From Baycas: A Short History of "Let's Move On"

At the comments section over at mlq3's, Baycas provides a timely chronicle of the occassions where Gloria Arroyo has used the 'move on' mantra:

"Time and again, gloria has asked the Filipino people to forget the past and move forward instead. she even jumpstarted the “moving on” process in April of last year when, on Good Friday, she ordered the commutation of death penalty of a thousand convicts to life imprisonment. the palace’s statement then was: “We understand the deep hurt inflicted upon the families of the victims of heinous crimes, but the President believes that learning to forgive without compromising criminal justice would be a good start for the nation to move on.”

However, it is apparent that the country failed to move on due to the fact that the four words “Let Us Move On” is coming from gloria…who, i personally believe, is unforgivable owing to her bleak past…especially that the depressing past came from the highest official in the land!

Justice will certainly be compromised when we’ll learn to forgive the president…the lady who wrecked our fundamental institutions.

If only she can move on without the ghosts of her past then truly the nation will also be able to move on to a bright future – AS ONE.

—–

Move On
an Executive Order by gloria macapagal-arroyo

May 2001, after ending the “state of rebellion” – “It’s time to move on,” Arroyo told reporters. “It’s time to start the healing process.”

June 2001, as Arroyo warns of attempts to disrupt Estrada trial – “We cannot pin everything on Estrada as if the whole future of the Philippines depends on his rise and fall. We have to move on,” she said.

July 26, 2004, SONA – “Once we have proved to our people that we have done what we can within the present structure of government, we can move on to changing the system to one that enhances our freedom and flexibility to do more.”

“I expect that next year, Congress will start considering the resolutions for charter change.”

June 27, 2005, Statement on the Issue of the Tape Recordings – “That is why I want to close this chapter and move on with the business of governing.”

July 2005, after she was accused of bribing legislators with money and positions in the government to derail her impeachment – Arroyo criticized her opponents Wednesday, accusing them of dwelling in negativism. “That is their niche,” she said in her first news conference in two months. “I have an economy to run and we have to move on.”

September 19, 2005, Statement on the Venable deal – The President has scrapped the deal and no government money went into it. The National Security adviser will deal with residual issues in the proper forum.

The Palace considers the case closed as we move on to more important business affecting the people and the nation.

August 2006, after comfortably beating her political opponents (by the numbers game) on the second round of her impeachment – “Even her detractors knew that the impeachment complaint was defeated and dead from the start,” said Ignacio Bunye, Arroyo’s spokesman. “Let us now bury this issue and just move on.”

August 16, 2006, again, after winning the numbers game in the HOR – “The President said last week that she was happy that the people’s mindset now is for us to just move on with life and our work. To be fixated in the events of the past, will guarantee us a future of disruption, of interrupted growth and overlooked opportunities.” (Bunye speaking)

May 14, 2007, Arroyo at the close of the midterm elections – “May matitinding pagtutunggali sa lahat ng kampanya, subalit magmagandang-loob tayo, manalo man o matalo. Para sa kapakanan ng bansa, dapat isara ang mga kabanata ng hidwaan sa pagtutunggali paglabas ng hatol ng bayan at buksan ang pinto ng pambansang pagkakaisa at pagkakapit-bisig,” she said in the vernacular."

Expect more such appeals to the Filipino middle class' bias for apathy from Gloria Arroyo and her allies in the days and weeks to come.