Baka Makalusot

Try and try until you succeed.

This seems to be the underlying motto of the allies of President Arroyo in the House of Representatives in pushing for Charter Change. After the Villafuerte resolution failed to muster the threshold number to bypass the Senate into convening Congress as a Constituent Assembly, the loyal Arroyo foot soldiers in the House of Representatives led by House Speaker Prospero Nograles filed another resolution seeking to amend the Constitution in a manner in which an ordinary law is being passed.

The Nograles resolution is but a confirmation of the Arroyo allies’ desperation to keep President Gloria Arroyo in power even beyond 2010. The charter change move appears like the desperate dance of deviants who do not know their left from their right foot the way they don’t know their Constitution and could not feel the pulse of the people.

Loyal soldiers as they are, the allies of President Arroyo are pulling all strings and inventing all schemes to justify the unjustifiable, knowing fully well that in 2010 will ring the death knell that sounds their political doom.

But as we all say, “there is no harm in trying,” maybe our supposed representatives are hopeful “baka makalusot.”

Police on the Loose

Have our policemen gone mad?

This seems to be a fitting question in the light of the police’s decision to arrest Ted Failon, his in-laws and househelps for alleged obstruction of justice brought about by the tragedy of the shooting of Mr. Failon’s wife.

The police stormed the Failon’s residence and the hospital where his wife was being treated in an attempt to arrest him and other persons related to him. While the police’s swift action to investigate the alleged shooting is commendable, the action the police has resorted to is however despicable. The arrests conducted by the police were made with blatant disregard for the rights of the victim’s families, relatives and friends.

The police chose to ignore the pleas of the lawyers of the personalities involved that their legal rights ought to be respected. Instead, the police proceeded to effect the arrests without any warrants. Worst, the police arrested the relatives of Ted Failon’s wife at a time when the family was needed most by their dying kin.

A little act of mercy and respect should have been shown by the police as a gesture to commiserate with the plight of the family. Or perhaps, the police may have thought to get even with Ted Failon for his hard hitting stance against the police, the Arroyo administration, and his possible inclusion in the opposition senatorial ticket for the 2010 elections?

Whatever may have been their motivations, I hope that our police are reminded that ours is a government of laws and not of men. Respect for the rule of law must prevail, which necessarily includes respect for the rights of the accused.

Related Link:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/feedback/04/19/09/police-loose-ted-failon-case

Katarungan at Katotohanan

Magkapatid ang katarungan at katotohan. Nakabatay ang ating pananaw sa kung ano ang makatarungan sa kung ano ang ating alam na totoo ukol sa isang sitwasyon. Sa kaso ng pamilya ni Ted Failon, ayon sa mga direktang pahayag nila sa midya, malinaw na ang isang bagay: para sa kanila, hindi na usapin ang katarungan para sa kanilang pumanaw na ina. Para sa kanila, malinaw na ang katotohanan sa sinapit ni Trina.

Ang usapin na ngayon para sa pamilya Failon ay ang katarungan para sa buong pamilya at para sa kanilang mga kasambahay bunsod ng di-makataong trato sa kanila ng mga dapat tinuturing pa naman na alagad ng batas at katarungan — ang ating mga pulis.

Kailanman, di makukuha at mapapalago ang katotohanan sa pamamahitan ng dahas at kawalan ng puso’t damdamin. Kung nais ng mga pulis na makuha ang katotohanan at katarungan mula sa sanlibo’t isang nakabinbin na mga kaso sa ating lipunan, ituwid nila ang kanilang mga sarili! Sa ginawa nilang pambabastos at pandarahas sa pamilya Failon at sa pinakita nilang kawalan ng puso sa isang pamilyang nagdadalamhati, pinalago lamang nila ang kawalan ng katarungan.

Bilang bahagi ng kabataan, nakikiisa ako sa panawagan ng anak ng pamilya Failon. Nais ko rin ng katotohanan sa usaping ito subalit hindi sa ngalan ng pagmamalabis at pandarahas. Dapat turuan ang mga pulis na ito. Ipatanggal sila sa puwesto!

Erap the Opposition Unifier

Over the past few days, President Erap has been quoted to have indicated his preference to have a single candidate running for President from the opposition side. Likewise, President Erap has remarked his willingness to help unite the opposition presidentiables to come up with a single candidate.

The effort of President Erap to unite the opposition for the 2010 elections is very laudable and deserves support from all sectors of society especially the 65% of our compatriots who has grown tired of the Arroyo administration.

I just hope that the presidential aspirants from the opposition will look beyond their own personal ambitions and find a common ground, that is, ensure an opposition victory in the 2010 elections, restore the Filipino people’s hope and dignity by putting an end to Gloria Arroyo’s “mis-governance”.

Indubitably, President Erap remains an essential figure in the formation of a strong and vibrant opposition for the 2010 elections. The former president who still holds a strong electoral command as reflected in various nationwide surveys and as validated in the 2007 elections in which his is much acknowledged leading figure of the Genuine Opposition during the 2007 Senatorial Elections. President Erap’s along with President Cory’s endorsement contributed in clobbering Arroyo’s anointed candidates for the Senate.

President Erap is indeed in the best position to take an active lead in the unification effort of the opposition. He has earned the moral authority to lead in the restoration of the Filipinos dignity and hope.

Related Link:

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=455699&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Lesson from Chip Tsao's Nation of Servants: A New Perspective

If there is one thing that Filipinos can pick up from Chip Tsao's article (The War at Home), I hope it would be Chip Tsao’s assertion of his country’s national pride.

Clearly, this is what is lacking in our country. We are content to proclaim Manny Pacquiao as our national pride every time he beats his opponents, or to praise Charice Pempengco’s sterling performances abroad. We need more than those! We need to do away with our superficial assertion of our country’s national pride.

Perhaps we need to take a cue from Chip Tsao himself -- let us start turning this country as a nation of servants - for good. There a lot of things we can do to serve this nation. But where do we begin? Maybe we can start by taking our role as citizens seriously. Young and old, we all have to do our share in the community.
We need not do grandiose things in order to serve our nation. In our own little yet meaningful ways we can do our nation a BIG favor.

Simple yet relevant ways such as demanding an official receipt when purchasing goods, gas, etc. in order to ensure that businesses will pay correct taxes and make necessary reports with the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Another is by registering and voting during elections. We can even go to the extent of helping put integrity in our election process by ensuring that our votes are not for sale and that they are counted and canvassed correctly.

Following simple traffic rules would help ease our already congested roads which in turn will generate savings in our fuel consumption. Standing still and singing the national anthem correctly and passionately whenever played even before the start of a film in a moviehouse is likewise a practical way of expressing our love for our nation. Above all, simply paying reverence to our national flag, historical landmarks, and other national symbols that shape our identity as Filipinos could help cultivate our national pride.

These are just some simple and relevant ways to show our service to the nation. For sure, we can think and do more for we rightfully deserve to be called FILIPINOS. – and we can proudly raise our heads among the nations of the world!

Indeed, this is the time to serve our nation. Now is the time to serve our nation right!


http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/feedback/04/02/09/lesson-chip-tsao

Nation of Servants

Below is the reprint of the controversial article that appeared in HongKong Magazine that drew the ire of many Filipinos.


The War at Home
By Chip Tsao

The Russians sank a Hong Kong freighter last month, killing the seven Chinese seamen onboard. We can live with that-—Lenin and Stalin were once the ideological mentors of all Chinese people. The Japanese planted a flag on Diàoyú Island. That's no big problem-—we Hong Kong Chinese love Japanese cartoons, Hello Kitty, and shopping in Shinjuku, let alone our round-the-clock obsession with karaoke. But hold on-—even the Filipinos? Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: There are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as HK$3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don't flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.

As a patriotic Chinese man, the news has made my blood boil. I summoned Louisa, my domestic assistant who holds a degree in international politics from the University of Manila, hung a map on the wall, and gave her a harsh lecture. I sternly warned her that if she wants her wages increased next year, she had better tell everyone of her compatriots in Statue Square on Sunday that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China.

Grimly, I told her that if war breaks out between the Philippines and China, I would have to end her employment and send her straight home, because I would not risk the crime of treason for sponsoring an enemy of the state by paying her to wash my toilet and clean my windows 16 hours a day. With that money, she would pay taxes to her Government, and they would fund a navy to invade our motherland and deeply hurt my feelings.

Oh yes. The Government of the Philippines would certainly be wrong if they think we Chinese are prepared to swallow their insult and sit back and lose a Falkland Islands War in the Far East. They may have Barack Obama and the hawkish American military behind them, but we have a hostage in each of our homes in the Mid-Levels or higher. Some of my friends told me they have already declared a state of emergency at home. Their maids have been made to shout 'China, Madam/Sir' loudly whenever they hear the word "Spratly". They say the indoctrination is working as wonderfully as when we used to shout, "Long live Chairman Mao!" at the sight of a portrait of our Great Leader during the Cultural Revolution. I’m not sure if that's going a bit too far, at least for the time being.