Thoughts to consider:Do we spend tourist dollars regardless of the local political situation or do some of us have a social conscious and even though it doesn't directly effect our "fun" do we consider the fact a government may be corrupt in our decision where we spend "fun" money? That is for each individual to decide for themselves. Do we pay attention to the pleadings of the PI people who are hurt the most by government corruption, bribes etc? A Filipino's view from a PI newsgroup 7/25/99 The Manila Times "The Nation's Most Trusted Newspaper" COPIES of The Manila Times' final issue yesterday were either confiscated from newsstands or put on hold by plainclothesmen and men in uniform in different parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Vendors said that as early as 5:30 to 6 a.m., burlymen, with guns tucked on their waists, either seized or bought all the available copies of The Times. Times editor in chief Malou Mangahas in a statement cited the Bill of Rights which states that: "No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the Government for redress of grievances." She continued: "The confiscations are clearly an abridgement of this right and we decry these attempts to curtail the freedom of the press." According to agent Rudy Ricafrente, most of the 20 vendors he was supplying with newspapers in the Kalentong area told him that their copies were confiscated by policemen right after they'd displayed them. Ferdie, a newspaper vendor, said a heavily tinted L300 van pulled up in front of his stall at the EDSA Central commercial complex in Mandaluyong City at around 10 a.m. Ferdie said he noticed a gun tucked on the man's waist and that "I'm pretty sure he was a policeman." He said he heard of his fellow vendors in Cubao complaining about armed men who confiscated their copies of The Times. In Muñoz, several plainclothes men carrying two-way radios were reportedly seen in the area around 9 a.m., confiscating copies of The Manila Times' final issue. A bystander said the men looked like members of the Presidential Security Group. The bystander said the "PSG" men scolded vendors who asked them why they were seizing the copies of the newspaper. A vendor who sells newspapers near the Biñan near town hall in Laguna said two burly men led her away from her stall at around 5:30 a.m. The men reportedly asked her if she had copies of The Manila Times. Thinking they were buyers, the vendor said yes. The men then confiscated all the copies without offering an explanation. FINAL ISSUE Editorial Highlights: The lines are drawn NOT all our bags are packed but we're all ready to go. With this, our final issue, we, the 180 employees of The Manila Times, offer you our last but most treasured gift--ourselves, our story. We have in our midst a death in the family. In fact a murder, because it's a premeditated act. Silenced presses and a muted newsroom are all that the killers think make up the corpus delicti. A newspaper, like a living thing, breathes and speaks through the people that make up its management and staff. We thought--or hoped--for the longest while that we had a great relationship going. Wealth and pen coming together to produce a fair, balanced, credible and independent newspaper. For six years, it worked, under an administration that demonstrated a firmer and fuller understanding of the role of a free press in a democracy. A new man has since come to power, with a bevy of beavers for friends who see it their duty to defang critical newspapers as proof of fealty. They so scorn so much muck in the news, so many nosy reporters, so many nasty editorials that they've seen fit to buy into or buy out the noisemakers. In their twisted logic, they see The Times as one such noisemaker that must be silenced. A noisemaker that could be silenced by dangling a "name your price" offer to whoever could be coaxed to sell. More Details on the closing: The paper may reappear in September under new ownership controlled by the government. The staff of The Times mourned the demise of the paper which had been critical of the Estrada administration. Many clad in black, they posted in the newsroom banners that said "Defend Press Freedom." Editor in chief Malou Mangahas said the purchase was part of an effort to stifle newspapers that are critical of the government. The closure follows a year of rocky relations between Estrada and the freewheeling Philippine press and comes amid allegations that he is orchestrating efforts to financially pressure another newspaper, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, also critical of his government. There is conflict between Estrada and the press, the move to amend the constitution and the reported rise in the "cronyism" practiced under the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Secret deals, public exploits of Mr. MJ By Marites Vitug, Special to The Times WITHIN a year after Mark Jimenez' quiet return to the Philippines from the US--after an absence of more than 10 years--he has become an indispensable adviser of President Estrada and an effective broker of huge business deals. This member of the President's inner circle--wanted in the US for tax evasion, wire and mail fraud, and illegal campaign contributions-- is believed to have financed the purchase of The Manila Times. In April, when the story broke alleging Estrada to be an "unwitting godfather" to a questionable power plant deal, Jimenez paid a visit to John Gokongwei. He wanted to buy The Times but wanted to remain an undisclosed partner. Since that time, no one has been heard to have made an offer to buy the newspaper--until this week. Estrada and Jimenez get along well, can last till the wee hours, are fond of women, dabble in casino gambling, and share a taste for bawdy jokes. When Jimenez was asked what, among his assets, would he give up if he were extradited, he jokingly replied, "My wife." Estrada loves to put down women as well. The two men have become friends and, in this administration, that counts for much, if not everything. Investors say cronyism is back This was the result of the bi-annual survey conducted by the Makati Buisness Club (MBC), where 43.3 percent of respondents identified the return of cronyism as the most critical issue during Estrada's first year in office. Graft and corruption, on the other hand, were considered a major issue by 18.3 percent of respondents. AND FROM |