In reaction to Mr. Rigoberto Tiglao’s column “Truly GMA won” (Inquirer, 8/4/11), may I ask these questions.
Firstly, here goes again the die-hard apologist of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, declaring the lie that GMA won in the 2004 presidential election.
Tiglao enumerated a litany of political parties, affiliations, organizations—civic, religious and business—and Edsa II forces led by democracy icon Cory Aquino, claiming all these supported the presidential candidacy of GMA in 2004.
Tiglao doesn’t seem to realize that the general classification of supporters or majority members of the organizations he enumerated, are from the socioeconomic class D and E who placed their simple hopes on the heroic personality of GMA’s rival Fernando Poe Jr. whose kindred and compassionate heart endeared him to the people.
The Catholic Church, whose members are mostly poor and ordinary Filipinos, Tiglao chose not to mention. The poor voters who made up the Edsa II forces, Tiglao chose to ignore. He cited only the “educated,” the wealthy and elite classes of the Edsa II forces.
To Tiglao, we say, if GMA won the 2004 presidential election, pray tell us:
1. Why did GMA surreptitiously called “Garci” during the homestretch of the campaign?
2. Why did her then national security adviser Hermogenes Ebdane order elements of the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police to give her election operators security and access to the Batasang Pambansa Complex, where they substituted the original ballot boxes coming from Mindanao—particularly those from Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte, Basilan, Sulo and Sultan Kudarat—with fake ballot boxes so as to ensure that GMA will emerge with at least a million votes lead over FPJ?
Pray tell us why? Otherwise, he should shut up his big lying mouth.
—JACKLORD C. ALBA,
1235 Crumb St., Digos city