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It's all over but the shouting, folks! The destabilization campaign orchestrated by those seeking to overthrow the country's duly-elected government by extra-judicial means appears destined for failure with every passing second. It is a heartening and proud testament to the politically maturing and circumspect Philippine society. After all the lies and double-talk of both the Marcos dictatorship and and the Estrada "cleptocracy," Filipinos can by now discern when they're being lied to.

Nonetheless, during the darkest hours of this crisis, one man with both vision and wisdom stood tall to carefully guide the country along. Former president Fidel Ramos once again showed the mettle that makes him one of the best--if not the best--chief executive the Philippines has ever had. And to government officials who stood by the president like Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, Senator d**k Gordon, Secretary Michael Defensor, and the multitude of other Filipino patriots both in and out of government, we say a heartfelt "thank you."

The Steadfastness and moral fortitude that President Arroyo has shown throughout this crisis seems in sharp contrast to the call by former president Cory Aquino for her to resign. While many Filipinos have held back any criticism of the former president in deference to her martyred husband, it nonetheless must be pointed out that many of the problems the present administration is struggling with are problems president Aquino failed to address during her years as president.

Many still see Cory Aquino's presidency as a squandered opportunity. For it must be remembered that when she took office after EDSA I, she had almost absolute power. The Marcoses had fled, the three branches of government were in almost complete disarray, and on her shoulders rested as much power as Ferdinand Marcos had ever hoped to have. She could have forcefully prosecuted the cronies and corrupt politicians who left the Philippine treasury ransaked and bare. She could have gone after the billions stolen by Marcos and his henchmen. She could even have gotten to the bottom of her husband's assasination. Instead Cory Aquino accomplished none of these. So today President Arroyo not only has to deal with mounting fiscal problems, but also with destabilization efforts by former Marcos cronies whom Aquino should have jailed decades ago.

Lastly, we take our hats off to the CBCP (Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines). Like many who viewed their involvement with trepidation, we now thank them for their prudence and the measure of stability they have given the country by their position. We look forward to the day when the Church hierarchy will no longer have to be called upon to make such pronouncements.

President Arroyo's mandate has been reaffirmed by this crisis. We hope her first order of business is getting to the bottom of this destabilization conspiracy and prosecuting those guilty to the fullest. Otherwise, like Cory Aquino, she will be relegating that job to her successors and future generations of Filipinos to do it for her

Now that President Arroyo has managed to successfully deflect all the accusations that her opponents have thrown her way, it is time for her and the country to roll-up their sleeves and take these opposition leaders to task. Her administration's goals as well as the hopes and aspirations of the Filipino people will be continually frustrated unless those behind this destabilization plot are completely defanged once and for all.

From the perspective of overseas Filipinos, it would seem somewhat comical were it not so unfortunate, but if you look at who the leaders of the movement to topple the Arroyo administration are, you see the names and faces of despicably corrupt, treacherous and even dangerous individuals. In fact many Filipinos now living abroad fled the Philippines when those individuals were in positions of power.

These destabilizers now portray themselves as aggrieved nationalists who seek only truth and justice. But it should come as no surprise that they are certainly not nationalists for many lined their pockets and those of their friends and relatives with ill-gotten wealth at the expense of the starving masses. Neither are they for truth as they have, for decades, continually distorted the truth to hide their nefarious deeds. Nor are they for justice; the thousands of victims who suffered under their hands have yet to see justice served.

The Filipino people should not allow themselves to be mislead by those who seek to overthrow this government. From an economic perspective alone it is clear that the country can ill afford another EDSA revolution...People Power III is definitely out of the question! The whole world will lose whatever confidence it still has left in the Philippines if Filipinos continually remove their governments through extra-judicial means. An orderly transition of power through elections must be the norm from here on.

So here is what overseas Filipinos would like to see happen next. We'd like to see President Arroyo get tough with those who seek to overthrow her government. For starters, we'd like to see illegal wiretapping charges filed immediately against those involved in that unlawful act. We'd also like to see those accused of paying bribes immediately prosecuted.

Last--and most important--we'd like to see harsher penalties imposed on those who intentionally defame a public official in order to further their own political agenda. We Filipinos need to stop knocking each other down or we may soon reach a point where there will be none of us left standing.

Assignment to an overseas post in a world-class city like New York, London, or Paris, can mark the pinnacle of many a Philippine diplomat's career. And undoubtedly, the glitz and the glamour of a city like the "Big Apple" can easily rub-off on those who live and work there.

And when it comes to flaunting "glitz and glamour" we Pinoys bow to no one; not since Imelda and Ferdinand showed us how a few decades back.

Even so, more than a few eyebrows were raised when Filipino-Americans discovered that their Consul General, Cecilia Rebong has been renting a two-bedroom apartment at the overstatedly posh Trump Tower in Manhattan, for ten thousand dollars a month...at Filipino taxpayer's expense! Converted to Philippine currency, that is over half a million pesos that the Philippine Government shells-out for Ms. Rebong every month!

Not to underestimate or diminish the important work that the Philippine Foreign Service and Diplomatic Corps perform for the country, but we can think of hundreds of young school-age boys and girls selling gum, cigarettes, and sampagitas on the streets of Manila who could put some of that money to better use: to attend school, pay for books, buy school uniforms, and so on.

The Philippine government (and by extension, all Filipinos at home and abroad) need a reality check: Guess what folks! the Philippines is no longer the prosperous star of Southeast Asia that it was forty or fifty years ago when the exchange rate was just two pesos to the dollar. The Philippines is now a third-world country overpopulated, mired in debt and corruption, with its democratic institutions barely hanging by a thread.

And thus, it seems unconscionable for any Philippine public servant to expect his or her government to shoulder any extravagance at the expense of the poor and hungry back home... especially when, as in this case, more reasonably priced apartments can be found elsewhere.

While it may be true, as Consul General Rebong points out, that she violated no laws and in fact received the green light for the Trump Tower lease from her superiors, spending half a million pesos a month just for a place to live is a sign of poor judgment at best, and downright insensitivity and callousness at worst.

The Philippines Government has to start bringing its expenses in line with this present reality: it has an overburdened third-world-sized economy, and the vast majority of its people live in poverty. The country therefore needs public servants that do not see their position or appointment as an entitlement, but rather as an opportunity to serve the Filipino people as best they can, in as fiscally prudent a manner as possible.

this is one of the longest post i've ever read from start to finish ..

.. and i can't make any comment sweatdrop