered and/or allowed the torture, illegal detention, forced disappearance and summary execution of the people who were against his policies.
7. He was ousted by the Filipino people themselves through a popular and peaceful revolution.

This the truth and nothing but the whole truth.

This government is mobilizing taxpayer resources to rehabilitate the image of a dictator who raped and plundered the country.

Marco Angelo Cabrera, the person running the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines, worked for Bongbong Marcos.

I hope that if indeed he worked for Bongbong Marcos, that he would have the delicadeza to (1) at the very least to recuse or inhibit from any Presidential Communications about the Marcoses especially about their place in history or (2) at the very most, resign.

The conflict of interest is so glaring and palpable. Multiple issues and events will require him to post on matters touching Ferdinand Marcos and his family - from the current issue on his burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani to future commemorations of the declaration of Martial Law and the EDSA Revolution.

Addendum: "Marcos became the longest serving president of the country after declaring Martial Law in 1972, following a fake assassination attempt to Juan Ponce Enrile which he used to justify his declaration.

He was thrown out of office by a People Power revolt in 1986, but not before he and his family amassed billions in ill-gotten wealth that to this date, continue to haunt Filipinos, more than a quarter of whom remain poor.

Because of the magnitude of his crime, Marcos was pronounced the second most corrupt leader by Transparency International, next only to Indonesia's Suharto, by measure of the amount he stole from the people."

Inaugural Address of President Rodrigo Duterte

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Here is the full Inaugural address or spreech of President Rodrigo Duterte during his Oath-taking of the President of the Philippines in Malacañang Palace on June 30, 2016:


President Fidel Ramos, sir, salamat po sa tulong mo (thank you for your help) making me President; President Joseph Ejercito Estrada; Senate President Franklin Drilon and the members of the Senate; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and the members of the House of Representatives; Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court; His Excellency Guiseppe Pinto and the members of the Diplomatic Corps; incoming members of the Cabinet; fellow workers in government; my fellow countrymen.

No leader, however strong, can succeed at anything of national importance or significance unless he has the support and cooperation of the people he is tasked to lead and sworn to serve.

It is the people from whom democratic governments draw strength and this administration is no exception. That is why we have to listen to the murmurings of the people, feel their pulse, supply their needs and fortify their faith and trust in us whom they elected to public office.

There are many amongst us who advance the assessment that the problems that bedevil our country today which need to be addressed with urgency, are corruption, both in the high and low echelons of government, criminality in the streets, and the rampant sale of illegal drugs in all strata of Philippine society and the breakdown of law and order. True, but not absolutely so. For I see these ills as mere symptoms of a virulent social disease that creeps and cuts into the moral fiber of Philippine society. I sense a problem deeper and more serious than any of those mentioned or all of them put together. But of course, it is not to say that we will ignore them because they have to be stopped by all means that the law allows.

Erosion of faith and trust in government – that is the real problem that confronts us. Resulting therefrom, I see the erosion of the people’s trust in our country’s leaders; the erosion of faith in our judicial system; the erosion of confidence in the capacity of our public servants to make the people’s lives better, safer and healthier.

Indeed, ours is a problem that dampens the human spirit. But all is not lost.

I have seen how corruption bled the government of funds, which were allocated for the use in uplifting the poor from the mire that they are in.

I have seen how illegal drugs destroyed individuals and ruined family relationships.

I have seen how criminality, by means all foul, snatched from the innocent and the unsuspecting, the years and years of accumulated savings. Years of toil and then, suddenly, they are back to where they started.

Look at this from that perspective and tell me that I am wrong.

In this fight, I ask Congress and the Commission on Human Rights and all others who are similarly situated to allow us a level of governance that is consistent to our mandate. The fight will be relentless and it will be sustained.

I know that there are those who do not approve of my methods of fighting criminality. They say that my methods are unorthodox and verge on the illegal.

My adherence to due process and the rule of law is uncompromising.

You mind your work and I will mind mine.

“Malasakit. Tunay na Pagbabago. Tinud-anay nga Kausaban (Compassion. Real change.)” – these are words which catapulted me to the presidency. These slogans were conceptualized not for the sole purpose of securing the votes of the electorate. “Tinud-anay nga kabag-uhan. Mao kana ang tumong sa atong pang-gobyerno (Real change. This is the direction of our government).”

Far from that. These were battle cries articulated by me in behalf of the people hungry for genuine and meaningful change. But the change, if it is to be permanent and significant, must start with us and in us. [applause]

To borrow the language of F. Sionil Jose, we have become our own worst enemies. And we must have the courage and the will to change ourselves.

As a lawyer and a former prosecutor, I know the limits of the power and authority of the president. I know what is legal and what is not.

Love of country, subordination of personal interests to the common good, concern and care for the helpless and the impoverished – these are among the lost and faded values that we seek to recover and revitalize as we commence our journey towards a better Philippines. The ride will be rough. But come and join me just the same. Together, shoulder to shoulder, let us take the first wobbly steps in this quest.

There are two quotations from revered figures that shall serve as the foundation upon which this administration shall be built.

“The test of government is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide for those who have little.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

And from (Abraham) Lincoln I draw this expression: “You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong; You cannot help the poor by discouraging the rich; You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer; You cannot further the brotherhood by inciting class hatred among men.”

My economic and financial, political policies are contained in those quotations, though couched in general terms. Read between the lines. I need not go into specifics now. They shall be supplied to you in due time.

However, there are certain policies and specifics of which cannot wait for tomorrow to be announced.

Therefore, I direct all department secretaries and the heads of agencies to reduce requirements and the processing time of all applications, from the submission to the release. I order all department secretaries and heads of agencies to remove redundant requirements and compliance with one department or agency, shall be accepted as sufficient for all.

I order all department secretaries and heads of agencies to refrain from changing and bending the rules government contracts, transactions and projects already approved and awaiting implementation. Changing the rules when the game is on-going is wrong.

I abhor secrecy and instead advocate transparency in all government contracts, projects and business transactions from submission of proposals to negotiation to perfection and finally, to consummation.

Do them and we will work together. Do not do them, we will part sooner than later.

On the domestic front, my administration is committed to implement all signed peace agreements in step with constitutional and legal reforms.

I am elated by the expression of unity among our Moro brothers and leaders, and the response of everyone else to my call for peace.

I look forward to the participation of all other stakeholders, particularly our indigenous peoples, to ensure inclusivity in the peace process.

Let me remind in the end of this talk, that I was elected to the presidency to serve the entire country. I was not elected to serve the interests of any one person or any group or any one class. I serve every one and not only one.

That is why I have adapted as an article of faith, the following lines written by someone whose name I could no longer recall. He said: “I have no friends to serve, I have no enemies to harm.”

On the international front and community of nations, let me reiterate that the Republic of the Philippines will honor treaties and international obligations. On the domestic front, my administration is committed to implement all signed peace agreements in step with constitutional and legal reforms.

Prescinding there from, I now ask everyone, and I mean everyone, to join me as we embark on this crusade for a better and brighter tomorrow.

But before I end, let me express the nations, on behalf of the people, our condolences to the Republic of Turkey of what has happened in the place. We offer our deepest condolences.

Why am I here? Hindi kasali ito diyan (This is not part of my speech). The past tense was, I am here because I love my country and I love the people of the Philippines. I am here, why? Because I am ready to start my work for the nation.

Thank you and good afternoon.

#NasaanAngPangulo Trending Worldwide

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The country wanted to know: #NasaanAngPangulo.

The hashtag trended worldwide and perhaps those that do not know Tagalog and are not aware of what is happening in the Philippines, now is the opportunity to share to the whole world where our President was when the bodies of the fallen PNP-SAF men, slain by the MILF from the Mamasapano, Maguindanao "misencounter," arrived in Manila for an arrival honors ceremony at Villamor airbase.

I was already asking that question earlier in the day when I didn't see him at the Arrival Honors ceremony. Meanwhile, personalities like the former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos were seen at the grandstand of Villamor. Grandstanding.

The most clever and brightest people in Malacanang had no acceptable and reasonable answer for the simplest yet toughest national question: #WhereIsThePresident. #NasaanAngPangulo. Surprisingly, he was delivering a speech at the inauguration of the new Mitsubishi plant  located in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Filipinos are asking why? We were furious at Malacanang's reasoning: the car plant inauguration was pre-planned. The country was mourning while watching the bodies come out from the plane, but the President was all smiles somewhere else. Where is the President? He was busy elsewhere. Priorities.

What's more heart-breaking than seeing the mourning relatives of the dead? Knowing their Commander-in-Chief wasn't there for them. Attending a car plant inauguration instead of consoling with the families who lost their loved ones in Maguindanao. Not cool at all.

Hashtag "MandaramBong" Trending After Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. Gave Privilege Speech

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"Revilla's speech is more drama and an attempt to pull on the heartstrings of the masses to side with him, than firm evidence to confirm his claim of innocence. I want to see more facts from him. And less emotional manipulation. That is not what I saw while watching him. Disapointng." - Tinni Espiritu

It seems Kap's Amazing Stories has still to share the most amazing story there is. Too bad Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. shared it via privilege speech at the Senate and thus confirmed only one thing:. He couldn't really defend that he is not a "Mandarambong" and so he did the only thing possible to try to save his neck - put the blame to the Malacanang Administration and try to convince everyone that the President and his men are doing something equally evil.

So that is why Malacanang declared January 20 as National Prayer Day. They probably knew what Bong was going to do. Too bad the prayers didn't worked on the thick-skinned "MadramaBong". It got rolled over by Bong's Tonka truck that he brought with him to the Senate as one of his dramatic props, along with his father, former actor and Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Sr., in a "wheelchair".