Lets recall what Mike Arroyo did in 2001. . .

[mosimos]

---

Credit should go to Mike Arroyo

THIS is a season of remembering those exhilarating days in January last year when Joseph Estrada, accused of betraying the trust of the Filipino people who elected him president, was ousted three years and five months short of his term.

Believing in giving credit to where credit is due, we are reprinting here again excerpts of the interview with Mike Arroyo by the eminent Nick Joaquin on his role in the ouster of Estrada, which paved the way for his wife's takeover of the presidency. The interview appeared in the March 5, 2001 issue of Philippine Graphic.

"She had really left the Cabinet at the right moment: the timing was perfect. If she had tarried a moment longer, she would have been too late for EDSA: she would have made it there as an opportunist. And as for the ill-feeling in Metro Manila, we tackled that by going back to the door-to-door campaign: she went from barangay to barangay explaining her motives, outlining her program. And it worked. Then came the impeachment trial, and from there, tuloy-tuloy na.

"There was a time honestly, when I felt I erred in advising her to resign from the Cabinet. The masa in Manila apparently wanted her to stick it out with Erap. And when she started attacking him, everything fell on us - grabe!- everything! But I told myself: it's now or never; if we lose here we're totally destroyed and it's goodbye to her political career - but if we win here, she becomes President! So we really fought.

"We got all those Erap tapes from Ramon Jacinto and distributed them all over. We bought one million and a half million copies of Pinoy Times to give away so the public could read about the Erap mansions and bank accounts.

"And when EDSA happened, we texted everybody to go running there. EDSA, EDSA: everybody converge on EDSA! Panalo kung panalo. Patay kung patay! Jinggoy had already announced what they would do to us if they won.

"Chavit Singson had Plan B involving elements of the military to strike the first blow. They would kindle the spark by withdrawing from the government, and one by one others would follow: Class '71 would also withdraw, then Class '72, and so forth. But General de Villa warned that the timing had to be precise because one untimely move against the government and the military would automatically defend it. The move must be made at what De Villa called a 'defining moment.'

"You see, General De Villa had his Plan A, which was better than ours, because his was focused on the Chief of Staff and the Service Commanders. At past one o'clock p.m. January 20, Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes defected but we knew that already the night before, when negotiations had lasted until the small hours. By past 2 a.m. we knew Reyes had been convinced to join. His only condition was: Show us a million people on EDSA so it will b easier to bring in the service commanders.

"And they asked when the crowd was thickest; we told them: from three to five in the afternoon. So they agreed to come to EDSA at around that time. But while hiding in their safehouse, they got reports that General Calimlim could not be located and their first thought was: "He's out looking for us!" So they decided to rush to EDSA right away. When they got there, why there too at the Shrine was Calimlim! He had been looking for them all right, but join to join them, not to arrest them!

"Our group there was a back-up strike force. In fact, it was our group that won over to our side the PNP first. If Panfilo Lacson had resisted, he and his men would have been repelled: there would have been bloodshed, but not on EDSA. In every place where Erap loyalists had a force, we had a counter-force to face it, with orders to shoot. And not only in Metro Manila. Carillo had already been sent to the provinces; and in Nueva Ecija, for instance, we had Rabosa. This was a fight to the finish. That's why those five days that Erap was demanding were so important. He was counting on counter-coups and baliktaran.

"I was negotiating with Pardo up to three o'clock in the morning: niloloko lang pala kami. But I told him point-blank: "If by six o'clock this morning you haven't given us the resignation letter, we will storm the gates of Malacañang!' But they insisted on more talk: with De Villa up front, and my back channel debate with Pardo, which even became a three-way contest, with Buboy Virata pitching in.

"But the threat to march to Malacañang was for real. And so was the danger of bloodshed. I wasn't telling Gloria everything: I didn't want her alarmed. So she didn't know about the orders to shoot."

[mosimos]

Now whats the difference now and then? Heres Mike Arroyo who is struggling to effect an unconstitutional way of removing the President. Yet he felt no remorse for his diabolical and shameless powergrabbing scheme.

So sad.

[FK]

asa man ni gikan?

IMO, Estrada was so easy to be ousted even if the issues are not that big... because the Church is not favor of him from the start... the Class A and B don't like him because he is dumb.

[migzz]

its becoz Erap didnt do anything aside from charming the movie stars... or eating lechon with the masa!

[LytSlpr]

asa man ni gikan?

IMO, Estrada was so easy to be ousted even if the issues are not that big... because the Church is not favor of him from the start... the Class A and B don't like him because he is dumb.

you are correct, this is ONLY your OPINION!Â* Â*

issues are not that BIG? say again? remember that it was not Estrada's gambling, womanizing, corruption, codddling of Lacson and known syndicates, money laundering, siphoning of funds, supporting obvious former cronies, etc. etc. that ousted him from malacañang but it was when he signed somebody else's signature infront of a high ranking bank executive.Â* it was not even their rift with chavit singson because it was incidental na lang.

so it is safe to say that the people did not oust erap but he ousted himself.Â* mao na'y gi-ingon, "matagal na niyang itinakda ang kanyang sariling kapahamakan."Â* he could have still enjoyed all those earthly desires and still be president if he played his cards right but bogo lang gyud kaayo siya. nagpakalolong man ug maayo, na pusoy nuon. gaba!

with your comment above, i cannot collectively say that you are an Erap supporter but i can say that you are not that aware or you have selective amnesia.

[tolstoi]

bai SNM este mosimos..bahaw naman ni nga issue bai about Mike Arroyo.

[estor_boot]

O.T.

hehehe.. i have this feeling dugay ra, mosimos was the famous istoryan in the politics thread. i thought i was wrong.. but seems that he cant keep his cool and rants against the Arroyos anymore.

anyways, welcome back bai! we miss you here. no joke.

[FK]

@LytSlpr: sayop nimo pagsabot bai... ang ako pasabot kay.

Bisan pa tingali og dili kaayo dako ang ipasangil kang ERAP, for example pareho kaha kang Bill Clinton nga issue, dali kaau to mapahawa si ERAP. Wala ko ga ingon nga dili to dako ang issue nga gipasangil niya.

kato lang issue nga nakit-an siya sa casino, katong ga inom og uban pa na diha... kani nga issue are just personal og dili makapahawa nimo sa pwesto. Pero kani nga issue naghatag og dugang kalagot sa mga taw towards ERAP. mao nakapadali niya og kahagba.

Pareho sa kaso ni Clinton bai... ang ila ingon pasayloon lang si Clinton kay it was not the Presidency that was destroyed by his doings... it was the President who was destroyed.

[monrose29]

bai SNM este mosimos..bahaw naman ni nga issue bai about Mike Arroyo.

hehehe... snm? hmmm duda pod ko but ok lang..

deli na ta malingaw ani kong wa nay taga opposition... hehehe

[fingolfin]

ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZzzz zzzzzzZZZZZzzzZZZzzzzz

... why do you always retrospect ?? why cant you move forward. think about the future. find solutions. this discussions are damn annoying.