Stronger Tremors in the Offing!

Stronger Tremors in the Offing!
By Erick A. San Juan
On a daily basis, our country is experiencing earthquakes of varied intensities but most of them are quite weak to be noticed and only the machine at PHILVOCS could detect such earth’s underground movements.
What is being felt right now is the political tremor that is rocking this present administration. Barely seven months in office, PNoy is being bombarded with various problems that are mostly created by the people he appointed to help him run this country. But, with such number of so-called able men and women in his loop, and yet, as if nobody is minding the store.
Until that fateful day which coincided with former President Cory Cojuangco-Aquino’s birthday, the bombing of a passenger bus along Edsa in Makati City, that killed five and wounded thirteen passengers. Speculations from different sectors emerged, from destabilization to terrorism to diversionary tactics, in lieu of some controversial cases being investigated. But what emanate from the president himself, the said bombing was an act of terrorism, in effect putting aside the other possibilities. If this is so, why timed it on the birthday of the former president, the mother of the sitting president? Well, your guess is good as mine.
Unfortunately, this terrorist act that happened in the heart of the business district has made our country back on the travel advisory of some nations headed by the British government. We can’t blame them for releasing the travel alert for their citizens because this administration has just experienced a lapse in governance and accountability that had dragged us all in this unfortunate situation. But the timing of the release of several international index reports that the Philippines is now a rogue state is suspect. Is this part of "laying the predicate" of things to come?'
PNoy and those inside his loop should get their acts together in finding solutions to address the country’s problems, from simple to complex. Why are you in power for when you can’t deliver the promises you made? The nation is still in the wait, wait, wait (until when) and see mode.
This is just a mild tremor compared to the one coming soon – the forthcoming visit of PNoy to China. If our president will not play his cards well in relation to Beijing vis-à-vis Washington, the tremor we are experiencing now will turn into a disastrous “earthquake” of great magnitude. PNoy should learn from the country’s past presidents who “disobey” the perceived master.  They ended up in a very devastating exit. Uncle Sam is a very jealous master, and so the history says…
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PNoy has to take its cue to whatever happened in the recently concluded “summit” of G20 i.e.  the meeting between US president Barack Obama and PROC president Hu Jintao who many pundits believe was simple diplomacy at the least, hyperbole 101. All rhetorics with no concrete achievements to vouch for. It all boils down to how these two giants will play the game of geopolitics.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           As for Uncle Sam, it is still the favorite – the myth of "al Qaeda", as what Obama mentioned in his State of the Union Address: “al Qaeda" and their affiliates continue to plan attacks against us” and that, “We have also taken the fight against the "al Qaeda" and their allies abroad.”
Clearly stated, the global war on terror (GWOT) is still on and so is the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) here. Why? This country needs the protection of the big brother (and so they say), that is why the presence of the US troops in the south and the VFA is the most credible excuse (for them) to stay within our territory. And in the process, the south became the haven of state sponsored terrorists and even its training ground. Remember Col. Robert Lansdale operation in the past? How we were terrorized by man-made vampires and "aswangs", so that their satellite bases where they train their soldiers in preparation for the invasion of Vietnam will not be noticed by the public scrutiny?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The US-RP Bilateral Strategic meeting  was just concluded last week at Sofitel. Despite that the VFA was not discussed yet according to newspaper reports, Kurt Campbell,US assistant secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs of the State Department said,"VFA is still vital to US-RP relations." (Mla.Times Jan.31,2011). Reportedly, in the next meeting, VFA will be the main agenda. This is the reason why I am like a broken record always repeating and reminding our government and our leaders to wake up. We have to protect our interests and our people as to the danger of a possible nuclear theater of war. All the ingredients of this man-made calamity is already in placed. That is the paradox of all times!  Need I say more?