Transition Revolutionary Council: Plot to Sabotage the 2010 Elections

The 2010 election is fast approaching and campaign schemes evidently flooded the broadcast media. For most of us, election would be for sure and the choice of new leadership will be done through legal process. However, behind this, power grabbers never cease to conspire and formulate moves to grab powers comes 2010. The Transition Revolutionary Council (TRC) was devised and its concept has continually been put into practice. Through times, it has been revised, adjusted and modified but its purpose, which is to push through with the administration’s downfall, as well as the government’s demise, have not changed. Reality bites, but every citizen should be informed that a treacherous act is now being carried out.

The TRC was conceptualized as early as 2008 when anti-Arroyo groups tried to exploit issues against the administration to attempt a destabilization plot and later to install a transition government. A ten-page proposal of a third force establishing a Transitional Revolutionary Government (TRG) has been proliferated among AFP’s hierarchy, which are apparently elemental in the pursuit of a supposed military junta plotted against the Arroyo administration. As planned, the junta would immediately follow the grounding of the TRG under the ruling and discretion of the TRC where a certain “head of state” speaks for the entire body and its state’s “figure head.” Courted for the said position is no less than former President Cory Aquino who is merely casted to gain the public’s confidence. Ruling behind Aquino is Sen Panfilo Lacson, with the furtive consent of the TRC.

Rejecting the traditional constitutional succession, precursor of the paper advocates for a seven-man TRC that would be headed by a chairperson who will sit as the Head of State and from the six other members, a Head of Government will be designated to implement the policies which the council will lay down. Only civilians and “civilianized” former military officials with the exception of the incumbent Chief of Staff of the AFP would be allowed in the council’s composition. Proponents has recommended the following personalities to compose the TRC: former President Corazon Aquino as Head of State, former SND Renato de Villa, Senator Panfilo Lacson as Head of Government or the implementor of the yet to be crafted policies, UP Professor Randy David, BGen Danny Lim, CSAFP Alexander Yano who will represent Mindanao and a still unidentified personality to represent Visayas. However, the untimely death of Cory Aquino have made changes to the TRC’s plots.

Since 2008, issues intended to tarnish the administration’s credibility has been brought out, purposely, to let the administration crumble. The signs of time tell us that an effort to unseat the Arroyo has been in the offing. The first manifestation was seen when Bishop Angel Lagdameo open a public endorsement of a revolt for “radical change” and called for support to some anonymous “liberators” in October 2008. This “plot” was further verified when Lacson unexpectedly endorsed a yet unwilling Chief Justice Reynato Puno as a very viable presidential contender against known traditional politicians. Back then, Lacson’s pronouncement was interpreted as a gallant act that showed supreme sacrifice on his part. Alleged scams also proliferated, to include the multi-million dollar National Roads Improvement and Management Program (NRIMP) which was withheld by the World Bank and the P728M fertilizer fund scam, both directed against the administration.

On November 5, 2008, Atty. Harry Roque presented Project Stop Now Arroyo’s Plunder (SNAP) among Erap’s protégée Linggoy Alquaz, Jose De Venecia’s Atty Bayani Quinones, Black and White’s Leah Navarro and Bayan’s Carol Araullo. The scheme included a nationwide signature campaign involving members of various civil society groups. The campaign is set to reach the end goal of a People’s Initiative which is planned to be handed down in Congress. The method used to gain signatures is by fanning black propaganda and storming the tri-media with issues regarding Charter-change.

Project SNAP amassed funds that took its roots from Dinky Soliman’s InciteGov forums. Multi-million funds to start Project SNAP is said to have came from unlikely sources. Roque received money from Alain Del Pascua who trailed the same account from Lito Banayo. Del Pascua is National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) National Technical Coordinator for Sectoral Concerns while Lito Banayo was a political consultant to Sen. Ping Lacson. Banayo was also the campaign manager of Lacson in 2001 and has been instrumental in Lacson’s presidential campaign in 2004. At this point, it was all too obvious that Lacson has a hand in project SNAP.

Meanwhile, Johnny Chiang, a businessman-cum-drug trafficker who has been associated with Lacson, doled out millions of pesos in support with the activities while a certain Harry Lintang shelled out around P10M to help finance the plot and fast tracked the ouster move. Expose after expose against the Arroyo administration, most of which are fabricated, flooded the tri-media. At the same time, Lacson has been busy giving instructions to Lito Banayo, Alain Del Pascua and Dave Diwa.

Bomb plots were even carried out in an attempt to create a chaotic environment. This was the June 28, 2009 incident wherein an IED exploded at the Ombudsman premises in Brgy Bagong Pagasa, Quezon City. The next day, two other explosive devices were separately discovered at One Burgundy Plaza in Loyola Heights, Quezon City and at the Department of Agriculture (DA), Quezon City. These incidents were plotted to place the administration as the perpetrator, as it have been timed during the height of Charter Change controversies.

Lately, Senator Ping Lacson’s actions and pronouncements at the senate against former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada were schemed out in order to champion himself. It was deliberately done to instil a perception that Lacson is the best alternative leader since he has the will to openly criticize and go against whoever is involved in graft and corruption. Undeniably, he wants the public to notice his “valiant” approaches in going against past and present presidents, to include Erap and Arroyo. Lacson’s demolition job against Sen. Manny Villar is also indicative that he wants the people to know that he can even bash his fellow senators.

Tarnishing former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada’s reputation and dragging him to some controversial issues is not about justice, truth and principles. For some reason, Erap still have in his helm political and financial supporters which Lacson doesn’t have. It was merely an attempt exclude Erap as a choice leader. Even common people would ask why Lacson would bring up these issues just now when he could have done it years ago. One would even ask why Lacson limit his accusation on Erap’s supposed guilt wherein there are other corruption issues that Lacson personally knows but refused to include in his speech.

Significantly, he did not mention about Nueva Ecija Rep. Eduardo Nonato “Edno” Joson’s illegal practices. When Joson was the National Food Authority (NFA) administrator, he unashamedly used his position to let contrabands enter the country. Way back, smuggling activities was rampant in the cities of Zamboanga, Batangas and Cebu, including in Pangasinan and Pasacao, Camarines Sur. Lacson did not include them in his privilege speech even if the senator knows everything about it.

Joson filed House Bill 3194 proposing for alternative leadership should the elected officials (President, Vice-President, Senate Chairman, House Speaker) did not qualify, or for some reason, cannot hold office. As for the modification of their original plot, here is where a transition government will come to light since a failure of election would definitely mean absence of leadership.

Amidst the political bickering that are usually aired in television and widely publicized by the media, there is this House Bill that went unnoticed by the public. In the plot, Lacson intend to head the transition government not only because he is qualified as a senator, but because he is also included in the original TRC even before Cory Aquino passed away. It is a win-win situation considering that a failure of election would definitely be blamed on the present administration and not on Lacson. To continue the TRC, Lacson already silently talked to Senators Chiz Escudero and Loren Legarda to support the House Bill, both of whom unwary about Lacson’s plan. What Lacson is up to now is to get the support of other senators to include Senators Noynoy Aquino, Francis Pangilinan, Gringo Honasan and Antonio Trillanes IV. Meanwhile, he will still try to solicit the support of Migz Zubiri and Ed Angara. But for sure, he will not be able to get the attention of Senators Manny Villar, Allan Peter Cayetano and Joker Arroyo. The numbers will play…

The only thing remaining now is to sabotage the 2010 elections. Said scheme is true and part it is being carried out now. Some current issues even work as a smokescreen, keeping most of us blind. Lacson’s plot was divulged by some people who work for him. They believe democracy should prevail and the choice of leadership should emanate from the people, not from those who orchestrate things just to be in power. The same people released the attachments as evidence that such plot do exists.

To all freedom loving citizens, be aware and let the others learn about this. Don’t let us all caught off guard. Please send this to your friends, families, colleague and all of those you think should be informed.

Attachment of the TRC included.