Why did DND spokesman Paredes quit?

Last week we questioned a report that was printed in The Philippine Star quoting Department of National Defense (DND) spokesman Atty. Zosimo Paredes II, who spoke during the weekly Balitaan sa Rembrandt Hotel, freely talking about the possibility of the creation of a revolutionary government under the Aquino government as an option to restore order in the country, when national security is threatened or at stake. That revelation was quite shocking to many of us peace-loving Filipinos who never thought that once again, this nation could be plunged into a revolutionary government.

 Hence, we asked a question in our column in The Philippine Star if whether the Aquino government was allowing our peace and order situation to rapidly deteriorate so that Pres. Aquino could call a Revolutionary government. We also wanted to know why people inside the Aquino government are so freely talking about a revolutionary government, yet it is no different from a declaration of Martial Law. These people probably think that calling for a revolutionary government was palatable to the Filipino people, while declaring Martial Law is so abhorrent Pres. PNoy could end up being deposed in another EDSA revolt.

 As usual, none of the Rasputins in Malacañang cared or dared to answer our queries. However, the news that greeted me in page 3 of yesterday’s Philippine Star was that the DND spokesman Atty. Paredes suddenly tendered his resignation as spokesman of the DND. The report added that Atty. Paredes also quit as the Executive Assistant of Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin. Hmmm, another Aquino man falls and no one knows why?

 We all know that Pres. PNoy Aquino is so proud to tell us (whom he considers his bosses) to run a transparent government. But it seems that there is no transparency in the sudden resignation of Atty. Paredes. Mind you, Atty. Paredes is no minor functionary within the DND, being the Executive Assistant of the DND Secretary and its spokesman. So why did he suddenly quit when no one asked him to quit?

 In our Star column last week, we pointed to the instability of the Aquino government because under his administration, PNoy was giving money to what we know as the “enemies of the state.” I’m referring to the P5 million that PNoy gave to the MILF’s Bangsa Moro Leader’s Institute (BMLI) and, a few weeks later, the MILF cadres ambushed and killed 19 of our soldiers. Monies were also given by the Aquino government to the defunct Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB) to the tune of P30 million. Yet Malacañang insists that these funds are subject to the rules of the Commission on Audit (COA), which I flatly refuse to believe.

 There is no question that these two armed groups do not recognize Philippine laws, which is why they carry their high-powered firearms anywhere they please, especially in the areas that they claim as their own territory. Come now, how can Malacañang insist on their obeying COA rules when they don’t even care to follow many of our laws?

 This is why we asked the DND Spokesman why he is talking about a revolutionary government when no one was even asking about this? Perhaps he was a loose cannon within the Aquino administration and wasn’t authorized to talk about a revolutionary government, which is why he unexpectedly quit his post in the DND. So now we ask those Malacañang Rasputins, was the DND spokesman forced to resign or was he fired? I hope that the Malacañang spokesman would tell us the truth behind his sudden resignation for the sake of transparency.

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 Before we get accused of being too anti-Aquino, because Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III almost always blames the media for the many mishaps happening within his administration, I would like to point out an article, which came out in the Philippine Star last Saturday entitled “Aquino gov’t vindictive against Arroyo says EIAS.” EIAS stands for European Institute for Asian Studies, a policy think tank which is an independent, non-profit institution that provides information and expertise to the European Union on their relations with Asia.

 EIAS vice chairman Dick Gupwell said, “Politics is a dirty business. It was never squeaky clean and sometimes people bend the rules. But being really vindictive and really trying to bring (humiliation on) the other fellow… really makes it dirty. I do not think that is good for democracy in the long run.” In short, EIAS vice chairman Dick Gupwell just tagged the Aquino government as playing dirty politics in running after former Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Now we in the media are just reporting this to you.

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