Farcical procedures
November 12, 2007 by mlq3
Filed under Daily Dose
A business paper reports, Net effect of peso rise negative: Majority say well-being unchanged, but more report being ’better off before.’ The column of Cielito Habito, On fearless forecasts, is instructive. First, he points out that,
When economic analysts made their 2007 projections about Philippine economic performance late last year or early this year, three things were not quite anticipated enough in formulating their projections or forecasts.
One, most had assumed that the foreign exchange rate would average near P50 to the dollar. The government had assumed it to be in the range P51-53 in drawing up the 2007 budget that was approved by Congress. Two, crude oil prices had been expected to be softer, following earlier episodes of above $70-a-barrel prices that had provoked near-double digit inflation in 2005. The government’s assumption was around $63-67 a barrel. And three, world economic growth–especially in the US, the world’s biggest economy and a dominant trading partner to most countries–was expected to moderate somewhat, but not differ substantially from the 2006 performance.
And then he tries to explain what’s happened since:
What happened? In the case of the exchange rate, the dollar turned out to slide more steeply than had earlier been anticipated. For the most part, it has lately been influenced by the US subprime housing loans crisis that hardly anybody anticipated (although there were some isolated voices warning of the problem even early on, and who are now able to say “I told you so”). Major central banks are also turning away from the dollar as a reserve asset, and unloading large amounts of it (China has reportedly done so recently). For us, it is also because the surge in OFW remittances continues to surprise, especially in the face of the apparent slowdown in the numbers of workers actually deployed overseas.
Surging crude oil prices are attributed to declining US petroleum product inventories, anticipated supply disruptions due to recent bombings in oil-rich Afghanistan and an oil pipeline in Yemen, continuously surging demands from rapidly growing Asian economies, and the continued weakening of the dollar. Meanwhile, the impacts of the subprime crisis on the real US economy are just unfolding, and most authoritative analyses as exemplified by that of Bernanke point to a short-term outlook that does not look good.
Now of course there is always something good and something bad in whatever’s going on, and the weak dollar means the peso helps absorb what could otherwise be a nasty oil shock; but it does mean adjustments are required all around and the citizenry isn’t seeing any adjusting among those in official circles. The result is a cranky population and a government (both administration and opposition) unable to appeal to the public to pull together for -what? The administration seems more stumped, since after all, it has the resources and the opposition does not, and it has the numbers in the cabinet and the congress which the opposition does not, so obviously, the burden of proof is on the administration.
And since it’s preached from day one that everything is a numbers game, then it ought to be given plenty of rope to hang itself with.
Hence my column for today, which was Don’t engage or dignify it. You can read the documents I mentioned over at my entry for today in Inquirer Current.
It was good to hear that the attitude towards the ruling coalition was the one adopted by the opposition. Read (UPDATE 6) Pulido complaint sufficient in form–House panel:
The committee’s approval of the motion came a little past 3:00 p.m. or before opposition members walked out after Arroyo’s allies rejected the supplemental complaint filed by lawyer and United Opposition spokesman Adel Tamano to strengthen the Pulido case.
Deputy Minority Floor Leader Roilo Golez said the opposition would not participate until the committee accepted the supplemental complaint as an “integral part†of the one filed by Pulido.
“It would be very awkward on the part of the member of the Minority to be part of the proceeding because precisely we don’t feel that this is an honest-to-goodness impeachment complaint,†Golez said.
“We don’t wish to do disrespect the committee but we’ve already made our position very clear Mr. Chairman — we don’t think it will be meaningful, it would be useful for this committee to deliberate upon what we feel is a sham complaint whose objective is to frustrate an honest-to-goodness impeachment complaint within one year,†he said.
“And therefore, Mr. Chairman we’d like to state that members of
the Minority don’t wish to participate in this proceeding for as long as the addendum and the supplemental submitted by Attorney Tamano is not part of it,†Golez said.But Golez asked the committee to allow a member of the opposition to observe the proceedings.
Bravo! Additional details here: House justice panel rejects supplemental complaint.
I only wish TV would then cover the further deliberations of the administration coalition as it takes its own Punch and Judy Show to its absurd and inevitable conclusion -leaving the House ruling coalition being the sole source of the political noise the President herself provoked. And really, the main source of the noise is the President’s camp, not that of her critics.
Something tells me the President herself is getting confused. When she says (see Arroyo to Chinese-Filipino traders: Help me with detractors), I wonder how effective she think it’ll be. She wasn’t making a speech to a business organization known for opposing any president, ever, at any time, over anything serious. And at the same time, I don’t think Filipino-Chinese businessmen are different from any other kind, in that they’ve learned how to say “no” to politicians, including making themselves scarce during campaign season -the ability of governments to put the squeeze on businessmen has diminished, though not entirely disappeared, and in many ways it only makes sense for businessmen to assist local, and not national, politicians, except for those in industries (say power generation, or the operating of ports) that are highly susceptible to presidential and congressional intervention in, say, franchise renewals.
The President’s problem is that her own allies are getting greedy (see: Danding lays down terms for JDV ouster: Tells GMA he wants Fuentebella as Speaker), cranky, and demanding (see: Enrile turns up word war with De Venecia: Senator threatens more exposés against Speaker), and disobedient.
And so, the result is self-created scandals that no opposition worth its salt can ignore, much as I do believe that the political class would much rather let sleeping dogs lie and plan ahead for 2010. A kind of truce had resulted in May this year, when the body politic was relieved by the pressure valve known as elections, and where the public derived satisfaction by voting an opposition senate but kept the pork flowing through an administration-dominated House; the President would be kept on her toes until 2010 but otherwise, everyone could start planning for life after GMA. This explains, quite adequately, I think, Amando Doronila’s observation (which I think is true) that Resign-snap poll bid has no critical mass.
But no. Look at every controversy since, and it’s been a case of the administration shooting itself in the foot. Over and over.
Read this recent entry in the blog of Jove Francisco, for an insight into the continuing tensions within the administration coalition:
Ermita denied that Mrs Arroyo has any knowledge of what Villarosa revelead.
Which is quite interesting because the lady solon is a known and consistent companion of the President in her trips abroad. (I always see her joining the entourage whenever hinahatid namin si PGMA sa airport and kapag sumasama kami sa biyahe ng Pangulo).
Puno… supposedly one of the “RING LEADERS†of KAMPI distanced himself from the cash gifts revelation saying pa nga that he’s very hurt with what his party mates did, especially because HE WAS THE LAST TO KNOW.
And because Villarosa’s revelation made it clear that the cash gifts came from KAMPI and not from LAKAS as PUNO claimed weeks ago, he apologized to House Speaker Jose De Venecia’s for all the things he said.
Shades of PGMA’s “I AM SORRY!â€
And then read this reflection, by Randy David, from last Saturday:
It may well be that the only thing that distinguishes the Arroyo presidency from any other is the manner in which cash-giving has become so much a part of the standard operating procedure of her office. No other administration has been known to resort to buying political favors so literally, as brazenly, and as routinely as Ms Arroyo’s. If this is what it takes to awaken us to the glaring discrepancy between the laws we profess and the dirty practices by which we conduct our national life, then surely we have her to thank.
In our quest for reform, we tend to ignore the realities that constrain our politicians and our electorate to behave in particular ways. We are engrossed in the easy moralism that permits us to express our disgust for the failings of our leaders in government. We cling to the belief that if only we can rid the nation of the present bunch of politicians, the country will surely be better. I think we forget that our leaders, like many of our voters, are no more than actors in a political stage governed by the hidden scripts of social inequality and dominance. We expect great things when we replace old actors with new ones, unaware that without a fundamental revision of the script, the performance will not be very different.
That script, the one that animates what we call traditional politics, provides not for the roles of government and opposition, as in the modern stage, but only for a set of patron and client roles. Under its terms, political power in our society is to be contested not by alternating majorities and minorities, but by a very small ruling class. Unchallenged in its dominance, this class creates the illusion of plurality and choice through the constantly changing composition of its factions.
What does all this tell us? It tells us that the modern institutions by which we are supposed to conduct the governance of our nation will never function properly so long as the masses are trapped in poverty. It tells us that the choices offered by our present political parties, including those that purport to represent the poor, are false. It tells us that political parties that are not themselves financed by their members are a sham. It tells us that public officials who buy their way into public office are no more than merchants or agents; they are not the leaders. It tells us that voters who are hungry and needy cannot be political subjects in a democracy.
This political culture is bound to change, albeit slowly, as more and more of our people get out of poverty, largely by finding work abroad. The change is becoming visible in our growing intolerance for money politics and in the impatience with which we scan the horizon for new leaders.
But even as that talks place, and even with Doronila’s observations in mind, what to make of New Philippine Revolution who argues,
The people don’t want snap elections. It is costly a solution for the people to even consider. What most of the people want, based on a survey which I conducted during the past 3 weeks is for the military to break out from the totalitarian grip of Arroyo and stage a coup. I say again–the people are ready for a coup. They are sick and tired of Arroyo and De Castro and they have realized that it is futile to give these two officials more time in Malacanan.
Will a coup solve these problems?
It will because it assures the people of the downfall of Arroyo and De Castro. Look, what we need today is for government to regain the trust and confidence of the people. Obviously, the people don’t trust the civilian politicians. It’s clear that the people HATE or even LOATHE their present set of leaders and what this country needs right now is a fresh infusion of new blood, of new idealists that would fight the grafters and buckle down to work afterwards. If the idealistic soldiers don’t realize this, that they have now the chance, the opportunity to succeed in their mission of ousting Arroyo, then, they must stop whatever they are doing right now and just, remain masochists.
As for myself, I think February 2006 showed how the public mistrusts any military adventurism, while it sympathizes with the emotions that drives soldiers to mutiny; I recall observing at the time that there seemed a general consensus, crossing the political divide among politicized officers, that they viewed themselves as inappropriate for actually governing the country.
This is part of a process dating back to the fatal day when a group of Gringo Honasan’s troops attempting a coup mowed down ordinary citizens who heckled and jeered them, back in the 1980s. Since then, even military rebels have adopted more of a peaceful, People Power orientation to their adventurism, than say, the Thais. In 2001, it was the military top brass joining the protesters; in Oakwood, it was an armed sit-down strike; and the ringleaders submitted to trial and incarceration. In 2006, frustrated Marines were going to march to join rallyists, but with their weapons pointed downwards and by informing their superiors they wanted to protest, first.
Such as it is, a certain amount of chivalry has been demonstrated, but those who’ve submitted to the legal process are getting short shrift. Read Ellen Tordesillas to see why -and how the soldiers have reacted:
The exchanges in the morning session, just like in the past three hearings, centered on the unsigned pre-trial advice which is supposedly one of the basis of the charges against the 28 officers. The prosecution headed by Trial Judge Advocate Col. Feliciano Loy pushed for the resumption of the peremptory challenges and called on Capt. Isagani Criste, one of the six officers who have not exercised their right for peremptory challenge.
(When a member of a panel is challenged peremptorily by the accused, he is automatically ejected from the court.)
Criste’s lawyer, Alex Avisado, objected and moved that the proceedings be suspended until the PTA is signed by AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon. The PTA, submitted by Col. Pedro Davila, staff judge advocate, to Esperon recommended the disapproval of the of the Pre-trial Investigation report (PTIR) prepared by the team headed by Col. Al Perreras, which recommended the dismissal of mutiny charges against all the 37 accused officers and the filing of the lesser charge of conduct unbecoming of an officer and gentleman against some of the officers.
Just like in the past hearings, the defense lawyers argued that the PTA constitutes the information sheet and unless it is signed, it’s merely a scrap of paper. As Frank Chavez, Miranda’s lawyer said, “I shudder at the thought that in a civilian court, a man is charged with murder based on an unsigned information sheet.â€
The court instructed the trial Judge Advocate to write the Chief of Staff and get a written comment on the matter. At past 12 noon, the court went into a lunch break.
When the court resumed at 1:30 p.m., it ruled that it was denying the motion for suspension of proceedings until Esperon signs the PTA.
The court said Esperon’s Nov. 17, 2006 memo referring to both the PTIR and the PTA in creating the special general court martial to try the officers, suffices as basis for the trial.The panel’s president, Maj. Gen. Jorgy Fojas ordered the resumption of the challenges.
Chavez stood up and declared: “I cannot take part in these sham proceedings. Sham because the accused are not legally charged. I have advised my client that he has the right not to participate in these sham proceedings. “ Then he walked out.
One after another the other lawyers followed with their own stand not to participate in the proceedings until they are given a copy of a signed PTA. I remember Attorneys Rolando Cipriano, Vicente Verdadero, Rodrigo Artuz, Alex Avisado, Nole Panganiban, Jose Miguel Palarca, Ronald Ubaña, Ma. Cristina Garcia, Johnmuel Mendoza, Dante Xenon Atienza, Ian Pangalangan. They all walked out.
Outside the courtroom, I saw troops with red armbands and shields arriving and scurrying to secure the place.
Attorneys Gilbert Gallos, counsel for Col. Orlando de Leon, and Trixie Angeles, counsel for Capt. Ruben Guinolbay initially stayed and moved for a reconsideration of the panel on their motion to suspend the proceedings until a signed PTA is produced. “The career and life of my client are at stake,†Angeles pleaded.
The court denied their motion. Col. Loy moved to appoint the two as counsels for the accused. At this point, Angeles stood up and said, “As a member of the legal profession, I fear of lending my presence to the validation of this illegal proceedings. I asked to be excused.†Then she walked out. Gallos made the same manifestation and also walked out.
The only one left was Maj. Pooten, the military lawyer. The court appointed him counsel for the accused. He told the court that the accused officers have a right to counsel of their choice. He said, “I am an officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and at the same time a lawyer. I will not allow myself to trample upon the rights of the accused gentlemen officers and be a party to the denial of their Constitutional rights. And by these, your Honors, I ask to be excused from these proceedings.â€
Pooten was ordered to stay in the court room. The court ordered the resumption of the peremptory challenge. Loy called one by one the officers that have not exercised their right of peremptory challenge. First was Capt. Criste, who underscored three points: “I am not availing of the services of the military counsel. I am not waiving my right to peremptory challenge. I will only exercise it in the presence of counsel of my choice and when I’m given a copy of the signed PTA.â€
Next to be called was Capt. Allan Aurino who made the same manifestation as Criste. Same thing with Capt. Frederick Sales, 1Lt. Ervin Divinagracia, and 1Lt. Jacon Cordero.
I saw 1Lt. Homer Estolas raising his hand as the court was giving its decision saying that the six have been deemed to have waived their right to peremptory challenge. They didn’t know that there is still one who have nor done so. The TJA and the panel ignored Estolas, who has not exercised his right to peremptory challenge.
At this point, Col. Ariel Querubin stood up. Then all the officers stood up and followed Gen. Miranda to the door. Col.Arnulfo Marcos, the commanding officer of the custodial management unit, tried to stop the officers: “Huwag kayong lumabas. Balik kayo sa upuan. Cool lang.†(Don’t leave. Back to your seats. Stay cool.).
Maj. Jason Aquino told him, “Nakita mo nang binababoy kami. Manindigan ka naman†(You see that our rights are being trampled. Make a stand.)
Miranda ordered: “Padaanin nyo kami, kaso namin ito (Get out of our way. This is our case).†Marcos had to give way.
Unaware that they have not called Lt. Estolas to exercise his right to peremptory challenge, members of the court went on with their oathtaking. Afterwards, Lt. Col. Marian Aliedo told reporters, “The court is now duly-constituted.â€
The manual for court martial, however, states that the court becomes fully constituted once the peremptory challenges shall have all been exercised by the accused.
Outside the court, Col. Segumalian saluted Maj. Pooten: “Basil, I’m higher in rank than you but I salute you for standing up for your principles.You know of course that what you did won’t please the military leadership.â€
Pooten replied,â€I just did what I believe is right. What ever happens, I would still be lawyer.â€
The one thing an officer expects, I think, is to be treated honorably by fellow officers. But when that stops happening… When a court martial begins to behave like the House of Representatives, and when military judges start resembling the majority members of the Committee on Justice, the ability of the system, to define what is permissible political behavior and what is not, breaks down.
Now I don’t think a coup is imminent, and I won’t support one; neither do I think civil war is about to break out; it seems more logical, to me, that we will all simply stagger along until 2010 at which point the country will really see if the President decides to stay or go. But this belief of mine rests on nothing unusual taking place -because, if something unusual took place, say a War in the Middle East, I really don’t know if our society will be capable of surviving the repercussions without serious, and class-based, civil unrest.
Technorati Tags: constitution, elections, House of Representatives, journalism, law, media, military, philippines, politics, president, society
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Manila Bay Watch on Mon, 12th Nov 2007 7:59 pm
Farcical procedures everywhere. One could only shake one’s head in disbelief. Even in the military where one expects the form of discipline within the rank and file, we see that there’s no more of that.
In a democracy, the military is the guarantor of a Republic’s independence, the protector of its citizens and the guardian of its Constitution but the walkout is a veiled threat to the powers that be, i.e., “You treat us right, we obey, you treat us shit, we walk away!â€
In spite of the many coup attempts against Cory Aquino, she was able to DEFEAT the military because she was coming from a “higher moral groundâ€. During the time of FVR, the military went back to its institutional role, fighting rebels and the enemies of the Republic instead of fighting the ordinary citizens of the nation. But Gloria has none of that moral high ground.
Our military is far from being perfect – it is highly politicized, many of its elements are corrupt, it has no real esprit de corps. Like it’s civilian counterpart, the military is disunited and dispirited.
Having said that, the military had hopes of becoming professional but Gloria single-handedly destroyed the last fiber of professionalism in the military institution.
Not content with having urged and organized a mutiny after which she led a coup d’état in 2001 to topple a duly Constitutional government, she decided to further corrupt the military – am not speaking of money here – to the bone by treating it like a band of merceneries.
Because of this, Gloria will find that she has created a monster which she will not be able to control pretty soon; that in order for her to curb some ambitious folks in the military, she will have to corrupt the rest some more.
Esperon knows this too damn well he can’t even sign the Pre Trial Advice because the his own investigators, the OJAG said in its Pre Trial Investigation Report that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to charge these officers with the military crime of mutiny.
Everything is farcical in this enchanted kingdom of Gloria’s.
Acda on Mon, 12th Nov 2007 8:20 pm
These so called “bribes” are merely GMA’s attempt on leveraging market forces into the political system. Being the knowledgeable economist that she is, surely, how can one argue against the efficiency of markets?
This payola scandal was a result of an inaccurate price model. But to be fair, the algorithm in predicting the integrity elasticity of a priest is still a relatively new science. Be patient. Soon they will get it right. Everyone has a price, or so the market theorists say.
Manila Bay Watch on Mon, 12th Nov 2007 8:31 pm
On the court martial walkout: This walkout is proof that the military is grumbling (the topdogs in the military it seems are unusually “active in keeping the line of communication” with Gloria open so the military grapevine says). Unless she shows force and proves that she can deal with “erring†military in fire for fire fashion, Gloria is a goner. The rest of the military will have her head sooner or later!
Our only hope is to have a snap election and re-establish a Constitutional government through a valid democratic exercise. If that happens, the military will go back to barracks and assume their proper role.
A truly democratic government with a valid unquestionable mandate is our only defence against military adventurism.
In a true democracy, the military is the last component of a Republic to go wayward when everything else seems to be lost. But when that democracy is wobbly, the military is the first to break from the Republic.
Beware Gloria, you shall reap what you sow!
vic on Mon, 12th Nov 2007 8:48 pm
Question: Does the Process specify which complaints has to be entertained for the “once a year†only allowed every year for the impeachment of the President, the one first on the post, even if filed by the President’s Brother purposely to defeat the process or the strongest among the complaints as determined by the “co-called Justice Committee�
We all know that the Impeachment is the number game, but the voting and the number got to come up after the process has been clearly and transparently put into play, not with the alleged distributions of “brown bags†and the race of filing the fake or the what we now aptly call (thanks to the brains of the legal people the likes of Lozanos, the Pullidos as advised of course by the legal people within the Circles) the immunized complaints. And the Justice Committee, given the clue and maybe the Brown Bags (just like the game of charade) will act ignorant or pretend to have abide by the process and declares the First Past the Post complaints substantial and subsequently dismissed it, now with the number game as unsubstantiated … so predictable…
When we played our charade
We were like children posing
Playing at games, acting out names
Guessing the parts we played
Oh what a hit we made
We came on next to closing
Best on the bill, lovers until
Love left the masquerade
Fate seemed to pull the strings
I turned and you were gone
While from the darkened wings
The music box played on
Sad little serenade
Song of my heart’s composing
I hear it still, I always will
Best on the bill
Charade
The Ca t on Mon, 12th Nov 2007 10:02 pm
Really? And how many are your respondents? And who are your respondents ? Sheesh.
The Equalizer on Mon, 12th Nov 2007 10:09 pm
In a letter to his son, Ninoy Aquino explained why he was not participating in the military tribunal trying him on charges of murder, subversion and illegal possession of firearms.
He told his son his action could earn him death by musketry or life imprisonment.
“By adopting the course of action I decided upon this afternoon, I have literally decided to walk into he very jaws of death,†he said.
“You may ask, ‘Why did you do it?’ Son, my decision is an act of conscience. It is an act of protest against the structures of injustice that have been imposed upon our hapless countrymen,†he said.
“Futile and puny, as it will surely appear to many, it is my last act of defiance against tyranny and dictatorship.â€
The Equalizer on Mon, 12th Nov 2007 10:30 pm
According to Gandhi, the WILLING sacrifice of the innocent is the most powerful answer to insolent tyranny that has yet been conceived by God and man.
Manila Bay Watch on Mon, 12th Nov 2007 10:33 pm
Manila Bay Watch: This blog salutes Marine Major Basilio Pooten and Ellen Tordesillas!
Joselito Basilio on Mon, 12th Nov 2007 11:05 pm
Manolo,
This might catch your interest : http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=100491
Please do help the good governor.
Manila Bay Watch on Mon, 12th Nov 2007 11:30 pm
Joselito,
Here’s one supporting Gov Panlilio: Manila Bay Watch: In support of Governor Ed Panlilio
Harion on Mon, 12th Nov 2007 11:43 pm
am reproducing here in full my blogpost today:
Religiously leading us to more suffering:
I don’t get it. What makes the Catholic church leadership so blind that it can’t see it’s belligerent stand against contraception as hypocritical and totally un-Christian. Is it because ever since the council of Nicea, it’s leaders have been sexophobic? Priests were forbidden to marry, women weren’t allowed to administer the holy sacraments, and for all intents and purposes, have morphed into the saducees and pharisees of Jesus’ time. Theirs is the sin of the first sinner – pride. And if you don’t believe me, look up what the Pope says about himself as the leader of the church. What kind of humble servant of God proclaims himself (or his office) as infallible? Is that like claiming God’s mantle as your own? Puhleeze. It took the Catholic church centuries before it would even admit it was wrong in persecuting Aristotle for claiming the earth was not the center of the solar system. And still the Pope insists on infallibility. As if there would be an antidote for asininity.
Yeah, yeah, I know. The church, in its early beginnings, HAD to claim infallibility so as to preserve the church from breaking up. It had to maintain a united front, and a strong leadership that would not be unquestionable so as to survive. But we are past that stage now. Christianity is the biggest religion in the world, next to Islam. Insisting on that foolish pride just shows up these sorry church leaders as so unlike Christ. In fact, much of Christianity’s decline today can be traced back to its leadership. And it’s losing its faithful by the thousand day by day because it is unwilling to – yes, cast away its pride.
I have a lot of bone to pick with this religion I was born into. Yes. Born into. I did not choose it, my parents chose it for me. As their parents before them did. But that does not mean I am less a believer of Christ and of God than them. It only means I don’t believe in the Church as it is today. Not these men in robes pretending only they have the keys of heaven. Not these hypocrites who ogle scripture yet fail to live the essence of it. We don’t need priests, the Pope, religious leaders to believe in God. We only need ourselves and God.
In business, this is called eliminating the middle men.
Here are Christ’s two greatest commandments
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40, NIV)
Unconscionable are conservatives who belligerently insists contraception as against God’s wishes. If you love your neighbor as yourself, does that mean you’d wish impoverishment on yourself because you had too many mouths to feed?
Oh, I’ve heard all the arguments of these rabid purists.
Contraception is murder – since when? since the sperm or the egg alone became alive? It won’t even be alive until it has joined, divided multiple of times, and formed a heart and have it start beating. By then, it’d be abortion. And we’re not talking about that, are we?
Contraception is subverting God’s nature and plan – well, duh. He obviously trusted us more to give us enough brains to figure out contraception I’d doubt He’d object to us using it to better the lives of our neighbors.
Contraception reduces women as sex objects – err. Nowhere in the bible has God even been as sexophobic as these anti-contraception wackos. We are enjoined to enjoy our sexuality. Sanctity of marriage won’t be broken just because both couples are enjoying their sex. They’re married after all. We’re not talking about adultery, or sexual depravity. We’re talking about two individuals, married, sharing their love for each other – as often as they want. Without having to bring to the world a child they may be unable to feed.
Natural family planning is the way – yeah. Tell that to the marines, father. Meanwhile, while the rest of the world isn’t as sexually disciplined as you stuck up pricks, can we for the meantime help the poor by allowing them not to impoverish themselves even further?
How do you help a drowning man?
Stand by the shore and decry loudly that God created water and bouyancy laws and we should therefore not mess with it, or plunge in the water and save the drowning man?
Because as blasphemous as it may seem, conscience dictates we save lives first before playing sanctimonious. And death by slow hunger due to poverty or death by murder is just both the same. And these wackos aid and abet poverty worldwide.
Mass murderers, the fools.
Devils on Mon, 12th Nov 2007 11:45 pm
Religiously leading us to more suffering:
I don’t get it. What makes the Catholic church leadership so blind that it can’t see it’s belligerent stand against contraception as hypocritical and totally un-Christian. Is it because ever since the council of Nicea, it’s leaders have been sexophobic? Priests were forbidden to marry, women weren’t allowed to administer the holy sacraments, and for all intents and purposes, have morphed into the saducees and pharisees of Jesus’ time. Theirs is the sin of the first sinner – pride. And if you don’t believe me, look up what the Pope says about himself as the leader of the church. What kind of humble servant of God proclaims himself (or his office) as infallible? Is that like claiming God’s mantle as your own? Puhleeze. It took the Catholic church centuries before it would even admit it was wrong in persecuting Aristotle for claiming the earth was not the center of the solar system. And still the Pope insists on infallibility. As if there would be an antidote for asininity.
Yeah, yeah, I know. The church, in its early beginnings, HAD to claim infallibility so as to preserve the church from breaking up. It had to maintain a united front, and a strong leadership that would not be unquestionable so as to survive. But we are past that stage now. Christianity is the biggest religion in the world, next to Islam. Insisting on that foolish pride just shows up these sorry church leaders as so unlike Christ. In fact, much of Christianity’s decline today can be traced back to its leadership. And it’s losing its faithful by the thousand day by day because it is unwilling to – yes, cast away its pride.
I have a lot of bone to pick with this religion I was born into. Yes. Born into. I did not choose it, my parents chose it for me. As their parents before them did. But that does not mean I am less a believer of Christ and of God than them. It only means I don’t believe in the Church as it is today. Not these men in robes pretending only they have the keys of heaven. Not these hypocrites who ogle scripture yet fail to live the essence of it. We don’t need priests, the Pope, religious leaders to believe in God. We only need ourselves and God.
In business, this is called eliminating the middle men.
Here are Christ’s two greatest commandments
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40, NIV)
Unconscionable are conservatives who belligerently insists contraception as against God’s wishes. If you love your neighbor as yourself, does that mean you’d wish impoverishment on yourself because you had too many mouths to feed?
Oh, I’ve heard all the arguments of these rabid purists.
Contraception is murder – since when? since the sperm or the egg alone became alive? It won’t even be alive until it has joined, divided multiple of times, and formed a heart and have it start beating. By then, it’d be abortion. And we’re not talking about that, are we?
Contraception is subverting God’s nature and plan – well, duh. He obviously trusted us more to give us enough brains to figure out contraception I’d doubt He’d object to us using it to better the lives of our neighbors.
Contraception reduces women as sex objects – err. Nowhere in the bible has God even been as sexophobic as these anti-contraception wackos. We are enjoined to enjoy our sexuality. Sanctity of marriage won’t be broken just because both couples are enjoying their sex. They’re married after all. We’re not talking about adultery, or sexual depravity. We’re talking about two individuals, married, sharing their love for each other – as often as they want. Without having to bring to the world a child they may be unable to feed.
Natural family planning is the way – yeah. Tell that to the marines, father. Meanwhile, while the rest of the world isn’t as sexually disciplined as you stuck up pricks, can we for the meantime help the poor by allowing them not to impoverish themselves even further?
How do you help a drowning man?
Stand by the shore and decry loudly that God created water and bouyancy laws and we should therefore not mess with it, or plunge in the water and save the drowning man?
Because as blasphemous as it may seem, conscience dictates we save lives first before playing sanctimonious. And death by slow hunger due to poverty or death by murder is just both the same. And these wackos aid and abet poverty worldwide.
Mass murderers, the fools.
The Equalizer on Mon, 12th Nov 2007 11:52 pm
Manolo:Idea for B & W
“Activists exasperated at the failure of diplomacy to apply pressure on Burma’s military regime are resorting to a new means of protest against the regime’s recent crackdown: sending female underwear to Burmese embassies.
The move is a calculated insult to the junta and its leader, General Than Shwe. Superstitious junta members believe that any contact with female undergarments – clean or dirty – will sap them of their power.â€
Let’s start “Used Panties For Esperon †(UP for Esperon)
Jao on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 12:04 am
“Now I don’t think a coup is imminent, and I won’t support one; neither do I think civil war is about to break out; it seems more logical, to me, that we will all simply stagger along until 2010 at which point the country will really see if the President decides to stay or go. But this belief of mine rests on nothing unusual taking place -because, if something unusual took place, say a War in the Middle East, I really don’t know if our society will be capable of surviving the repercussions without serious, and class-based, civil unrest.”
Well, war is coming Manolo. Bush is itching to find a reason to invade Iran. Expect trumped-up evidences to again be waved by this madman as valid claim to invade.
Staggering along until 2010 takes 3 years. Peachy isn’t it?
Dum-de-dum-dee-dum! Tick, tock, tick, tock.
The Equalizer on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 12:43 am
In your opinion,who is the worst ever Philippine President?
if,interested pls vote in my blog
nash on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 1:13 am
Coup and snap election won’t prosper unless the CBCP abuses the pulpit again like they did during Cardinal Sin’s and Erap’s time, using words like “battle between good (GMA) and evil (Erap)”……
That sadly, is the reality.
Bencard on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 5:14 am
this ridiculous practice of “walking out” of proceedings, be it judicial or legislative, by sore participants is unsportsmanlike, at best and contemptuous, at worst. it is a childish, uncivil exercise that has become a knee-jerk reaction whenever one disgruntled party is getting the better of an adversarial activity, as though the action would gain them any advantage.
the walking out of the opposition from the congressional committee after the latter refused to consider the tamano “amendment” to pulido’s complaint, and the walk-out of the defense panel in the hearing of the aborted coup participants are just two recent examples of such shameful practice. only in the philippines!
i say discipline those recalcitrants in congress and those members of the bar who show contempt of the respective tribunals they are appearing in. they are no better than irresponsible kids in adult’s clothing.
Tongue in, anew on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 6:00 am
Bencard:
Reminiscing 2001?
Tongue in, anew on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 6:06 am
Administration: “There can only be one impeachment complaint.”
Opposition: “Sham”
Ilan ba talaga, Sham o Isa?
inodoro ni emilie on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 6:27 am
but it was okay for joker et al to have done it during the erap impeachment, yeah?
it was not okay to hedge on number game then during the erap impeachment, yeah? and then you now hum this mantra that democracy is nothing more than number game.
the perfection of this chain of pambabastos started with the abortion of the constitution erap impeachment trial.
inodoro ni emilie on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 6:28 am
constitutional, rather.
d0d0ng on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 7:20 am
Cieleto Habito on, “For us, it is also because the surge in OFW remittances continues to surprise, especially in the face of the apparent slowdown in the numbers of workers actually deployed overseas.”
Habito would have understood the strong OFW remittances better if he just look at the breakdown. 56% is from North America with 90% from US and 10% from Canada. Middle East is 15%. The FilAms are the backbone of the OFW remittances.
Bencard on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 7:33 am
inodoro, i don’t condone joker et al.’s walk-out. neither the rejection of the rule of the majority in 2001. it was the broad cross-section of a sufficient number of people that sealed the fate of the estrada presidency. the present copy cat opposition is obviously hoping to ignite a spark but i think their matches are wet. the defense lawyers’ walk-out is a blatant defiance of their oath and should be dealt with accordingly.
inodoro ni emilie on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 8:19 am
define sufficient? the cabal of coup plotters working to install gma while the text party was going on at edsa? is that what you mean by broad cross-section? why do you refuse to recognise the factuality of the interview nick joaquin had with mike?
inodoro ni emilie on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 8:24 am
you don’t condone? say so, upfront. you are using doublespeak here. much like the way you did in appealing to mb for his sense of decency when he raised his issue about the poor girl’s death while not doing the same to gma, whose morbid political take was what mb was reacting to.
patsadakarajaw on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 8:28 am
Bencard,
So much for your logic there. Joker and his cohorts walked out in that impeachment complaint. Thats it.
tit for tat.
inodoro ni emilie on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 8:28 am
yeah, right. so serge apostol got the pnoc seat, and davide has been endorsed to the u.n.
d0d0ng on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 8:29 am
Cielito Habito on, “In the case of the exchange rate, the dollar turned out to slide more steeply than had earlier been anticipated”.
That would be great advantage for the Philippines. It means that the stronger peso has better purchasing power in the purchase of oil. That also explain why the inflation is lower than expected since cost of energy have not baloon so much due to appreciation of peso.
d0d0ng on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 8:50 am
“But this belief of mine rests on nothing unusual taking place -because, if something unusual took place, say a War in the Middle East, I really don’t know if our society will be capable of surviving the repercussions without serious, and class-based, civil unrest.”
OFW remittances from Middle East is only 15% of total remittances. It is not even affected by the current war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bencard on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 8:59 am
inodoro, you can cry an ocean about the 2001 walk-out. there’s not much else you can do about it. you cannot sanction the ones who did it. they happened to be on the winning side. the current derelicts are still sanctionable. losers are in no position to dictate the outcome of any contest.
read again and try to understand what i meant in my response to mbuencamino regarding using the little girl’s death for political purposes. obviously, you missed it either because you are intellectually ill-equipped or you are deliberately misconstruing it.
d0d0ng on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:10 am
In the strong peso survey by SWS, 63% of respondents with OFW and 71% of respondents without OFW indicated no change or better now.
The clear majority of the population have not felt the fears of strong peso.
inodoro ni emilie on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:13 am
as us mentally ill-euipped harry potter fans would say, where is she-who-cannot-be-named? or is your tongue cursed?
inodoro ni emilie on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:15 am
btw, bencard, i have an i.q. of an imbecile. you can embrace your superiority complex. but am glad am not intellectually blind.
d0d0ng on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:15 am
“mbuencamino regarding using the little girl’s death for political purposes”.
People don’t realize that the parents of the little girl was irresponsible to begin with. Having 7 kids with little income.
inodoro ni emilie on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:16 am
or dishonest with such blatant doublespeak. reminds me how orwellian you can get.
Bencard on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:42 am
inodoro, it appears that you conveniently omitted my response to mbuencamino wherein i spelled out the dichotomy of what pgma’s reaction to the tragedy, and what the hate-gloria commenters were doing, i.e., virtually blaming gma for the death to foment more hatred against her.
define “sufficient”? in the context of edsa 2, it is the number of people that cowed the disgraced president into fleeing and abandoning the office, leaving his constitutional successor to assume the power and the responsibility of the presidency.
levi on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:39 am
Bencard,
there are more than sufficient number of people right now that wants arroyo out too.
unlike arroyo however, Erap did not hose down teofisto guingona with water cannon and muzzled the people from protesting with state of emergency declaration and no permit no rally bull dung.
or bribe everyone that is bribable with impunity.
Bencard on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:06 am
levi, did your “sufficient number” ever reach more than 500,000 at any given time, anywhere it was completely free to rally (anywhere except mendiola)? if so, how come pgma is still at the helm, presiding over an ever improving economy that was in shambles when she took over?
bribe anyone? the problem with such accusation is that it is easy to make but not easy to substantiate. has anyone been arrested, indicted or convicted, or are people who claims to know about this alleged bribery (such as you, obviously) just don’t have the cujones to come forward to testify under oath against a specific perp?
J a o on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:06 am
Bencard, unsporstmanlike? and what do you call the majority congressmen playing judge, referee, and participants all at the same time – without calling it fairly and objectively?
it’s like Daryl Peach refereeing his own match agst Gomez, calling all Gomez’s legal shots as fouls, and arranging the 9 balls in the triangle improperly.
yeah. let Gomez plod on and endure such sportsmanlike conduct. then you can talk to me about walking-out as disgraceful conduct.
what do you expect the opposition to do? they’ve tried to play by the rules up to the last moment, lacking the numbers, lacking logistics – and what does the majority do? still cheat its way by calling the shots unfairly.
sa Tagalog, eh sa para saan pa ang magpatuloy sa gaguhan na ito kung ganon at ganon rin naman, iisa lang ang hahantungan ng mga pangyayari?
its like offering yourself at the mercy of judge who’s already decided the case before evidences and arguments have been given.
talk to me abt your rule of law when it is working as it is intended to work. and not as it is being subverted.
The Equalizer on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:06 am
“Democracy, more than any other political system, depends on a modicum of honesty.”Norman Mailer
1)”I have decided not to run for president during the election of 2004,” Arroyo said in Baguio City where she was speaking at a ceremony to mark Rizal Day in honor of Jose Rizal, a national hero whose death led to the creation of the Philippines Republic in 1898.
2)“I was anxious to protect my votes and during that time had conversations with many people, including a Comelec official. My intent was not to influence the outcome of the election, and it did not. As I mentioned, the election had already been decided and the votes counted. And as you remember, the outcome had been predicted by every major public opinion poll, and adjudged free, fair and decisive by international election observers, and our own Namfrel.â€GMA
J a o on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:09 am
Oh, so now the parents are to blame. Of course! remind me to slap this to your face when in your next lifetime you are born dirt poor. then let us see how you claw out of that poverty when society and the church conspires against you. prohibiting you to have lesser kids by virtue of sanctimony and marginalization. yeah right. these parents are so educated they know how to be responsible family planners.
the best antidote for asinine statements like these is karma. you won’t be mouthing such things if you’re the one in the parent’s shoes. then let’s see you practice family planning w/no education to speak of and no idea there’s a better life than hand-to-mouth existence.
Joselito Basilio on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:14 am
Manila Bay Watch wrote :
Joselito,
Here’s one supporting Gov Panlilio: Manila Bay Watch: In support of Governor Ed Panlilio
____________________________
Thank you Manila Bay Watch.
Fr. Ed really needs support. He’s being isolated by almost Pampanga mayors and PB members because there is no money in good governance.
Because of their canine loyalty to GMA and the Pinedas,
they are doing everything to discredit or get rid of Among Ed.
levi on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:22 am
Lolo Ben,
Hmmn, i also wonder why arroyo is still there. Have you ever heard about makapal ang mukha?
improving economy?
hahaha, what economy?
Bencard on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:34 am
jao, subversion of the rule of law carries sanctions that don’t go stale or sterile on account of non-application at a given time. guilty parties will not go unpunished provided they are found so under the rule of law and upon due process. those are the key words: rule of law and due process. one is ineffective without the other. outside of these principles, everything is tyranny and/or chaos.
be careful about labeling every loss “gaguhan”. that’s why nothing ever gets conceded and settled in the philippines.
i know of several pinoy organizations in the u.s. whose election results are, more often than not, contested because the loser just can’t accept defeat. in politics, kung wala kang boto, wala kang panalo.
Bencard on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:37 am
lolo ben? baka mas matanda ka pa sa akin o di kaya nama’y mas mukha ka pang “lolo” keysa akin. mahiya-hiya ka nga!
levi on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:51 am
you really should come home and see it for yourself Lolo Ben. It is easy for you to insulate yourself from this kababuyan when you’re several thousands miles away.
again, you resort to your favorite comfort zone of legalistic crap when the issue at hand is strictly political. I say this again:
there is politics and there is lawyering. Reserve your lawyerly mumbo jumbo when finally Gloria Arroyo will have her day in court. As of now Gloria Arroyo is playing and is subjected to the rules of politics.
When people perceive her as corrupt and a liar the burden of proof is on her part to prove otherwise if she hopes to win their continued political support. She is not just some poor and vulnerable labandera from Lubao. She has all the resources of the presidency at her disposal to dispel the accusation and come clean if she really is clean. She does that by the principle of accountability, by being credible and honest.
inodoro ni emilie on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:53 am
who defines 500,000 sufficient enough? the metro manila text party crowd, or the few cabal of conniving coup plotters and military putschists?
levi on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:59 am
Sorry Lolo Ben, gusto mo old daddy na lang para mas angkop dyan sa californication mo.
I’m 32 Lolo Ben, ikaw 25 pa lang?
ronin on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 12:04 pm
Equalizer: That ‘UP for Esperon’ plan is hilarious.
However, I don’t think it would work within our culture. Remember male singers getting pelted with panties by female fans gone berserk during concerts? The performers love it. Or how about the mass popularity of ditties like ‘Bikining Itim’?
Burmese guys might get insulted by having female undergarments thrown at them, but many Pinoys might take a different view.
The Burmese and other Asian neighbors apparently take more seriously the uneven gap between the genders.
tonio on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 12:16 pm
your blood pressures, people.
i tend to go with mlq3 on this one. the country is going to stumble along till 2010. simply because no one wants to play gloria at her own game.
haven’t you noticed the standard government line has been, “prove it in court”? the administration can stumble it wants, its indiscretions revealed as dirty laundry for all to see. but nothing will happen. all because it is not verifiable in court, and because if any court does handle it, the guilty will just pay their way out or get a pardon.
can someone from the opposition, or from anywhere think of the country for once and move from rhetoric to hard, factual evidence? if there is any evidence to begin with.
what happened to Trillanes’ posturing? where are the witnesses? where is this evidence? or in fact, what of everyone else? again, my call to him is put up or shut up. otherwise, you’re no different from the people you reportedly despise so much.
what people need here are hard, verifiable facts. screw witnesses, the true value of testimony can never be realized in this climate. hard data. data that conforms to the rules of evidence in court. no hearsay. no crap.
someone, please lay down the cards on the table. if the damning evidence is out there. then please, show it. because right now, all the administration is doing is playing to the public’s attention deficit disorders. nothing is going to be solved at this rate. give us real information, and keep this information fresh in the minds of the people.
otherwise, either grin and bear it, or start downloading those immigration forms from the websites of foreign embassies.
Bencard on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 12:27 pm
levi or whatever you are. you are 32? you sound more like 92 with a mind of 2. anyway, i don’t know why i’m wasting my valuable time with a troll like you. where’d you come from? tordesillias’ blog? better stay there, your natural habitat. i’m not gonna waste my time with you any longer. scram!
qwert on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 1:08 pm
“can someone from the opposition, or from anywhere think of the country for once and move from rhetoric to hard, factual evidence? if there is any evidence to begin with.”- tonio
In my opinion, the reason why the Lord did not give Pontious Pilate the answer when Pilate asked him: “What is truth?”, is because Pilate was a politician.
Diego Torres on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 2:02 pm
Marcos won over Macapagal because the pan de sal , then, has shrunk , Mrs. Eva Macapagal was featured buying jewelries amidst a population that was complaining of hunger, the peso dollar rate deteriorated, corruption was an issue, the peasant sector was getting agitated, inflation was robbing , especially the poor, blind…looking back, we knew the pendulum has swung.
It is so eeriely familiar. One will argue that thepeso and inflation are running in a different direction. There is the spin. The peso is strong because the dollar is very weak. The peso compared to the asian currencies that have almost recovered lost ground , is not anywhere within cheating distance of its pre-1997 value.Tell the poor souls that prices have remained stable and see if you went get haunted by glazed looks.
cvj on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 2:24 pm
Tonio, maybe you and Manolo are right that nothing will happen but verifiability in court is not the issue. That’s part of the farce. If you play Gloria’s game, what matters is balance of power. The day GMA loses power is the day calls for legal evidence against her will stop.
cvj on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 2:29 pm
Harion/Devils, very well said. FWIW, i believe there will a collapse in belief in the Catholic Church. There’s just too much contradictions.
Mike on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 3:25 pm
I really have to react to this diatribe of Harion. The Catholic Church’s position is not an easy one to follow, but so are many of Christ’s teachings. For instance, Jesus explicitly stated that there should be no divorce, but how many Christian countries follow that?
You cannot cherry-pick what you like from the faith and call yourself Christian. You are Christian if you believe in the truths He revealed. Remember: “You are my friends if you follow my teachings.” He also said, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church.”
Have you even bothered to read Humanae Vitae? The Church teaches that sex is an awesome expression of love between two married people, and this love begets love. It is not a toy or a sport as pop culture is selling it. Now, which attitude is more responsible? Which attitude, if adopted, is more likely to produce happy families and less likely to spread HIV and STDs?
Many have been wondering why our country’s HIV numbers are so low compared to, say, Thailand where condoms are everywhere. I think it’s because people are still listening to authentic Church teachings on sexual morality, which results in less risky behavior in the first place.
If you want to blame someone for the poverty this country is experiencing, you would do better to start with those handing out and receiving P500,000 bags of cash rather than with those who are trying their best to follow the authentic teachings of Christ.
qwert on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 3:46 pm
“…nothing will happen but verifiability in court is not the issue…”- cvj
cvj,
I agree, one goes to court to seek justice and justice presupposes punishment. The wheels of justice is not yet the issue in the case of GMA, the wheels of governance is. When you’re a passenger of someone behind the wheel of a vehicle and that someone disobeys traffic laws, hits people left and right, and continues to up the speed, you don’t think of filing a case in court more than you would like him/her to stop driving. Stop the driver first then sue afterwards.
cvj on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 4:10 pm
qwert, unfortunately too many are stuck in a lawyer-like mindset and think that Society is one big courtroom. that’s why we don’t have the rule of law.
Willy on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 5:01 pm
“FWIW, i believe there will a collapse in belief in the Catholic Church. There’s just too much contradictions.” – cvj
Throughout the centuries, the Catholic Church has persevered through Nero’s persecution, the excesses in Constantines time, the trials of the middle ages, the reformation, and todays New Age. Christ promised to protect his Church always, and that “the gates of Hades will never prevail against it”. But we must make a distinction between the infallibility of the official teachings of the Church and the fallible interpetations and actions of some men of the church. Seeming “contradictions” can best be researched through the numerous Catholic Apologetics sites or by simply referencing the Catechism, I don’t think this
blog is a fitting venue to debate each of those supposed contradictions.
J a o on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 6:05 pm
jao, subversion of the rule of law carries sanctions that don’t go stale or sterile on account of non-application at a given time. guilty parties will not go unpunished provided they are found so under the rule of law and upon due process.
Bencard, do you agree Erap is guilty of plunder? Do you agree he was found guilty under the “rule of law” and was given due process?
Then why is he going unpunished under your purported rule of law and due process? And if subversion of your rule of law carries sanctions that don’t go sterile, then why is Gloria still not being sanctioned?
I’m afraid the sanctions you were talking abt have gone sterile, or gee, IMPOTENT to use a more appropriate word.
Bencard, THANK YOU. you have just summarized what’s going wrong with the Philippines’ “rule of law.”
of course there’s a difference bet being just a sore loser and being made a fool of. and i wouldn’t generalized that nothing gets conceded and settled here. where did our colloquial term “areglo” come from after all? uso rin dito ang settlement Bencard. local disputes are settled at the brgy level.
I have a more apt idea abt the relationship of the rule of law and anarchy coalescing in my head right now. give me time to collect these thoughts and put it into writing and then i’ll give u the link.
it pretty much sums up why the law, even though it is THE LAW, must not be worshipped and put on a pedestal above common sense and decency. and i’ll get to that anarchy you so fear when the rule of law collapses, as u imagine it might be when people blithely disregard it.
Manila Bay Watch on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 6:47 pm
“those are the key words: rule of law and due process. one is ineffective without the other. outside of these principles, everything is tyranny and/or chaos.” – Bencard
I don’t think anyone will dispute those principles.
So, let’s bring them on — Gloria, you listening?
cvj on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 6:52 pm
Willy, such a collapse has already happened in Europe and Latin America. Over here, it will happen largely because of the actions of the clergy (as described above by the appropriately named ‘Devils’) and its high profile patrons (like the current First Couple). Each photo-op of Gloria praying in Church is a reminder of such contradictions. It would take a lot more than apologetics to erase these images.
Manila Bay Watch on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 7:17 pm
“Each photo-op of Gloria praying in Church is a reminder of such contradictions.” – cvj
Tell you what, cvj each time I see a “…photo-op of Gloria praying in Church”, it does make me wonder if she goes to confession before she receives Holy Communion; if not, there’s your “contradiction” of sort but at the same time, the Church has no business telling Gloria not to receive Holy Communion. She has to decide in all conscience whether she should cherry pick from among the Church “rules” or not.
As we all know, a person can go to confession on Saturday then receive Communion on Sunday but for the rest of the week, could be business as usual, i.e., lying, cheating, and thieving and the Church or one’s father confessor (does that one still exist?) can do nothing about it. If Gloria does this, then Church in theory cannot tell her anything.
If she were doing this sort of practice, one could very well say, it’s all hypocritical. To me, it’s between her and her creator.
Now, as for the ordinary mortals who haven’t the treasury to loot, we can just watch in amazement and yes, wonder if Gloria is not at all being hypocritical with regard the teachings of her religion. (I personally don’t tell my Catholic priest details of what I’ve come to confess to him — he either absolves me or not if he doesn’t, tough, I don’t get to receive Holy Communion.)
I personally would refuse to enter this “earthly” ‘debate’ (save for this one here and now) coz at the end of the day, I believe God is good, God is love and God is all forgiving. I don’t believe in a punishing God like in the Old Testament. He will forgive if we ask for forgiveness, Gloria included.
Willy on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 7:24 pm
cvj, then we should not allow our keeping the Faith to be dictated by the hypocritical actions of some. Indeed any other faith for that matter is not guaranteed to contain impeccable followers. There is no reason in religion-bashing based on the actuations of some of its followers or even misguided leaders. Some actions of the Catholic clergy maybe questionable depending on one’s private interpretation (debatable) , but to repudiate wholescale the faith they represent (or claim to represent, as you wish) is indicative of a belief that is not well-grounded in the first place, it is a faith built on sand, and “when the storm comes, it falls mightily”.
Mike on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 7:34 pm
CVJ, the Church may not reign supreme over Europe as in the days of the Holy Roman Empire, but even after the bloodshed of the French Revolution, the Spanish Civil War, WWII, & the Iron Curtain, it remains a relevant voice in Europe. When John Paul II died, the non-stop news coverage of Benedict XVI’s election is an indication that the world still takes the Vicar of Christ very seriously.
As for GMA praying in Church, well, He did come to save sinners.
Manila Bay Watch on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 7:37 pm
I tend to go Willy’s way, “But we must make a distinction between the infallibility of the official teachings of the Church and the fallible interpetations and actions of some men of the church.”
I’m a Roman Catholic, maybe not a good one but I do believe it’s some of the “interpreters” of the Church doctrine that are somehow at fault.
The Equalizer on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 7:53 pm
“I personally would refuse to enter this “earthly†‘debate’ (save for this one here and now) coz at the end of the day, I believe God is good, God is love and God is all forgiving. I don’t believe in a punishing God like in the Old Testament. He will forgive if we ask for forgiveness, Gloria included.MBW”
Amen:No one is beyond redemption.
The Equalizer on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 8:05 pm
WHEN I WAS HUNGRY….
“Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous 16 will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ “
The Equalizer on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 8:30 pm
Rep. Joel Villlanueva told dzBB that he was at the south lobby when he heard a “very loud explosion” that came from the north lobby of the House of Representatives. He said he saw at least four hurt, who were brought to the clinic inside the building. – GMANews.TV
tagabukid on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:00 pm
Casualties as blast rocks House of Representatives
What the hell is going on?! Ano yan, pwersahan na ba?
tagabukid on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:08 pm
Siguradong hindi na LPG blast iyan!
levi on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:20 pm
Hey Mr. Bean who-does-not-want-to-be-called-lolo,
This is a blog zone and you’re not a blog tyrant, are you?
Again,
There is politics and there is lawyering. Reserve your lawyerly thing-a-jing when finally Gloria Arroyo will have her day in a proper court of justice or if she will not bastardize the impeachment case filed against her. As of now Gloria Arroyo is playing and is subjected to the rules of politics.
tagabukid on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:30 pm
Levi,
Matuto kang gumalang sa mga matatanda…
The times are getting more interesting, now that even Congress has just been bombed.
Why talk about Bencard?
The Equalizer on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:31 pm
Is this “bombing” the counterpart of the 1972 Enrile hoax to justify something nasty?
The Equalizer on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:40 pm
LEVI: leave the old gizzard out of the loop.
levi on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:45 pm
You really must be from pluto Lolo Ben, er, Mr. Ben.
Heven’t you heard of Ed Panlilio?
Oh i’m sorry, his testimony wasn’t just good enough for you nga pala because of his lapse in legalese judgment.
levi on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 9:58 pm
tagabukid/equalizer,
yes, time is running out for gloria and her canine blogger.
The Equalizer on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:01 pm
MARCOS and His Cheap Copycat
1) Slogan:
Marcos: “This nation can be great again. This I have said over and over. It is my articles of faith, and Divine Providence has willed that you and I can now translate this faith into deeds.â€
Gloria :“Now I will lead our country towards the strong Republic … In the end , we are one nation under God , one people , with one aspiration : a country as good as it can get!
2)Vision:
Marcos:had a vision of a “New Societyâ€â€”similar to the “New Order†that was imposed in Indonesia under dictator Suharto. He used the martial law years to implement this vision.
Gloria : had a vision “ Strong Republic†and craft a new Constitution that is neither leftist nor rightist to ensure the realization of a fully modern and developed Philippines in the 21st century.
3) Presidential Proclamations 1081/1017:
Marcos:
*Presidential Proclamation No. 1081 :it placed the entire country under martial law .
*Letter of Instruction No. 1 – Marcos ordered the Secretary of National Defense to take over and control of newspapers, magazines, radio & TV facilities.
Gloria:
Presidential Proclamation 1017:This Proclamation gave Gloria the power:to issue warrantless arrests to take over private institutions that run public utilities.
Gloria declared a National State of Emergency on February 24, 2006.
4)What will be the trigger point for MARTIAL LAW Declaration?
Marcos: Johnny Enrile,per his own admission , staged managed his car ambush hoax .
Gloria: What’s in her mind ?(batasan bombing?)
Manila Bay Watch on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:04 pm
The Equalizer,
The news has already hit France (breaking news 14h30 Philippines/attentat : 1 mort):
Une personne a été tuée dans l’explosion d’une bombe mardi dans le bâtiment de la chambre des représentants philippine à Manille, a annoncé la police.
¤¤¤
One person was killed in a bomb explosion in a building in the House of Representatives in Manila, police announced.
Manila Bay Watch on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:06 pm
Nothing in the British press on line yet.
The Equalizer on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:11 pm
on BBC on-line
justice league on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:13 pm
Real tragic.
Hoping all the rest of the wounded recover.
Manila Bay Watch on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:17 pm
Must be BBC Asia because I can’t see it on BBC news international version.
Manila Bay Watch on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:20 pm
Here’s the rule of law in Pinas:
Panlilio, 8 more charged with bribery over Palace handouts
By Jocelyn Uy
Inquirer
Last updated 08:07pm (Mla time) 11/13/2007
MANILA, Philippines — They spilled the beans and now they are being haled to the Office of the Ombudsman to face criminal complaints.
The Philippine Trial Lawyers Association (PTLA) charged nine government officials who admitted receiving “cash gifts” in Malacañang after separate meetings with President Macapagal-Arroyo on October 11 with direct bribery and violating both the code of conduct and ethical standards for public officials and the anti-graft law.
Manila Bay Watch on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:21 pm
Briber goes scot free?
The Equalizer on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:30 pm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7092600.stm
vic on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:34 pm
The “rule of law” will only reign over in a functioning society, whether democracy, or even authoritarian as we can see in an authoritarian government of Singapore, even Hongkong which is under the watchful of the Mainland and even the tiny sultanate of Brunei, nobody seems to be complaining of the breakdown of the rule of law.
But most of us here agree that the Philippines Governance is somewhat dysfunctional, (if not, reread each of your own comments) starting from disbursements of Government funds, arranging multi-millions contract (what has Abalos got to do with the Broadband that cost him his Comelec Post?) and JVD father and son, doing big government business while dad is a big time government official, now don’t tell me that it was before or after the provision of the law, it is a conflict of interest no matter how you look at it, upside down, rightside up.
Another favourite line, “file your charge if you got evidence”, well most big time corruption cases i have known started with Media Allegations and the “evidence came up after the Auditor General was called to take a look and in return the Auditor General after seeing some evidence called upon the Police to take further look to gather more evidence, then file the charges before the court with enough evidence for convictions… not so hard to follow I guees?
Then usually the Government, that is if not dysfunctional will call an Independent Public Inquiry why these type of Shenanigans happened during its watch (wink, wink)and then promptly resign when the inquiry pointed out that the leader was asleep while his or her men were busy helping themselves with the taxpayers dough..then (the leader) with teary eyes apologize to the public and if given another chance in the next election, his party even without him or her as the leader will implement all the recommendations the inquiry put forward so the same will not happen again… but chances the party is not going back to govern for a while and the rest that eventually were squeezed by the so-called evidence.. some may spend a little vacation in jail and have to pay back the monies plus penalty of course as they will be sued on top of their criminal convictions..that is the rule of law…
preamble..this land is founded on principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law…
The Equalizer on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:42 pm
“Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar passed away following the blast that took place at the Batasan Pambansa Complex Tuesday night in Quezon City.
Negros Oriental Rep. Henry Teves, meanwhile, is in critical condition after sustaining severe blast injuries and burns following the explosion.ABSCBNâ€
May GOD save our country!
vic on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:46 pm
Equalizer, sad news to hear irregardless, but what do we expect when the Rule of the MOBS is taking over?
Manila Bay Watch on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 10:57 pm
Re The Equalizer’s “May GOD save our country!”
Right on! Can’t very well count on Gloria in these very difficult and trying times.
J a o on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:21 pm
First, the Catholic church, is not Christ. well, not the church we know today anyway. as i’ve said, they’ve lost their way, much as the pharisees had. and second, you have to distinguish catholic states from individual catholics. it is the state that legalizes divorce. and the state is secular. now, it is up to individual catholics to keep to their faith and follow God’s commandments.
If you would look closely, it is the catholic leadership today who are doing the cherry picking. deciding on their own “infallible” selves to misinterpret God’s commandments. Yes, I am more a Christian bec I believe in the truth HE revealed. HE, not the church leadership. Peter is Peter. But many of the succeeding leaders of the church have not exemplified him.
No. But since you mentioned it, I will google it sometime. Perhaps you’d also like to read St. Thomas Aquinas’ writings. Best proof that faith does not have to be illogical or mystical for people to follow it blindly.
If sex is such an awesome expression of love, then why does the church not want married couples to experience it as often as possible? Why exalt abstinence vs love?
which attitude is more responsible? siring kids even if you can’t feed them or siring only a number of kids you can support?
which attitude will produce happy families? bahala-na-si- Lord-kung-gusto-niya-ako-bigyan-ng-sandamakmak-na-anak-at- nang-magutom-kami-lahat attitude or sane family planning?
God helps those who help themselves.
have you seen a family of twelve starving to death happy?
and your swipe at HIV and STDs per contraception is non-sequitor. unprotected sex spreads HIV and STDs. not contraception. and if you’re a faithful spouse, why worry abt them at all? again, you are swerving away into adultery, multiple partners, fornication, etc; not contraception. we are debating allowing contraception bet married couples aren’t we? and jz to make my stand clear, i am only for contraception bet married couples.
d0d0ng on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:28 pm
Jao on, “Oh, so now the parents are to blame. Of course! remind me to slap this to your face when in your next lifetime you are born dirt poor. then let us see how you claw out of that poverty when society and the church conspires against you.”
You barely can feed you and your wife because of poverty and then you raised 7 children? What the heck comes into your mind? That gives you reason to blame the government. Excuse me. Blame yourself for raising kids without providing for the future.
d0d0ng on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:33 pm
Jao on, “the best antidote for asinine statements like these is karma. you won’t be mouthing such things if you’re the one in the parent’s shoes.”
Exactly, I can speak because I came from large family and I know how hard it was. Never again. So I raise only one kid even if I can afford a dozen.
Manila Bay Watch on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:36 pm
Re: “Excuse me. Blame yourself for raising kids without providing for the future.”
Easy to blame poor, half-illitirate or hardly educated people among the population for the unreasonable number of children couples from this sector produce. Both government and people need to be aware that many mouths to feed is lethal for poor families. Govt cannot pay lip service to a program as serious as family planning.
It is imperative that govt set up an education program about family planning and to help the poor from whom many are hardly educated with the tools necessary to achieve objective (provided govt has an objective of course) of stagnating runaway population growth.
It is Govt duty to “enlighten” those Filipino couples even before they embark on family building, i.e., marriage or concubinage and to accompany this education program with real resources, i.e., family planning clinics, door to door instructions, general awareness program. But this can hardly be done if govt and its agencies do their work haphazardly or if govt doesn’t have a serious program to curb population growth.
J a o on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:40 pm
manuelbuencamino on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:40 pm
Bencard wants to punish those who do not wish to participate in shams.
Manila Bay Watch on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:42 pm
“somehow at fault? these proud men took upon themselves and assumed divine provenance to twist Christ’s teachings into their own idea of faith.” — Jao
So, repudiate them… I certainly won’t stop you.
J a o on Tue, 13th Nov 2007 11:50 pm
d0d0ng on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:14 am
manilabaywatch on, “Easy to blame poor, half-illitirate or hardly educated people among the population for the unreasonable number of children couples from this sector produce. Both government and people need to be aware that many mouths to feed is lethal for poor families. Govt cannot pay lip service to a program as serious as family planning.”
That will hold water if education is not free in the Philippines. I came from public education in Mindanao where materials are not as available as in Manila. Like you are saying easy to avoid free public education and be an illiterate and blame the government. Instead you should tell the Church that it needs to be aware that many mouths to feed is lethal for poor families. Because the Church is the blocking an important program as serious as family planning.
H a r i o n on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:14 am
remember, remember, the 14th of November. gunpowder, treason, and plot. I know of now reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.
on the south wing of the House of Representatives
talk abt symbols…
if indeed this attack is directed solely on Gov. Akbar, why’d do it inside Batasan premises where security is tighter instead of just laying in ambush for him?
answer: bombers had access to Batasan where killing him would be easier as his bodyguards would be lax in contrast to ambushing him from outside where his bodyguards would be on full alert. whoever had masterminded this is a Batasan insider, or insider of its security group anyway.
vic on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:18 am
And for family with Children, one, dozens, adapted, natural and with same sex parents or your normal everyday papa and mama , nobody should get the blame, not the mother, not the father (Father or mother who ran away from responsibilities maybe), not the government, not even the church, but if something gone wrong with the child, all of them. No one should be spared.
That is why in our case (here I go again) mothers with numerous children, some from different fathers, don’t get the blame, but instead welfare and housing and more children allowances and if possible courts orders to garnish their children’s father wages (if they bother to work) to satisfy the children’s supports arrangements. And usually a special attention from the social services to make sure that the children are not left out and feel unwanted in their environment because of the circumstances not their own faults.
Blaming the parents, the government, the church and still not doing anything constructive like proper upbringing of children, no matter how they were brought in this world will again keep repeating the cycle…
And by the way, regardless of religious belief, a freedom of choice should also be available to all women and publicly funded…
Manila Bay Watch on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:22 am
“That will hold water if education is not free in the Philippines. I came from public education in Mindanao where materials are not as available as in Manila.” — Dodong
Well, you are among the lucky ones Dodong. Not all can be deemed as lucky as you to have the brain, the determination not to fall in the same trap as others.
d0d0ng on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:33 am
jao on, “I’d love for you to be born dirt poor. let’s see how you blame yourself when that happens. as MBW said, easy to blame others when you have no idea how it is to be in their shoes. illiterate, uneducated, jobless – you won’t be smart enough to think about the consequences of sex when you’re this poor. to open your eyes, i wish you’d suddenly lose your job while your wife is pregnant – with quadruplet, lose all your savings, properties, and then be unable to find a job and then i’ll come up to you as you’re crying when your kids are sick and dying and say: you have no one to blame but yourself for not providing for their future. cruelty of fate is not an excuse.”
Jao, please let me educate you from your obsessive ranting of poor and uneducated Filipinos. I have been there and done that, you know. I grew up from poor family of eight with one died because we cannot get the needed medicine (you figure out). All of us have to walk 2 kilometers back and forth to the nearest public school in Mindanao. You tell me, how many kilometers did I have from 1st grade to highschool? So please don’t try to tell me sensational stories, it won’t work for me.
H a r i o n on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:39 am
“That will hold water if education is not free in the Philippines. I came from public education in Mindanao where materials are not as available as in Manila. Like you are saying easy to avoid free public education and be an illiterate and blame the government. Instead you should tell the Church that it needs to be aware that many mouths to feed is lethal for poor families. Because the Church is the blocking an important program as serious as family planning.”
dOdOng, contrary to govt claims, education is NOT free here in the Philippines. ask any parent and they’d tell you how much public school administrators ask of them for “voluntary” funds at the beginning of each SY.
anyway, thank you for accepting that the church is blocking an important program as serious as family planning. but you have to contend that govt can again be blamed for the failure of its family planning program. the church has its own stand, but why does the govt play toady to the church
H a r i o n on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:40 am
“That will hold water if education is not free in the Philippines. I came from public education in Mindanao where materials are not as available as in Manila. Like you are saying easy to avoid free public education and be an illiterate and blame the government. Instead you should tell the Church that it needs to be aware that many mouths to feed is lethal for poor families. Because the Church is the blocking an important program as serious as family planning.”
dOdOng, contrary to govt claims, education is NOT free here in the Philippines. ask any parent and they’d tell you how much public school administrators ask of them for “voluntary” funds at the beginning of each SY.
anyway, thank you for accepting that the church is blocking an important program as serious as family planning. but you have to contend that govt can again be blamed for the failure of its family planning program. the church has its own stand, but why does the govt play toady to the church? lack of political will.
H a r i o n on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:51 am
“Blaming the parents, the government, the church and still not doing anything constructive like proper upbringing of children, no matter how they were brought in this world will again keep repeating the cycle…
And by the way, regardless of religious belief, a freedom of choice should also be available to all women and publicly funded…”
Vic, thank you for saying it for me. couldn’t have said it better myself.
sadly, the church wants to keep us in this rut with their illogical phobia abt an imagined sexual immorality going loose when contraceptives are used. and has the nerve to impose this beliefs even on non-christians by derailing govt efforts at family planning.
if you abhor contraception so much, tell it to your faithful. but otherwise, don’t meddle in govt efforts to improve other people’s lives. that’s why govts are supposed to be secular. bec some religious beliefs are just too illogical to base governance solely on it.
d0d0ng on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:52 am
“Well, you are among the lucky ones Dodong. Not all can be deemed as lucky as you to have the brain, the determination not to fall in the same trap as others.”
I don’t believe in luck. I was not smart either coz there are persons who are always better than me. I believe in hardwork. I don’t believe in blaming without direct cause and effect relationship.
J a o on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:03 am
“All of us have to walk 2 kilometers back and forth to the nearest public school in Mindanao. You tell me, how many kilometers did I have from 1st grade to highschool? So please don’t try to tell me sensational stories, it won’t work for me.”
dOdOng, in that case, you aren’t uneducated. you have been poor, ok. but precisely bec you were educated you knew the consequences of not planning your family. and precisely bec you were educated, opportunities opened up for you. including the means to provide for your family.
now if you were educated and still had kids left and right with nary a thought abt where to get funds to feed them, then i can rightly say you only had yourself to blame.
why? bec you were already educated, yet still made the wrong choice.
you can’t say the same abt many of the uneducated. which is why i took exception to you saying they only have themselves to blame. for what? for being poor and uneducated? no one chooses how they will be born into this world, dOdOng. and your opportunities in life are severely limited depending on which side of the social divide you were born into. some kids go on living luxuriously simply on the virtue of being born into a rich family. and they have only themselves to blame for being that filthy rich? is that the case then? simply just an unlucky roll of the dice?
d0d0ng on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:06 am
“That is why in our case (here I go again) mothers with numerous children, some from different fathers, don’t get the blame, but instead welfare and housing and more children allowances and if possible courts orders to garnish their children’s father wages (if they bother to work) to satisfy the children’s supports arrangements. And usually a special attention from the social services to make sure that the children are not left out and feel unwanted in their environment because of the circumstances not their own faults.”
thanks, Vic. This is an clear illustration that the fathers were NEGLIGENT in providing care, so the Court intervenes to garnish wage to support state services of providing care. However, this is far from happening in the Philippines which is not structured like in Canada.
Manila Bay Watch on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:12 am
“I don’t believe in luck. ” — Dodong
As soon as I finished typing what I said, I knew you’d write that. heh!
Then you are one in thousands of poor folks, lucky enough not to believe in luck. As I said, you were lucky (my thought) to realize early on that you need the education, etc. to get out of the trap the other poor folks find themselves in.
“sadly, the church wants to keep us in this rut with their illogical phobia abt an imagined sexual immorality going loose when contraceptives are used.” — Harion
No need to blame church for that. Didn’t Imelda once spread her family planning programme across the board? Church probably condemned her (don’t know) but she went ahead.
Nothing to do with the church when govt cannot impose genuine political will to surge into a very sensitive program as birth control aka as family planning.
When you have the majority of a population that’s destitute, hovering between desperation and illiteracy and this is compounded by growing unwanted births or whatever, govt has got to impose some kind of genuine political will and to forge ahead even against Bishops’ or Cardinals’ wishes. God’s sakes, just do it!
d0d0ng on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:15 am
“you can’t say the same abt many of the uneducated. ”
Jao, there is no excuse for being uneducated if the government provides free education like in the Philippines. However, going to school is your free choice.
vic on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:20 am
Harion,
thanks, again we had debated these issues hard and bitter. it was divisive, especially the “abortion on demand” and the churches also participated, but in the end the courts had to refer back to the parliament and repair all the laws that the courts found not in line with the Charter and that was through their decisions in every case that came before them to decide.
And for the Children, until they become adults, that is the age of 18, the government still has the authority and a lot of “say” regarding their future.. we even have a truancy law that requires a child has to be in school until that age or face the punishments or sanctions (usually meted to parents) like refusal to grant them drivers licence at 16 (yes, if they stay at school, they can start driving that young.)and many more. maybe boot camps? no, that would be dictatorial…
But since age of consent for sex is 14, (plans to move it up to 16 to be in line with most in U.S. and in G.B.) then contraception at that age are available at public expense, or they can start having children (again that is too young).
of course those who are religious can always follow their church teachings and hospitals who are run by religious boards are not forced to perform abortions, like the St. Joseph, St. Michael. so it is still a free country…
d0d0ng on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:21 am
“govt has got to impose some kind of genuine political will and to forge ahead even against Bishops’ or Cardinals’ wishes”.
Only if you are strong enough stand against the Church like Imelda did. Politicos are hesitant to antagonize the powerful church that diminish their voting power to get elected into office.
vic on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:33 am
thanks, Vic. This is an clear illustration that the fathers were NEGLIGENT in providing care, so the Court intervenes to garnish wage to support state services of providing care. However, this is far from happening in the Philippines which is not structured like in Canada
welcome dodong, but i do believe there is the same law in the Philippines about spousal and children supports, but just like other law, it is the enforcements that is lacking or the will to enforce. If this law is enforce religiously, there will be less abandon fatherless children without support. That is one social problem that has to be addressed by the congress and the judiciary.
J a o on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:38 am
dOdOng, your notion of “free educ” here leaves much to be desired. good if public schools nationwide are as accessible and as “free” as the one you went to when you were a kid.
going to school is a free choice indeed. consider this:
a kid, let’s call him Ben Kardo, has a dad who is down with TB, his mom, a drug addict. he wants to go to school badly, after all, some unemphatic guy name dOdOng said going to school is a free choice. but he needs to eat as well. and the only way to do that is to work. well, that certainly decides him abt where his “free choice” lies.
do not believe in luck? at least believe in divine providence then. thank God He gave you parents understanding and wise enough to know that sending you to school is the way to break you and your family out of poverty. hardwork? yes. that is one factor needed to break out of poverty. but hardly the only factor you will need.
how abt our hardworking Ben Kardo here? he’s breaking his back just to subsist and according to you, he only has himself to blame. poor guy. he doesn’t believe in luck either. but damn it to hell, if he believes in divine providence, it’ll break his faith to believe in a God that will give him a drug addict mom and an incapacitated father. where can he turn to then? (that’s why God has given us who have the ability to help, the charge of helping those like Ben Kardo. bec. blaming the likes of Ben Kardo bec. “they only have themselves to blame” is a callous way of looking at things, not to mention un-christianlike, and a selfish guilt-absolving trip.
going to school is a free choice eh? tell that to those kids forced to work by their own parents. oh, i could regale you with many more examples why your “the poor only have themselves to blame” belief is faulty.
the least of which, all of us share this blame. that poverty is still alive even though we’re technologically advanced and knowledgeable enough to eradicate it if we only pursue it hard enough.
to whom much is given, much is also expected.
Willy on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:45 am
It is interesting to note from the foregoing discussions that the concept of responsible parenthood is narrowed down to a question of financial capability. Education being secondary to that. Certainly that is a very valid consideration for planning the number of children. But what about psychological capacity? While Congress in bent on passing another version of a “Reproductive Health” bill (for the third time) I suppose it is about time they plan on a contraceptive that will prevent the rich but psychologically impaired couples to limit their offspring, that is if they do not have the psychological capacity to rear upright citizens who will not rob our pitiful country blind, deprive the poor of food and education, and blame the poor and uneducated for breeding and bleeding to death our economy. Legislate contraceptive that will prevent the birth of future corrupt politicians that pockets millions upon billions of pesos that should have gone to decent public services and education. While they are at it, legislate the sterilization or castration of our current breed of politicians to ensure they do not propagate the genes of exploitation, indifference, greed, and contempt for the irresponsible poor.
Manila Bay Watch on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:50 am
Willy,
I think it’s best to start one step at a time… complications are bound to arise when you mix everything in the same broth, i.e., one single issue that requires genuine political will.
J a o on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:57 am
MBW, actually, both govt and the church are to blame. govt for lacking political will. and the church for actively campaigning and taking actions against govt population control programs. it’s not like they couldn’t help. so ok, they don’t believe in contraception. but for godsakes father, please help us in educating the poor that they are not exactly helping themselves by being human gerbils. as it is, the church is not even actively teaching their natural family planning method.
“of course those who are religious can always follow their church teachings and hospitals who are run by religious boards are not forced to perform abortions, like the St. Joseph, St. Michael. so it is still a free country…”
exactly my point abt seperation of church and state. let the state do what it thinks is the best in helping the country, and let the church observe what it thinks is the best for its faithful.
though, i am strictly agst abortion. so even if that is legalized here, that doesn’t mean i’d go aborting kids left and right. the church has to let its faithful have that choice. the best it can do is teach God’s commandments. unless the church sees itself better than God as to deny others a choice God freely gave mankind.
Manila Bay Watch on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:58 am
I believe in this one Jao: “to whom much is given, much is also expected.”
We cannot on the basis that one worked hard, had the talent, the brains to get out of the ghetto and succeeded, believe that those he left behind are responsible solely for their sorry lot. A sense of understanding that not all are born with the same degree of ‘intelligence’ by the one who managed to get out of the ghetto is expected at the very least.
(Mind you, when I was in my early 20s I used to be that hard, i.e., same as Dodong, to those who were homeless in Paris but as I got older, I began to understand that not everyone is ‘blessed’ with foresight, with luck, etc., etc.)
Manila Bay Watch on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 2:00 am
Agree, Jao coz I’m of the same thinking (against abortion): “though, i am strictly agst abortion. so even if that is legalized here, that doesn’t mean i’d go aborting kids left and right. the church has to let its faithful have that choice.”
The least both institutions can do is to live and let live, i.e., allow govt to institute educational programmes geared at curbing birth growth.
rego on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 2:00 am
Like Dodong, I also came from a very big family ( 10 siblings with two sets of identical twins). Although I did not go through his ordeal. I too dont believe raising so many children even if you can afford it. Becuase every child has other needs than just financial. There is emotional and other needs that teh parents has to take care of. In my case, I believe our parents has taken care of us finacially well but it just impossible for them to take care of the all the special attention that each of the siblings need. I even believe that special attention is much more important than the financial support.
rego on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 2:06 am
“the present copy cat opposition is obviously hoping to ignite a spark but i think their matches are wet. the defense lawyers’ walk-out is a blatant defiance of their oath and should be dealt with accordingly.”- bencard
Thats how I feel too. The opposistion is not really coming up with orginal and creative ideas to deal with the Gloria. And worse they are always outsmarted.
They they complained of a sham impeachment complaint. Eh babagal bagal sila eh. Kaya lagi silang nauunahan ng admin….
J a o on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 2:06 am
my god! another advocate of pop sterilization!
and who gets to decide who will play God and pick which attributes to breed out of the human race?
upbringing has a lot to do with psychological devt. and before you even contemplate on gene sterilization, contemplate first on social engineering.
Manila Bay Watch on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 2:09 am
Re Harion’s “remember, remember, the 14th of November. gunpowder, treason, and plot. I know of now reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.”
Hehehe! Guy Fawkes would be very happy to know that Filipinos are following in the tradition of bombing Parliament. (There’s one poor Catholic bloke caught between religious war, i.e., protestants v catholics.)
J a o on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 2:18 am
“A sense of understanding that not all are born with the same degree of ‘intelligence’ by the one who managed to get out of the ghetto is expected at the very least.”
Precisely!
“as I got older, I began to understand that not everyone is ‘blessed’ with foresight, with luck, etc., etc..”
same with me MBW. when I was in HS, i thought only lazy people remained poor. i thought anyone who really wants to get out of poverty can work hard enough to do so.
it had to take a friend who told me this: pano kung ikaw ang pinanganak sa lansangan, salat sa pag-iisip, salat sa kakayahan, salat sa kagandahan?
to wake me up to the truth, that no – not everyone can be blamed for their lot in life. there are uncontrollable forces that put us into certain circumstances in our life, and the best that we can do is make the best of it with what God has given us.
do not be too harsh on people whose circumstances you don’t even know made them poor the way they are. help them. not judge them.
J a o on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 2:28 am
“I even believe that special attention is much more important than the financial support.”
me too. job or family? family always. board meeting or my son’s bday? son’s bday always. a weekend with family or a weekend buried in work? i am not a workaholic like my dad. who loves his business more than us.
“Thats how I feel too. The opposistion is not really coming up with orginal and creative ideas to deal with the Gloria. And worse they are always outsmarted.
They they complained of a sham impeachment complaint. Eh babagal bagal sila eh. Kaya lagi silang nauunahan ng admin….”
which makes me think sometimes that we have no true opposition nowadays. the side masquerading as opposition now must already be co-opted, just playing its part in the moro-moro.
i mean, ilang beses na ba sila naunahan sa impeachment complaint na yan? it’s not like after the first time, they didn’t have the time to get ready for the next one. pangatlong beses na to! ampucha naman. katangahan pa ba yan?
Manila Bay Watch on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 2:34 am
“which makes me think sometimes that we have no true opposition nowadays. the side masquerading as opposition now must already be co-opted, just playing its part in the moro-moro.” — Jao
That’s been clear to me as daylight during the assignment of committee chairs in the Senate after the recent elections.
To my mind there are only 3 bona fide members of the opposition with a big O; all the rest are fencesitters leaning towards Gloria’s allies in the Senate.
The real opposition is found not in the halls of Congress but in the streets, in media, in Tanay, and from among the population in general.
J a o on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 2:52 am
MBW, care to name them? i can’t think of one genuine politician oppositionist.
Manila Bay Watch on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 3:02 am
Lacson is one of them, gosh, can’t remember the two others but Equalizer I believe has got the sorry very short list of 3 considered to be real Opposition; hang on, I think Biazon may be qualified too but as for the last one, geez — my mind is blank, wait, Trillanes.
(All three are PMA grads.)
J a o on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 3:10 am
well, only Trillanes fits my idea of a true oppositionist.
uncompromising. even Lacson and Biazon are not above cutting deals.
Manila Bay Watch on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 3:16 am
Jao, I think Lacson knows he cannot attack “head bowed” all the time that’s why some have this perception that he’s cutting deals. Politics is different from soldiering as can be gleaned in the after election scenari, i.e., those who run on the opposition ticket are into balimbingan, not an iota of opposition firebone in their political being.
supremo on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 4:04 am
No bomb parts found according to PNP. Must be another gas explosion.
J a o on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 4:18 am
no supremo. Akbar had just a case of instantaneous combustion. it’s a verified, documented scientific phenomenon. i’m sure we’ll have no trouble sifting that through the rubble.
well, at least that’s how PNP divines explosions nowadays. much like reading tea leaves extracts on teacups.
supremo on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 4:33 am
Let’s move on to the next explosion.
ay_naku on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 6:37 am
How about Pimentel? I think he’s a genuine GMA oppositionist.
d0d0ng on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 6:58 am
Jao on ,”how abt our hardworking Ben Kardo here? he’s breaking his back just to subsist and according to you, he only has himself to blame. poor guy. he doesn’t believe in luck either. but damn it to hell, if he believes in divine providence, it’ll break his faith to believe in a God that will give him a drug addict mom and an incapacitated father. where can he turn to then? (that’s why God has given us who have the ability to help, the charge of helping those like Ben Kardo. bec. blaming the likes of Ben Kardo bec. “they only have themselves to blame†is a callous way of looking at things, not to mention un-christianlike, and a selfish guilt-absolving trip.”
Jao, now I understand you have problem with Bencard. Of course, he doesn’t believe in luck unlike you when things go wrong you blame the government when running out of luck. The 8 yrs in law (including prelaw) plus passing the bar exam is not by chance luck, it is hardwork. By the way, Bencard doesn’t need your help. If you believe that God has given you the ability to help, why not help the government find a solution or run as a lawmaker so you can be part of solution and lessen your un-christianlike guilt absorbing trip.
Bencard on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 7:09 am
what? no gloria-hater is blaming gma for the explosion? what’s the world coming to?
d0d0ng on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 7:17 am
Jao on, “Your notion of “free educ†here leaves much to be desired. good if public schools nationwide are as ACCESSIBLE and as FREE as the one you went to when you were a kid.”
You haven’t gotten I said two (2) kilometers walk for each trip to school from 1st grade to highschool. It just showed that you never went to public school in the Philippines. So, that is hard to see how can you have solution to public education in the Philippines.
Manila Bay Watch on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 7:58 am
Why don’t you do or say something exciting, less boring for a change Bencard and start the blame game?
Manila Bay Watch on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 7:59 am
“How about Pimentel? I think he’s a genuine GMA oppositionist.” — ay naku
Right! I forgot that one.
Manila Bay Watch on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 8:06 am
Good night folks — hope you have fun with predictable Bencard! Cheers!
Abe N. Margallo on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 8:09 am
“Something tells me the President herself is getting confused.†– mlq3
Manolo is of course referring to Arroyo’s speech before the Philippine-Chinese Chamber of Commerce where she told the traders: “I ask you to call on the legislators you support in the elections to stop partisan wrangling . . .†and those “relentless political noises.â€
Recall that the Palace had delivered the same line to PCCI after the opposition trounced the administration bets in the senate race: “It’s like fathers telling their children: ‘I’ve given you your allowance because I wanted you to do these things. Now if you don’t do them, you won’t have an allowance,’â€
Arroyo is lost.
Marcos, schooled in the tradition of American Democracy and constitutionalism, would probably cringe at the mere thought of making a public appeal to moneyed minority interest-groups or lobbyists to leverage their financial clout in reining in what they consider their proxies in Congress and thereby mock supposedly the majority’s will that placed those representatives into public office.
Arroyo, if not totally clueless about how a democracy works, is unabashedly crude and rude in her chosen methods to survive politically. So, even by her apparently innocuous public acts, she poses a clear and present danger to Philippine democracy or whatever gasping remnants of it.
What a little, limited character.
Abe N. Margallo on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 8:16 am
Manolo at his best!
“In our quest for reform, we tend to ignore the realities that constrain our politicians and our electorate to behave in particular ways. We are engrossed in the easy moralism that permits us to express our disgust for the failings of our leaders in government. We cling to the belief that if only we can rid the nation of the present bunch of politicians, the country will surely be better. I think we forget that our leaders, like many of our voters, are no more than actors in a political stage governed by the hidden scripts of social inequality and dominance. We expect great things when we replace old actors with new ones, unaware that without a fundamental revision of the script, the performance will not be very different.
“That script, the one that animates what we call traditional politics, provides not for the roles of government and opposition, as in the modern stage, but only for a set of patron and client roles. Under its terms, political power in our society is to be contested not by alternating majorities and minorities, but by a very small ruling class. Unchallenged in its dominance, this class creates the illusion of plurality and choice through the constantly changing composition of its factions.
“What does all this tell us? It tells us that the modern institutions by which we are supposed to conduct the governance of our nation will never function properly so long as the masses are trapped in poverty. It tells us that the choices offered by our present political parties, including those that purport to represent the poor, are false. It tells us that political parties that are not themselves financed by their members are a sham. It tells us that public officials who buy their way into public office are no more than merchants or agents; they are not the leaders. It tells us that voters who are hungry and needy cannot be political subjects in a democracy.
“This political culture is bound to change, albeit slowly, as more and more of our people get out of poverty, largely by finding work abroad. The change is becoming visible in our growing intolerance for money politics and in the impatience with which we scan the horizon for new leaders.â€
cvj on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 8:17 am
Jao (at 2:18am) and MBW (at 1:58am) i agree. It takes a combination of intelligence and humility to believe in luck.
Abe N. Margallo on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 8:21 am
This entry of Anna (MBW) should be read many times too:
__________
Farcical procedures everywhere. One could only shake one’s head in disbelief. Even in the military where one expects the form of discipline within the rank and file, we see that there’s no more of that.
n a democracy, the military is the guarantor of a Republic’s independence, the protector of its citizens and the guardian of its Constitution but the walkout is a veiled threat to the powers that be, i.e., “You treat us right, we obey, you treat us shit, we walk away!â€
In spite of the many coup attempts against Cory Aquino, she was able to DEFEAT the military because she was coming from a “higher moral groundâ€. During the time of FVR, the military went back to its institutional role, fighting rebels and the enemies of the Republic instead of fighting the ordinary citizens of the nation. But Gloria has none of that moral high ground.
Our military is far from being perfect – it is highly politicized, many of its elements are corrupt, it has no real esprit de corps. Like it’s civilian counterpart, the military is disunited and dispirited.
Having said that, the military had hopes of becoming professional but Gloria single-handedly destroyed the last fiber of professionalism in the military institution.
Not content with having urged and organized a mutiny after which she led a coup d’état in 2001 to topple a duly Constitutional government, she decided to further corrupt the military – am not speaking of money here – to the bone by treating it like a band of merceneries.
Because of this, Gloria will find that she has created a monster which she will not be able to control pretty soon; that in order for her to curb some ambitious folks in the military, she will have to corrupt the rest some more.
Esperon knows this too damn well he can’t even sign the Pre Trial Advice because the his own investigators, the OJAG said in its Pre Trial Investigation Report that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to charge these officers with the military crime of mutiny.
Everything is farcical in this enchanted kingdom of Gloria’s.
__________
My apology Manolo.
cvj on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 8:21 am
Abe, those quoted passages were by Randy David from his column that Manolo linked to above.
Abe N. Margallo on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 8:36 am
Oh, sorry Professor Randy. But as formatted it didn’t look that way. Anyway, it behooves every Filipino to ponder on it. It is a great piece. tx cvj.
J a o on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 8:37 am
dOdOng, FREE and ACCESSIBLE doesn’t just mean no tuition and a place you can get to so long as you have feet. if the public school system here is really so free, then why do public school students still need money to study there? from “voluntary” contributions, to “school projects,” to school supplies – none of these things are covered by your stinking free education. and just because you can reach the school doesn’t mean it’s already “accessible.” it can be under the ocean and if you swam to get there, you’d call it accessible. accessibility connotes more than just temporal distance. it also means availability to any who wants admission. are you aware of public school administrators who make unnecessary requirements on students for them to be admitted? (buy your uniforms from me or don’t study here, no contributions – no enrollment, projects are made a business – if you refuse to buy, you fail)
you have so much faith in hardwork i bet you don’t even recognize any God except your very own self.
and running for office or being a lawmaker is not the only way to help. and im not the one doing the guilt-absolving trip here.
d0d0ng on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 8:48 am
“It tells us that the choices offered by our present political parties, including those that purport to represent the poor, are false.”
Then those especially the younger generation who have the genuine desire to change the offered choices should run in public office so that the composition of congress will change, however, slow but into the right direction so that in the future it cannot be bought like it did today, budget will be allocated for greater good and that rule of law can be applied up to the President who is a public servant that should have served public interest.
J a o on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 8:51 am
cvj, dOdOng doesn’t need humility. he has enough hardwork to fill its absence. as you can read, he succeeded purely on his own. his parents doesn’t even have anything to do with it. his teachers, merely a footnote of his success. even the fact that he is healthy, whole of body and mind, has nothing to do with luck or divine providence. that is pure hardwork that he was born not a cripple, mentally disable, or psychologically ill. people who were born that way have their own selves to blame for being too lazy too look for healthy bodies.
talk abt pride! this guy doesn’t need God. he can do it all on his own with hardwork.
of course the magtataho is hardworking too. so are fishball vendors. so many poor people working very hard and they all have themselves to blame for their lot in life. dOdOng has only this to say to them: suck eggs suckers for being too stupid not to avail of your free choice at education.
cvj on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 9:08 am
d0d0ng on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 9:10 am
“you have so much faith in hardwork i bet you don’t even recognize any God except your very own self.”
The Filipinos have so much faith in God for 400 yrs and Spanish friars have the last laugh. A country so small that it can fit inside one of the 50 US states say Texas, but with rapid population growth which is approaching 100 million Filipinos, a third of US 300 million population. The lawmakers have surrendered political will on controlling unrealistic population with limited resources to the powerful bishops. It is time to ask, should Filipinos continue to surrender everything to God, or God wanted us to be responsible so we can determine our destiny.
Geo on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 9:23 am
“[President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo] must be warned against doing a Musharaf, else more problems ahead,†Pimentel said in a text message.
Senator Ana Consuelo “Jamby†Madrigal called for “an independent commission to be formed to investigate this incident to avoid any cover-up or whitewash.â€
“What is obvious is that this attack is part of a grand scheme. Is this part of the plot to divert attention on tomorrow’s [Wednesday’s] impeachment hearing, the Senate investigation on the payola scandal tomorrow as well, and the ZTE hearings? We are not anymore safe. My sentiments go to the innocent victims and their families. Desperate moves indeed,†she said
—————————————–
The above comments — especially from Jamby Madrigal (“obvious”???) — are irresponsible, unethical and against the interests of the country. Nice. Real smart.
Trillanes, Pimentel and Madrigal…thanks for your help.
cvj on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 9:45 am
Geo, what’s so irresponsible and unethical about warning Arroyo not to do a ‘Musharraf’?
Proud to be Tsinoy on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 9:56 am
I fully agree with Randy David’s comments. We really can’t change the politicians if we don’t change the system they work under. At present, it’s a system that so rotten to the core that even I won’t feed it to the pigs in my backyard (figuratively, of course).
I have been asking this question though for a long long time, in this and other forums. How do we start changing the system? Too many interested parties will certainly try to thwart any attempt to reform the whole political landscape.
Why do you think the Dynasty Law is inutile? Why do you think the Comelec will remain a Commission without claws except for the highest bidder? Why do you think the politicians will never give up their pork? It’s all because power is a heady aphrodisiac and maintaining power requires lots of money that even politicians can’t have too much of it to give away to maintain that power.
For me, reform is a two way street. We can;t keep on blaming the politicians for our country’s woes. We also have to look at ourselves in the mirror. Not because we don’t whine about the politicos’ actions, but more because we don’t do anything to prevent it in the first place.
Do we ever do enough to educate the masses on what is right and wrong? Because for me, it’s is not enough to help the masses out of poverty. It also requires US so called intellectual elites to educate them on what is right and wrong. And I am not talking of what is right and wrong in the political sense, but what is right and wrong in the moral, ethical and practical sense.
I have always used my candy wrapper argument to reflect the realities of this country. It is so sad that people litter on the streets all the time. and it certainly reflects the attitude of the population when I hear some of them say that it’s the government’s fault that there aren’t enough waste baskets around. It really shows how people leave everything to the government instead of having the attitude as reflected in JFK’s inaugural address:
“Ask not what your country can do for you; Ask what you can do for your country.”
The point is, the people will have to change their attitudes internally before the political system can change. For as long as the people will not care (at least enough for them to take action as a collective), then the politicians will always have their way.
Geo on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 10:05 am
Pimentel’s implication is that GMA is inclined to declare martial law. You and I both know that he is also implying that she might have caused such an emergency. He did the same thing after the Glorietta explosion.
By the way, there’s zero implication that martial law is even being condsidered.
But fine — he couched his words sneakily enough this time that he might not be condemned for foolhardiness. I won’t press the point.
But Jamby’s words are reprehensible. An “obvious” “grand scheme” and “desperate moves” surrounding the question: “is this a plot to divert…” etc, etc.
Why on earth would a senator want to convince the country and the world that the ruling government is bombing its own people? Without any evidence. Why? Who is this helping? It’s thoughtless and counter-productive. It is anti-job, anti-poor, anti-national.
mlq3 on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 10:17 am
abe, that was randy david.
manuelbuencamino on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 10:21 am
Bencard is wondering why no one suspects Gloria of bombing her own kind.
He may be on to something here. Maybe Gloria is really that treacherous. I wonder if he can help us uncover her motives.
micketymoc on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 10:53 am
Manolo, when you get around to it – this San Francisco Chronicle article about Wahab Akbar provides very interesting reading.
Bencard on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 11:28 am
tsinoy, for as long the likes of erap estrada is looked upon as the kingmaker, if not the king, after pgma steps down in 2010; for as long as the likes of trillianes, jamby madrigal, jinggoy, loi, cayetano (both) are voted in by apparently “educated” people who should know better; for as long as entertainers, athletic personalities, “moral” gurus, and progenies of political families (wanting to perpetuate political dynasties) are getting elected regardless of questionable competence, the political system cannot change. these are the people who have a vested interest in the present system and who will strongly resist any attempt to change it, notwithstanding any sugar-coated promises they make to do something about it, just to get the vote.
any certified nincompoop can be elected to any office, especially one with money and political pedigree. the average pinoy looks for a leader he can “love” not one who can lead; one he can hail as a personal messiah, not one who can work for the national interest.
the pinoy voter asks what a candidate can do for him, not what the candidate can do for the country; what the politician can give him, not what the politician can give to his country.
Shaman of Malilipot on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 11:44 am
“this ridiculous practice of “walking out†of proceedings, be it judicial or legislative, by sore participants is unsportsmanlike, at best and contemptuous, at worst.” – Bencard
When something becomes contemptible, contempt becomes its due.
An unsigned PTA as a basis for a trial? Your kind of rule of law, all form, but no substance.
Geo on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:00 pm
Coincidentally, I just saw Lou Dobbs on CNN, promoting his book “Independence Day”. The gist is that he thinks ALL the Presidential candidates (both Dem and Repub) are terrible and that there is a nationwide groundswell for a brand new, independent, fresh leader…a non-trapo, if you will, who truly cares about the everyday citizen.
Sound familiar?
In what country is everyone happy about their politics?
Bencard on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:15 pm
dodong, this “entity” who calls himself jao (i’m not sure if he is a male/female person or whatever) is doing a watchful eye- to whom i expressed disgust for making a “hypothetical” involving a close family member of mine in a gruesome criminal attack , then saying “sorry” for it – by giving me (as “ben kardo”) a drug addict mom and a tb-afflicted dad.
what’s with these people? are they trying to cut me down to their size or something? i must really be bringing out the worst in them that they have to conjure up the ugliest misfortune they could imagine about my life and mask it as “hypothetical”. thanks for not being fooled.
btw, the message behind the fabricated hypo is idiotic, a product of a useless mind in a vain pretext at profundity.
hvrds on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:33 pm
“I fully agree with Randy David’s comments. We really can’t change the politicians if we don’t change the system they work under. At present, it’s a system that so rotten to the core that even I won’t feed it to the pigs in my backyard (figuratively, of course).”
“I have been asking this question though for a long long time, in this and other forums. How do we start changing the system? Too many interested parties will certainly try to thwart any attempt to reform the whole political landscape.”
What the hell is this system everyone is talking about? Can anyone explain what they mean when they say the system? Is it the devil that is the system? What is everyone talking about?
The devil is making us do these things….
Abe N. Margallo on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:47 pm
Tsinoy,
In many instances, whatever is a man’s condition in life such is his outlook and attitude towards others and society. Please don’t blame the victim and the exploited but those who live off on the flesh and blood of the vulnerable for the unsightly carrions on the road.
It’s not just those politicos, but more importantly those who pick up their tabs and I’m sure you know whom I’m talking about.
But I agree that what’s needed for change is “organizing, mobilizing and transforming.â€
rego on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:48 pm
cvj, dOdOng doesn’t need humility. – Jao
Probably not and it’s just as well. He is, after all, a Fil-Am so it might be too much to expect that from him.
————————————————
i ve been following dodongs comments because of the so many negative replies on them. But I didnt really find it as mayabang or nagyayabnag as Fil Am. It actually made a lot of sense to me. Well, he has a very different point of view from the majority in this forum. But thats not pagyayabang. I can even see a lots and lots of humility when he related his humble beginnings.
Watchful eye on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 12:52 pm
And Bencard, only fools don’t change. It’s not too late to join the caravan.
mlq3 on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:19 pm
thanks mickety, included the link you posted in today’s entry.
inodoro ni emilie on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 1:47 pm
touch ka?!?
the psychology of the internet: don’t buy everything what’s fed to you, epecially when almost everyone here uses fictitious handle.
what’s with the outrage over a hypothetical scenario, bencard? damang dama mo ba talaga ang cyberspace persona mo and you feel stalked by a hannibal lecter in jao?
go by the issue, stay by the issue. other than that, it’s all resume building, ego bloating, and fairy tale story telling taking place in many a blog space, best taken with a loadful grain of salt.
Mike on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 3:28 pm
Harion:
We’ve been hearing this old saw since the Reformation. Now look at the Protestants: they are fracturing faster than you can say “Wittemburg.” But it’s the logical result of rejecting the teaching authority of the Catholic Church–when every man feels he can interpret Scripture his own way, without a definitive arbiter, then there will be countless interpretations, with one being just as good as another. When each person has his own “truth”, it is not Truth at all.
Has the Church ever in its teaching contradicted Christ’s teaching? Is there anything in the Catechism that is against Scripture and tradition? Or do you reject tradition as well? Because there is plenty that was left out of the Bible, but which remained in the traditions of the Church.
This made me laugh. I thought the Church was being criticized for encouraging people to have more kids (which, of course, means more sex). But to clarify: the Church doesn’t care how much sex you have. If you’re married, you’re entitled to it. BUT! Don’t approach sex as a sport, a game, or some kind of pastime. If you have sex, be conscious that loving this way may create life–life that will need your love and which will reward you with love in return. Sex without the possibility of this life is barren, purely gratuitous, and the Church (as surely Christ would) condemns it.
If you cannot possibly afford to have more kids, then that’s when abstinence comes in. Or natural family planning, which, properly practiced, has a high rate of success. This is love: when you treat your spouse as a real person, someone with whom you are willing to face the awesome possibility of creating and raising life, not just as an orgasm machine. THAT is the attitude that will produce happy families. Because if and when sex results in life, the Christian must view that life with unconditional, self-sacrificing love and not as simply another mouth to feed.
I take it you are against pre-marital sex, then? So if contraception works to keep married couples from having kids, then what’s the problem with having unmarried couples use it so they can have sex without the consequences? Or so that married people can have affairs? That’s taking your argument to its logical conclusion–and in fact, you can clearly see it in the societies that have embraced the contraceptive mentality.
What are you, straight out of the Reformation?
For your info, these issues were raised almost 600 years ago, and have received answers time and time again. (Wow, indulgences–if that isn’t a blast from the past!) If you’re sincerely looking for answers, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which you can find online, is a good place to start. But then, are you?
Shaman of Malilipot on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 4:05 pm
Mike, you’re just exemplary! Kudos!
J a o on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 4:09 pm
Bencard, i don’t remember involving a close relative of yours in a criminal attack – and my usage of “Ben Kardo” is purely innocent humor. my intent is to contrast an image of someone like you – incorrigible, fanatic abt the rule of law being characterized as a destitute boy having the fantastic free choice dOdOng acclaims so much. isn’t that rich?
it was in no way a real, personal attack agst you. and if you feel that way, then i apologize. i should have use dOdOng’s name instead and called my character Kokey.
“I can even see a lots and lots of humility when he related his humble beginnings.”
rego, i feel the opposite. i feel he’s told us his financial past to brag some more how great he was that he was able to climb out of that rut. that he didn’t need the help of anybody at all.
Mike on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 5:04 pm
Harion:
Please accept my apologies for my last paragraph. If indeed you are sincerely looking for the Truth, then my tone was out of line and un-Christian.
Harion on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 5:15 pm
yes. i am agst pre marital sex. your argument again is non-sequitor. the question of contraception being used in pre-marital sex is irrelevant. you see, whether unmarried people use contraceptives or not, premarital sex alone is already a sin. the relaxation or the prohibition of contraceptive laws will not in any way deter or encourage pre marital sex. or extra marital affairs. again, contraception does not cause these sins. people will choose to have pre-marital or extra-marital affairs whether or not contraceptives are made available to them. the difference Mike, is willful choice – not contraceptives. and for that it is between the individual, their conscience, and God.
my problem is that it is being kept away from married couple wanting to practice family planning. REALISTIC family planning.
oh yeah, i contend natural family planning works – if the couples were saints and exemplify great self-restraint. but it doesn’t work all the time. it only works on women who have a regular menstrual cycle. for women who have irregular cycles, it will be a hit and miss system – no sense in having it at all. contraceptives eliminate such hit and miss system. in fact, birth control used in conjunction with condoms has 100% rate of success in contraception. if the woman still conceive, i’d call that divine insemination!
and yes, im straight out of the reformation.
Harion on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 5:19 pm
Mike, no need to apologize. am not offended. this blog is an avenue for debate after all. and yesm you’re right. i am looking for the truth. i’ve found it the way i view it.
cvj on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 5:33 pm
Why do you assume that educating the masses is the problem. Hasn’t it occured to you that it’s the elite that needs to be reeducated?
What is the distinction between ‘political sense’ and ‘practical sense’?
Willy on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 7:33 pm
“it (NFP) only works on women who have a regular menstrual cycle. for women who have irregular cycles, it will be a hit and miss system” – Harion
Maybe you are referring to the outdated “calendar method”, if so, you are correct. But todays NFP uses the Billings Ovulation Method, which applies effectively to both regular and irregular ovulation cycles. BTW, there are studies which show that NFP has higher effectiveness compared to artificial methods, if used correctly. There are also misleading claims about the absolute absence of health risks in the use of artificial methods, like cancer and other side-effects. Couples have to be informed objectively if there are risks involved. Also, the claim for condoms 100% effectiveness is absolutely false,as the material does not withstand breakage 100%. I even came across a study which says that the HIV virus has a smaller micron size that can easily pass through condoms porous material.
rego on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 8:15 pm
“rego, i feel the opposite. i feel he’s told us his financial past to brag some more how great he was that he was able to climb out of that rut. that he didn’t need the help of anybody at all.”
———————————————
Well Jao, kanya kanyang feelings that impression lang siguro yan. becuase I dont shareyour feelings after I read it. As matter fact I find it somewhat inspirational. Baka naman your’re over analyzing his comments.
Sa mga umpukan ng mga Pinoy sa Baryo lalo na sa mga bagong salta, I always mention that I worked as a busboy then waiter before. The intention is not to brag but to somehow Inspire tme to get what ever job they get just to start their life here.
Your’re reaction to Dodongs comments reminds me so much of my freind tale when he recently visited Manila after 8 years of livng in Washington DC. Sa umpukan ng mga college barkadas nya nag comment lang daw sya ng “Grabe na ang pollution dito”. Sinabihan daw sya ng ” ang yabang mo naman”. So we concluded that people over there are so sensitive to ur comments.
Sa totoo lang, we never referred to us as Fil-Ams, and we dont refer to CVJ as Phil-Singaporeans. While its true that Bencard, Dodong, Ca T and I share some common stand, on different issues especially on not being so rabid anti Gloria. But I dont think it has something to with our being here. Because there are other poeple there that share our stand too.
Come to think of it. A lot of peopel here often mentioned that they are graduates Ateneo, UP La Salle and PMA grads. But people like me who did not came from these schools never take it as pagyayabang. We reacted on their comments not on where they graduated in college.
On the belief of God. I believe its is really personal to each individual so we cannot really judge anyone on how he believe in God. From bible preacher in college, I stopped over depending on God long before I came here. But that doesn’t mean I dont belive in him anymore. Becuase I still pray incessantly. But my prayer now are mostly silent thank you s for any thing good that happened in the a day. I havent gone to church for more 10 years now.
Willy on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 8:42 pm
“Why do you assume that educating the masses is the problem. Hasn’t it occured to you that it’s the elite that needs to be reeducated?” – cjv
So true. Its the elite, who holds the reigns, that needs to be reeducated.
Willy on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 8:58 pm
I am so with you regO, take the substance of significant arguments and ignore perceived ego trips. Egos do not reinforce arguments anyway, as there is no way to validate whether they substantiate or not in this type of forum. That is the problem with senate/congressional hearings, where egos take precedence. I still remember that horrific display of Senator Gordon in that NBN hearing, I just hope his intelligence prevails in further episodes.
vic on Wed, 14th Nov 2007 9:51 pm
By the way another adherence to the rule of law: PM Harper finally give in to the opposition demand to call a Public Inquiry into an allegation by a German Businessman being deported to his country to face TAX Fraud and evasions that he had business dealings with the former PM Mulroney and talked about them two days before the PM left office. Actually the PM already received settlement of $2 millions from the the Liberal Government (Mulroney is a Conservative)for libel after he was alleged to have some inappropriate dealings with the same businessman (about the Airbus Airplanes). The RCMP is also commencing investigation if there is “some evidence to warrant Criminal proceedings” against one or both parties. Both the German Businessman and the former PM Mulroney have been calling for the Public Inquiry. Memoirs of Liberal PM Paul Martin calling for an Inquiry into the conduct of former Liberal PM Chretien, his party mate, the results of which crippled their party. But that is the Rule of Law…. . Would President Arroyo do the same???
Manila Bay Watch on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 12:14 am
Thanks Abe for the mention…
d0d0ng on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 1:58 am
Bencard on, “what’s with these people? are they trying to cut me down to their size or something? i must really be bringing out the worst in them that they have to conjure up the ugliest misfortune they could imagine about my life and mask it as “hypotheticalâ€. thanks for not being fooled.”
From my corporate experience, substantive progress can be made on facts only, not fictions especially in the boardroom. The Americans and British donot have patience if I committed factual error (ignoring facts) since critical decisions are drawn from that point. From your law experience, facts of the case are important to arrive at fair and just decision. It is very common for people to resort to sensational stories, hypotheticals and fictions when running out of facts, instead of stopping. It is also true that people losing arguments resort to calling names. Those names best described themselves. It is like a mirror, it gives clarity to the true character of the person and what he/she believes.
d0d0ng on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 2:06 am
rego on, “But thats not pagyayabang. I can even see a lots and lots of humility when he related his humble beginnings.”
Rego, thanks for being objective. We hope for more people like you who can tell the difference.
Watchful eye on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 2:30 am
“doronilla is nothing but a prophet of doom” – Bencard
“It is also true that people losing arguments resort to calling names. Those names best described themselves. It is like a mirror, it gives clarity to the true character of the person and what he/she believes.” – Dodong
GUILTY AS CHARGED!
d0d0ng on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 2:38 am
cvj on, “Why do you assume that educating the masses is the problem. Hasn’t it occured to you that it’s the elite that needs to be reeducated?”
Only if they lose power. It is said history is written by the victors. To gain power especially those who demonize the Phil president should secure the base of power, be a lawmaker. From that point, possibilities of changes are many.
d0d0ng on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 3:01 am
Jao on, “rego, i feel the opposite. i feel he’s told us his financial past to brag some more how great he was that he was able to climb out of that rut.”
I did not volunteer personal information. If you read again, it was a response to your “I’d love for you to be born dirt poor”. I know you are catholic. If you calm down sometime, please ponder on your statement.
Manila Bay Watch on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 3:10 am
“To gain power especially those who demonize the Phil president should secure the base of power, be a lawmaker. ” – Dodong
Funny, those words were similar to the words that Erap like to quote everytime he was challenged: “Mag-presidente muna kayo!”
d0d0ng on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 3:20 am
Tsinoy on, “For me, reform is a two way street. We can;t keep on blaming the politicians for our country’s woes. We also have to look at ourselves in the mirror. Not because we don’t whine about the politicos’ actions, but more because we don’t do anything to prevent it in the first place.”
Knowing that education is a long process and depends largely who is at the driver seat, getting elected as lawmaker is the most viable option. We would love MLQ3 and others here to replace the politicos and change Philippine history for the better.
d0d0ng on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 3:25 am
ManilaBayWatch on, “Funny, those words were similar to the words that Erap like to quote everytime he was challenged: “Mag-presidente muna kayo!â€.
The task is challenging but if you want to change the political landscape, you change the rules. To change the rules, you have to be in position to change the rules – and that is to be lawmaker.
Bencard on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 5:20 am
watchful eyes, what’s “name-calling” about prophet of doom?
the prophet daniel was one, prophesying about the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. yeah, perhaps “prophet” is too much to describe doronilla. he doesn’t deserve the honor. i think “doomsayer” is more apt.
Manila Bay Watch on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 5:51 am
Dodong,
Your view is very simplistic — in as much as we are into oversimplifications, think about this: no need to be a legislator to be able to change the rules in order to change the political landscape.
Kingmakers (but never king) have often more powers than legislators; they are capable of changing the political landscape without being legislators. Also, in many countries under authoritarian rule don’t have to be legislators to change their respective nations’ political landscape.
As ever, dangerous to oversimplify things.
Watchful eye on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 6:38 am
Read your lips Benjie You said: “Doronilla is nothing but a prophet of doom . . .â€
I don’t agree with many of Doronila’s commentaries although he is often very incisive in his political analysis. But in case you don’t know, Doronila is one of the Philippines’ most highly respected journalists and political pundit. He is a colleague of Manolo at Philippine Daily Inquirer where aside from being a columnist he’s also an editorial consultant. He was editor-in-chief of the Manila Chronicle and former editor of Public Policy, the quarterly journal of the University of the Philippines. Doronila has a Master’s degree in politics.
If calling a pillar in Philippine journalism like Doronila “nothing but a prophet of doom†. . . .which also means he is not a serious writer and journalist at all but NOTHING BUT a scaremonger . . . is not name-calling, check again what name-calling means.
To save you the surf, name-calling means “the use of abusive names to belittle or humiliate another person in a political campaign, an argument, etc.â€
Verdict remains. Still guilty.
d0d0ng on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 6:51 am
Maybe it is simplistic but it is never easy.
I’ll try to follow re: no need of legislator to change the rules. Reason: In impeachment, it takes 70 like-minded legislators (1/3 vote) to move it to senate for trial which is difficult at present. There is majority vote as well as 2/3 or 3/4 vote requirements. That is the hallmark of popular democracy like ours.
I’ll take that Kingmaker is worth a solution (though a frustrated one) to break the current House control. To mention Erap as Kingmaker was effectively neutralized by Gloria’s pardon. The CBCP as Kingmaker (like what Cardinal Sin did) was pre-emptive by Gloria’s direct approach and travel to Rome, with icing on the cake – her relative is on the way to sainthood. The military as Kingmaker was given the large piece of the budget plus equipment upgrades, pay increases and pension funding that was the cause of instability before.
If I understood it correctly, the kingmaker has a gambit – you have to give up something in exchange. I am afraid, there is little left to the next kingmaker. In essence, the kingmaker solution is a gamble that serves no one except special interest.
Bencard on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 10:53 am
watchful, am i supposed to be impressed by doronilla’s resume and so i have to change my opinion about him because of it? i am a filipino but i have news for you. i don’t have that kind of cultural baggage. he could be the genius einstein himself but if i think he is a doom sayer, he is that to me just the same. anyway, what i said was that he is nothing but a prophet of doom WITH RESPECT TO PGMA. again, you have omitted the last part and i think i know why.
btw, i was more convinced where doronilla was coming from when i learned (thanks to mbw) that he had an axe to grind with her concerning an unfulfilled expectation of patronage. but then again, what else is new in the philippines?
also, who cares about your verdict?
Watchful eye on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 11:42 am
WITH RESPECT GMA? It makes your case worse. Read the back issues of PDI. You will learn why. You’re getting lazy Bencard.
DENIED. Motion DENIED.
Bencard on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 12:13 pm
obviously you don’t understand the phrase “with respect to”, judge sore eyes. you are too funny if you were not out of this world. why don’t you just keep watching? every time you write your thoughts, you reveal something. and it’s not flattering to you at all, poor thing.
Watchful eye on Thu, 15th Nov 2007 1:01 pm
There you go again. I t was a typo. I only type with two fingers. But such a losing comment reveals something that reflects about your rule of law. Shaman said it’s all form, no substance.