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Washington Times editorial: Obama-Arroyo meet a mistake


'IRRESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM'
– Press Secretary Cerge Remonde "The Washington Times editorial reeks of prejudice. Its editorial-commentary managing editor is also the author of Congressman (Jose) de Venecia Jr.’s fictional biography. It is irresponsible journalism. The Philippines and the US have a shared history and future, founded on a common vision of democracy and progress. President Arroyo’s visit serves only to validate, affirm and strengthen our alliance and joint efforts to secure a brighter future for our two countries."– Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo
(Updated 1:30 p.m.) An editorial of a Washington-based paper on Sunday (US time) branded as a "mistake" US President Barack Obama’s invitation to Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the White House. The Washington Times said Obama would become a "sanitizer" for Mrs. Arroyo’s troubled presidency plagued by allegations of corruption, human rights abuses, and moves to prolong her tenure. "The choice of Mrs. Arroyo for this honor was a mistake because Mr. Obama is being used to give political cover for the Philippine president's troubles back home," read the editorial titled Obama the Sanitizer. [Click here to read the full article.] The Washington Times is a right-leaning publication usually critical of liberal leaders like Obama. JDV ally? Malacañang, meanwhile, belittled the editorial. Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the paper’s managing editor for commentaries is Brett Dekker, the one who wrote the biography of former House Speaker and Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia III. "The paper is just being consistent with being critical against the US President as it is right-leaning being owned as it is by the moonies. Its editorial director…is the biographer of Joe de Venecia, who has also been constantly biased in favor of the Philippine opposition," Remonde said. De Venecia fell from Malacañang’s graces in 2008 after his son, Jose III, emerged as a losing bidder for a controversial broadband network project. Jose III then linked First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and former Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos to the alleged anomaly in connection with government's broadband deal with China's ZTE Corp. For her part, deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo dubbed the editorial as "irresponsible." Still, she said that Mrs. Arroyo’s visit to the White House only serves to bolster the country’s alliance with the US. [See sidebar.] Mrs. Arroyo will meet with Obama at the White House on July 30. She will be the first Southeast Asian leader to visit Washington under the Obama administration. The two state leaders will discuss ways to enhance cooperation between their countries on a variety of issues, including counterterrorism and climate change. ’Extensive corruption’ The Washington Times editorial mentioned that while the President’s approval rating had remained low, protest actions against the Arroyo government had mounted. "These protests are in response to a dubious mandate following a dirty 2004 election and numerous allegations of corruption against her family," it said. In particular, the editorial cited First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo’s alleged attempt to evade prosecution by using his delicate medical condition as an excuse. To recall, Mr. Arroyo last February refused to attend a Senate hearing on the alleged bribery and collusion in the World Bank's road projects in the Philippines. Mr. Arroyo, who allegedly received kickbacks from contractors that bagged the projects, said that attending the hearing would aggravate his heart condition. The Washington Times editorial remarked: "(Mr. Arroyo) used doctors’ notes to say he is too ill to obey court summons related to corruption charges." Citing a report from Freedom House, it also said that high-level corruption had seeped through various facets of Philippine society. Freedom House is an independent non-government group that monitors political and civil rights worldwide. "Corruption is extensive throughout the Philippine state apparatus, from the lowest to highest levels. Bribes and extortion seem to be a regular element of complex connections among bureaucrats, politicians, businessmen, the press and the public," said Freedom House’s latest country report. 2010 and beyond The Washington Times editorial likewise underscored Mrs. Arroyo’s bid to perpetuate herself in power by tinkering with the 1987 Philippine Constitution through her allies at the House of Representatives. Last June 2009, the House approved Resolution No. 1109 which convenes Congress into a constituent assembly even without the Senate’s participation. Malacañang had repeatedly denied that the move is to extend Mrs. Arroyo’s term beyond 2010, but Washington Times believes otherwise. "On top of all this are machinations by Mrs. Arroyo to cling to power by setting aside next May’s presidential elections. The president and her allies are pushing to amend the Philippine constitution to (shift) into a parliamentary system whereby Mrs. Arroyo could serve as prime minister," it said. "This would allow her (Mrs. Arroyo) to circumvent the presidential term limit which prevents her from staying in office," it further said. Human rights under threat The editorial also mentioned the severity of human rights abuses in the archipelago, citing the study by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) which ranked the Philippines as sixth among countries that fail to prosecute cases of media killings. CPJ considers the Philippines one the deadliest nations in Asia for journalists. It says the country’s impunity rate of over 90 percent is related to the killings of Filipino media practitioners. The Washington Times then noted that "opposition voices regularly disappear as well." In 2007, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Philip Alston reported that the Arroyo administration, through the military, had been carrying out a national policy of killing leftist activists. Early 2009, Alston came out with a follow-up report and said that the government had failed to make "substantial progress" in curbing human rights abuses in the Philippines. The government and the military have since denied implementing a policy of killing activists. - GMANews.TV
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