People's Initiative and the Constitution

(5 more to 400, and counting...)

Last night, on our way to Megamall, H and I had an interesting discussion regarding the Charter change issue. Because of it, I've decided to get a copy of the Constitution, and educate myself about it so that I fully understand what all the fuss is all about. That way, I can say that I know and understand what the Constitution says, and am aware of my rights under it.

While H promised to provide me with a copy of the Constitution, I decided to do my own searching.

Going online, at a glance, I found a copy of the 1987 Constitution. Looking at Article XVII, Sections 1 and 2, which is the part of the Constitution regarding the Constitutional amendments and people's initiative, I find that it says as follows:

Section 1. Any amendment to, or revision of, this Constitution may be proposed by:

1. The Congress, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its Members; or
2. A constitutional convention.

Section 2. Amendments to this Constitution may likewise be directly proposed by the people through initiative upon a petition of at least twelve per centum of the total number of registered voters, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least three per centum of the registered votes therein. No amendment under this section shall be authorized within five years following the ratification of this Constitution nor oftener than once every five years thereafter.

The Congress shall provide for the implementation of the exercise of this right.

The boldface is mine. I think it's pretty clear that there has to be a law crafted by Congress in order to set the guidelines for implementing a people's initiative. Unfortunately, since our esteemed (Hoch! Ptui!) Congressmen are more interested in issues such as increasing their pork barrel and engaging in endless probes, they never bothered to craft such a law. Without any enabling law, how can we push forward with a people's initiative.

It's also clear that the people's initiative covers only amendments to the Constitution, not a revision.

So what happens to the 4.5 million signatures supposedly collected by the Sigaw ng Bayan group?

The answer is the same as before, when back in 1997, the Supreme Court ruled on the signature campaign to revise the Constitution.

Nothing.

The law the Cha-Cha people wanted to use, Republic Act 6735, was ruled as "inadequate" as an instrument to amend the Constitution, according to the Supreme Court. In their decision, the Court states,

"Curiously, too, while R.A. No. 6735 exerted utmost diligence and care in providing for the details in the implementation of initiative and referendum on national and local legislation thereby giving them special attention, it failed, rather intentionally, to do so on the system of initiative on amendments to the Constitution."

And thus, the Court ruled against the attempted people's intiative in 1997.

Can the Supreme Court reverse the ruling? That's possible, because the SC decision wasn't unanimous; in fact, current Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban was one of those who dissented. However, I'm under the impression that: one, there has to be a new argument against the ruling, which is different from the one used back in 1997; otherwise, what reason would the Court have in reversing its decision? Two, the Court will have to make a unanimous decsion in order to reverse the decision. This is the key, I think, considering that majority of the Court is now composed of GMA appointees, and, since GMA has personally given her support to the people's intiative, what will her appointees do? Will they act independently, or will they toe the party line, and decide according to their patron's wishes?

The country waits and watches.

Personally, I still think now is the wrong time to decide to amend the Constitution. Our politicians are selfish, arrogant and greedy. And we're leaving them, as the Constituent Assembly, in charge of revising the Constitution?

I think not.

Political Idiot, Redux

How can you call for a people's initiative to amend the Constitution if you don't even know what is going to be amended?

The Constitution states that a people's initiative can be made to amend the Constitution. Revising the Constitution is another story entirely.

How can a people's initiative be started if there is no clear-cut law governing the political exercise?

How can a Commission on Elections (Comelec) whose credibility is in question validate the initiative?

A Charter Change (Cha-Cha) group has said that they already have about four million signatures. How are these signatures going to be validated? Do the people know what is the significance of affixing their signatures to this initiative?

These are some of the thoughts that have been brewing in my mind as this new scheme to ram Cha-Cha down our throats.

I am not in favor of this mode of changing the Constitution, because there are just too many problems with the people's initiative. Already, charges of signature-buying, and bribing local officials in order to meet the magic number (I'm not sure what the figure is. I'm told that it's 12% of the voting population, with 3% per barangay or district represented) have surfaced.

Also, the people behind the Cha-Cha are suspect, and may have ulterior motives in wanting to change our form of government. It's my perception that there are no statesmen present among our current batch of politicians, and, based on their love of the pork barrel, for example, have shown that, if they are in charge of changing the Constitution, their innate selfishness will probably emerge.

Or, their innate stupidity will emerge.

Take Representative Douglas Cagas of Davao del Sur, he of the pork barrel infamy, for example.

The esteemed (Hoch! Ptui!) Representative was interviewed last night by newscaster Pinky Webb on ANC. He bragged that 25% of his constituents were solidly behind "amending" the Constitution, a figure that was questioned by Agusan del Sur Representative Plaza, considering that the rest of the country seemed to be having problems understanding the whole exercise.

He also claimed that shifting from a presidential to a parliamentary form of government, and from a bicameral legislature to a unicameral one, only requires an amendment, not a revision, and thus, the people's initiative to change the Constitution can be done.

Changing the entire political system is just an amendment? "Oh, and, by the way, we're a parliamentary government now, not a presidential one. It's that easy." really?

He goes on to criticize the Senate for blocking the Cha-Cha, for not passing a lot of bills. While I'll concede that point, it was noted by Senator Bong Revilla that most of the bills approved in the House were bills of changing the names of streets. I'm not sure if these are helpful acts; I still refer to Puyat Ave. as Buendia, for one.

After a while, Cagas no longer made any sense, and even newscaster Webb eventually had difficulty trying to understand what he was saying. Myself, I wish I was able to videotape the interview; that way, I can dissect it more thoroughly. But, in the end, why bother? Much of what Cagas said was idiocy, anyway.

And it is in the hands of people like esteemed (Hoch! Ptui!) Rep. Cagas to whom we leave the revision of the Constitution? I think not.

High School Graduation 2006

(Side comment: Wow, I'm just 7 posts away from my 400th post. Not that I'm going to write crap just to make it to 400, though. I'll try to continue writing the way I have, and try to think of something special to write about for 400.)

The high school's graduation was yesterday, and I, for one, am glad it's over. I volunteered for marshalling duty, as I've always done for the past few years. The reasons for this are: one, I like moving around, and, if I was with the rest of the faculty, I'd be sitting for almost three hours; and two, I don't like wearing the toga, considering that I didn't wear it for my graduation, and it's really freaking hot in that get-up.

This year, however, being in toga and sitting for three hours doesn't sound so bad. My feet were aching big time after the ceremony, and I was limping a tad afterwards.

Still, the ceremony had it's moments. I liked the valedictorian's address, as he wove his name (Emmanuel "E.Z." Plan IV) into it, talking about how somehow, life has both an easy ("E.Z.") and a hard plan for all of us.

I also liked the guest speaker's speech. His name was Armand Favis, the father of one of the graduating students. He spoke of the time when he was a student, and of the travails he encountered. I think he set some mouths murmuring when he mentioned that he was in college during his sixth year, and that he finished in his tenth year. The batch probably went pale at the possibility that their stay in college would be as long, although there were extenuating circumstances in Mr. Favis' case.

The main point of his speech was to be able to listen, not only to our parents, but to our God, to be able to discern what He wants for us, and what help He has. It was a valid point for the graduating students, and for the rest of us listening as well; of course, full of the exuberance of youth, or, sometimes, full of our own self-importance, we work under the conceited belief that we know everything, and, thus, other people's opinons don't matter. We know what's best for us. Right.

After the ceremony, when I had ditched my barong and sablay (sash; in this case, my U.P. graduation sash), I joined the rest of the faculty for the traditional faculty dinner. The food was delicious: roast beef with gravy, buttered vegetables, beef tongue with a creamy sauce, fish fillets with garlic, and, the piece de resistance was a 4-foot chocolate fondue fountain. This was interesting; I'd seen it on TV, but it was more impressive in real life.

Today was a free day for the faculty, so I spent it here at my parents' house, writing this up, among other things. Tomorrow, until Thursday, it'll be back to work, and then, (danda-raraan!) summer vacation beckons. Whoohoo!

"Guru of Destabilization?" I Think Not

I remember reading in the Daily Tribune last year how Tribune publisher (top paid hack) Ninez Cacho-Olivarez branding Constitutional Law expert Fr. Joaquin Bernas, S.J., as a demagogue, which is one who appeals to the emotions of the people to obtain power. Oftentimes, according to Wikipedia, it means lying, and the use of logical fallacies. I can't remember why Cacho-Olivarez branded Fr. Bernas as such, but I'm pretty sure it was for saying something either in support of the government, or against the opposition.

Now, here comes Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales, whose knowledge of the law is all-encompassing (note dripping sarcasm), calling Fr. Bernas a "guru of destabilization", for voicing critical opinions against the government. (Note: there's no link in inq7.net.) Gonzales goes on to criticize Fr. Bernas by saying, "Fr. Bernas seems to think that he's the only one who knows the law...the Constitution."

Um, Secretary Gonzales, there's where you're wrong. I think a good number of Filipinos respect Fr. Bernas' opinion on Constitutional matters because he's one, unbiased, and two, objective. He's one of the few columnists I know who makes sense when his column comes out in the newspaper. He presents his cases logically, and based on fact. Therefore, he has the authority to speak out on matters regarding the Constitution, which is only fair, since he himself was part of its crafting.

It's just funny that both sides of the coin have disagreed with Fr. Bernas for speaking his mind.

Quick Short Post

Only a week to go before the school year is finally over.

It'll be a hectic weekend, what with two doctor's appointments (G's pediatric checkup, and H's OB/Gyne checkup) on Saturday, and the high school graduation on Sunday. Ah well, it's just a few days more, and I'll be able to rest, at least until the baby is due.

Next week, we'll be wrapping up the school year. For the English department, we will continue to discuss, and sometimes debate on how to prepare the syllabi for next school year. It'll be tedious, but if it'll help us when we get back from summer vacation, it'll be worth it.

Clipper Power

I love L.A. It has everything.
If you don't like the beaches, there are the mountains.
If you don't like Disneyworld, there's Knott's Berry Farm.
If you don't like basketball, there are the Clippers...
- Arsenio Hall monologue in Comic Relief

For a long, long time now, futility in the National Basketball Association (NBA) has always been a term synonymous with the Los Angeles Clippers. From its beginning as the Buffalo Braves (1971-78), to a stint as the San Diego Clippers (1979-94), to their current home in Los Angeles (1985-present), an era spanning 35 years, the Clips have only been in the playoffs a whopping total of six times: 3 in Buffalo (1974-76), 3 in Los Angeles (1992-93, 1997). The team has had a winning record in only five of those 35 years (1974-76, 1979, 1992). In head-to-head play, the Clippers have a losing record against almost every NBA team, except the recent expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats, against whom they sport a perfect record (2-0).

Despite all that, I've been a fan of the Clippers ever since I got interested in the NBA back in the early 1990s. Maybe it's because I like the underdog, although one has to be rather masochistic to like losing this much. Maybe it's because I dislike the other Los Angeles team, the Lakers, who are almost the exact opposite of the Clippers. Maybe it's because I'm slightly crazy, which is probably the valid reason. Whatever it is, my favorite Western team has always been the Clippers (the East team being the Detroit Pistons. Hey, I've got to have one team that I can think of as winners.).

I'm not sure why the Clippers have done so badly. They've had some good draft picks, such as Tom Chambers, Terry Cummings, Manute Bol, Byron Scott, Michael Cage, and Antonio McDyess, although admittedly these players are better known for excelling once they left the Clippers.

In recent years, they had a good core of young players such as Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, and Quentin Richardson, which could've provided strong opposition to other teams. But the cohesion just wasn't there, and the Clippers continued to flounder, further cementing their reputation as a basketball wasteland.

And, then, this season, everything just seemed to fall into place.

The Clippers acquired veteran guards Sam Cassell from Minnesota and Cuttino Mobley from Sacramento to complement forwards Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, and center Chris Kaman. With Cassell directing the offense, Kaman controlling the boards, and Brand having a n MVP-type season, the Clippers now sport a 39-27 record, and are in second place in their division, and are in the fifth slot for the playoffs.

The key seems to be a tougher defense, as the Clippers are in the upper half of the league in limiting their opponents to 95.6 points a game. The Clips lead the league in controlling the boards, averaging 43.1 rebounds a game. They also lead in blocking shots (6.4 per game).

Complementing the defense is a cohesive and potent offense. The Clippers are in the top ten teams in field goal percentage (46.4%) and free throw percentage (79%). The Clippers also move the ball around quite a bit, opening up opportunities for scoring, as evidenced by their assist rate (21.1). While their average score is in the middle of the pack (97.4 points per game), since they also limit their opponents to 95.6 points a game, this gives the Clippers a positive
difference between the two stats, meaning their offense is enough to keep them in the game.

The Clippers will definitely make the playoffs, but whether they can make it past the first round will be iffy, considering that they will face either the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, or the always dangerous Dallas Mavericks. I'm certain, though, that the Clippers will make things interesting, and not go quietly into the dark night.

Hopefully, the Clippers management will be able to keep the core together, so that this winning season will not be one of the few in Clippers' history, but the start of many.

Ranting of Political Idiot

One has to wonder whether our esteemed (hah!) congressmen really know the actual reasons they're in Congress. It seems that, for some, their pork barrel funding is their main priority.

Yesterday, it was reported in the Philippine Daily Inquirer website that Davao del Sur Representative Douglas Cagas lamented how 'irrelevant' the congressmen have become, as they have become 'puppets to local government units over the disbursement of the budget for almost all government agencies.'

He continues by saying, "We are asked to deliberate, and spend hours staying here so that we can approve money that members of Congress has nothing to do [with]..." and continues by wailing that there is no provision for congressmen to identify projects.

He punctuates his rant by asking, ""Where are we Mr. Speaker? Why are we congressmen for nothing?"

I think the esteemed (hah!) congressman has no idea as to why he's in Congress.

It must be noted that Congress is the legislative arm of government, and that their main goal is to craft or update or revise laws that will improve the governance of the country. Identifying projects is the task of the various government departments, coordinating closely with the local government units.

Those in Congress want in on the projects because one, it's one of the ways they get recognized, and thus strengthen their chances for reelection, and two, it's one of the ways that they can line their pockets, by skimming off as much as they can from the pork barrel into their own projects.

Cagas' rant is indicative of this. It must be noted that Rep. Cagas is the congressman who applauded the reinstatement of the congressmen's pork barrel funds in the budget two years ago, going as far as to declare the Budget Committee chairperson at the time as 'heroic'. This recent rant of his shows that his love of money is greater than his sense of statesmanship. And he is not the only congressman to think that way.

It's funny that Congress cannot allocate money to improve our educational system, or find ways and means to updgrade our military, or find funds to increase the pay of government employees, but they can allocate money to their beloved pork barrel funds.

What's not funny is that the money they're allocating to their beloved pork barrel funds is our money, the one that we taxpayers, especially those of us under the withholding tax system, deduct from our monthly salaries. Our money is going into the pockets of these esteemed (hah!) congressmen.

What we need to do is to pay closer attention to our esteemed congressmen's actions while in Congress, and educate the voting public about this, so that, come election time, we can make a wiser vote, and vote for those whose goal is to serve the public, and not enrich themselves.

UPDATE (March 23, 2006) - Apparently our congressmen and senators cannot do anything to help our country, but it's very easy for them to help themselves. Apparently, it was reported today that the 2006 budget will be increased by P7 billion, to accomodate the increase in the politicians' pork barrel funds. Each congressman will be allocated P70 million, from P40 million, and the senators will be allocated P200 million, from P120 million.

Wow.

And, despite all this largesse, our countrymen remain poor, and become poorer, while our congressmen lap it up in luxury.

Maybe, instead of trying to oust GMA, we should be working to oust the current batch of idiots in Congress.

Consumer Warning: Kids at Play, SM Megamall

I was browsing through my Yahoo! Groups, and one of my friends, Cz, had an experience I'd like to share here:

"Just want to share with you with what happened to me this morning and hopefully learn from this experience. I am a young mother with a 2 1/2 year old daughter. Like most mothers, I am constantly in the lookout for places which offer activities where my daughter can learn and enjoy as much as she can. Once when I was in SM Megamall I chanced upon this play center called Kids at Play dun sa may 5th floor. For a mom like me who has scoured a number of pre-schools and play areas, the place somehow held a quaint charm to it. Even if it was a very small area for a play school and I never got to observe any of their lessons or modules, I immediately enrolled my daughter for a 4-session saturdays only course, quite unusual for a picky and maselan mom like me (syempre all first time mothers feel that they only want what's best for their kid). Di ba usually pag school ang pinagpipilian ang dami mo pang ready made questions for them to answer? For me I didn't go through that anymore, kasi I only wanted something light for my kid, yung tipong play-play and for socializing lang with other kids. If I wanted my kid to learn the cognitive basics, I wouldn't enroll her in a school na nasa mall (without going through a lengthy debate on it, I'm sure my fellow teachers would definitely get the reasons for this). Basta instinctively, inenroll ko na lang kaagad. My expectations from it were not the same as I would have for a school that's not located in a mall). I told my husband, basta gut feel ko maganda , kasi yun lang yung play area na nakita ko na may mini stage. That was my mistake. When it comes to choosing a school, in this case kahit play school lang na nasa mall, better talaga na you stick to your ready made questions and if the school administrator, or in this case, the manager of Kids at Play (I don't remember her name, basta yung parang boyish na matanda na maikli yung hair) cannot answer them well sa umpisa pa lang, be wary na. My problem with them occurred when after our 3rd session, I didn't bring my daughter anymore because she started waking up late in the mornings, around 9 sometimes even 9:30. Mga 3 Saturdays din kaming hindi pumasok. Ako naman, I didn't call to inform them, kasi, dahil wala pa silang clear cut rules or policies (what they only have is a poster on their wall with the usual rules na wear socks inside the play area, no eating in the play area, those things). On the third Saturday that my daughter was absent, Teacher Dang called me in my house asking about Bea but never was I informed na forfeited na yung last session ni Bea. And then this Saturday morning buti na lang tumawag muna ako because I was ready to let Bea attend her last session, naka-bihis na kaming lahat and all, yun pala hindi na sya pwedeng pumasok. I complained to the administrator (yung ulit matandang babae na medyo parang lalaki) about it kasi wala namang complete orientation sa rules and policies nila (come to think of it, wala silang sinabi about any rule and policy, parang on your own ka na lang bahalang mag-tanong sa kanila) . Sabi nya that's how it is with other pre-schools naman. Kapag nag-absent daw hindi na continuous yung learning nya. Hello, Sabi ko, ganun ba yon?!! Eh di syempre lumabas na ang pagiging teacher ko at sabi ko yung mga modules nila independent from each other na kahit mag-absent, hindi nya mami-miss out yung flow kasi more on play-acting, arts, song and dance ang class. If they were cognitive focus activities, I would understand but I enrolled my daughter sa isang play play course lang!!! Kasi ang nature ng mga ganitong play-schools, tumatanggap sila ng bata at any given time hindi naman nila sasabihing, wait till this batch ends and enroll in the next. Pagsabihan ba naman ako na ang focus daw nila is not to earn money but on the development of the child!!! And if you think about it, hindi na lang nila naisip na, hey we can let the child join this class kahit na it's our (nowhere anywhere written, never-ever mentioned) policy to forfeit session after 3 absences. On the other hand, if we treat them right, we can ask the parents to re-enroll for another course kasi matatapos na yung una nilang enrollment. TALK ABOUT LACK OF SERVICE!! Buti pa sa Socialite's Driving School where I enrolled myself for a 5-day refresher course at hindi ko na napasukan yung 5th, ok lang sa management na come take my last session when I can in spite of the time gap/absences. Eh yun pa, ako lang ang studyante na pagbubuhusan ng oras at effort ng teacher. Sa Kids at Play, ano ba naman ang payagang pumasok ang anak ko sa 10-11:30 with a group of kids na iba na ang batch, MALULUGI BA SILA kung nag-join ang anak ko sa class na yun?!!!! E di nawalan pa sila ng isang customer. For all parents out there who are looking for playschools, pre-schools or are planning to enroll their kids this summer for whatever classes, don't make the same mistake as I do. Be an intelligent parent (para ko na ring inadmit na I wasn't intelligent with my decision to enroll my daughter at Kids at Play SM Megamall) and ask the same legitimate questions you would normally ask a real pre-school or a big school. Kung hindi nila masagot ng maayos or sasabihin lang verbally at wala kang makikita in black and white na rules, think twice about it."

What's worse is that when my friend called Kids at Play, that manager/administrator/idiot abruptly hung up on her.

She's asked us, her friends, to spread the news through word of mouth, so I thought I'd spread it through word of blog.

If you have young kids/toddlers, don't enroll them at Kids at Play.

Weekend Report

I was supposed to write something about Friday's academic deliberations, but, since the discussions are confidential, I'll limit myself to saying that I think we teachers made the right decisions regarding the students. Hopefully, they'll appreciate our efforts, even those who will be failing the year.

Last weekend was rather hectic. Saturday we went over to Megamall to do some shopping. We dropped G off at her favorite playroom, and went off doing our respective chores. I was able to squeeze in getting the Code Name: Kids Next Door action figure set from Toy Kingdom; I figured I deserved it because I worked to finish my grades early. We had lunch at Luk Yuen, and I tried out the halo-halo congee, which was delicious. If only their version of halo-halo was as good; it didn't even look the way it did in their menu. Chow King's halo-halo is far superior.

Yesterday, H had an accident involving her right pointer finger, as it got stabbed by the sewing machine needle. Fortunately, no shard of the needle got stuck in her finger, but we had to go to NKI for her to get an anti-tetanus shot. While she was waiting in the emergency room, I hied over to the nearby Lung Center market, where I picked up some of the ingredients for dinner.

Dinner was fun, because I finally got to cook stuffed bell peppers, after finding the right-sized peppers at the market. While they were costly (P105 for four peppers), they were nicely peppery sweet and flavorful after I baked them in the oven for an hour. I even took a picture of it, which I will post once I download the picture from the digital camera.

For dessert, H treated me, G, and her sister to coffee and cake at Coffee Beanery.

This week will be end-of-the-year matters in the high school, and, while I'm not looking forward to the numerous meetings, it'll be worth keeping in mind that summer vacation is only a week or two away, and I do plan to get some well-deserved rest.

At least until the baby is born, sometime at the end of April or the start of May.

One-Sided

On one side, I agree with Alex Magno's column today. He says, "Those who oppose government think that, by virtue of their political stripe, they should be immune from arrest. They may jaywalk, cause massive traffic jams by marching in the streets without a permit, conspire with those who seek the armed overthrow of elected government and yet, precisely because they are anti-government they should not be arrested because that would constitute undemocratic 'persecution'."

How true. One watches the so-called "Batasan 5" on TV and wonders why they don't let themselves be arrested, if only to give them more of a martyred image? One watches them hiding out in the Batasan, and thinks that they're all hot air.

But on the other hand, I do not see how he can tolerate events such as the raid on the Daily Tribune and the admitted Department of Justice(DoJ)'s monitoring of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ). And yet, he says in his column, "At the Senate, quality senatorial time is again being squandered discussing the "suppression" of a paper that was never really closed down and the matter of a search warrant on the offices of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism that, it turns out, was never issued in the first place."

How true. However, while nothing substantial was done, and no actual arrests made or controls imposed, the message of intimidation was clear.

Does this mean for Mr. Magno that it's all right for the government to intimidate the media, all in the name of protecting the state?

The problem with columnists like Magno is that he only seems to see one side of the situation, and dogmatically defends that side, believing it to be the only right one. One forgets that in our political situation today, neither side is saintly pure, both are corrupt, and to defend either side is to accept that corruption.

Stuff

I just read the book version of V for Vendetta last night, and, now that I have a clearer memory of what happened in the comic book, I can now say that there are more than just a few things that differ between the movie and the book, although I don't think the changes affected the overall impact of the movie. Watch and read, and make your decision. :D

* * *

Who needs reality TV when we have the Congress, specifically the Senate?

It was reported two days ago that Senator Jamby Madrigal broke down into tears after verbally sparring with Senator Juan Ponce Enrile. In a privelege speech, Sen. Madrigal compared GMA's Proclamation 1017 to Marcos' infamous martial law decree Proclamation 1081. In the speech, she twitted Sen. Enrile about the faked ambush on his person that was part of the rationalization for the imposition of martial law. Sen. Enrile then responded by saying that Madrigal's family partied with the Marcoses during martial law, an accusation Sen. Madrigal hotly denied before breaking down.

What's funny is that Sen. Enrile's charge appears to be true, as Representative Imee Marcos, the daughter of the late dictator, came out and said that the Madrigals were close to the Marcoses, the senator's mother even being one of Imelda Marcos's "Blue Ladies".

Now, it appears that Sen. Madrigal is going to regret her spat with Sen. Enrile, as Enrile has accused her of cheating during the 2004 polls, citing the Garci tapes as proof. Again, Madrigal has denied this, but her veneer of purity has been stripped away.

The opposition continues to eat away at each other, and continue to prove that they are not the fitting alternative to the current administration. Is it any wonder that no number of rallies will manage to topple GMA?

In the meantime, the rest of us are forced to view the reality show that is Philippine politics.

"V for Vendetta"

Remember, remember the fifth of November...

I headed off to Glorietta 4 to watch the premiere I'd won tickets to, "V for Vendetta".

I wasn't disappointed by it. It was a powerful, sometimes chilling reminder of the dangers of authoritarian or totalitarian government. It's almost ironic that the movie is released with our current political mood. If the President saw it, she may even think that it was a pointed message for her.


(SPOILERS FOLLOW)


The story, which was originally created by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd, focuses on a fascistic future for Britain. One man, High Chancellor Sutler, played by John Hurt, is in control, and, Big Brother-like, his eyes and ears are everywhere.

V, ably portrayed by Hugo Weaving, is the main character, who rebels against the fascistic British society. A result, and only survivor, of experimentation, V sets out to bring down the society, to rebuild it into an order which he has envisioned.

Evey Hammond, played by Natalie Portman, is the woman rescued and tutored by V. In time, she comes to believe in his vision, and manages to exert her own influence on him.

The characters are as powerful as they were in the 80s comic book, evoking strong feelings of sympathy, and, in some cases, antipathy. In Weaving's case, he has to give V a sense of character without showing any facial expression, as he is masked from start to finish. Stephen Rea, playing Inspector Finch, evokes the determination and doggedness that Finch showed in the comic.

If there is one big difference between the book and the movie, it's the ending, which is more definite in the movie. In the book, Evey takes up the fight after V's fall, but in the movie, it is clear that England will be changing, hopefully for the better. I think I like the book ending better, although the movie ending leaves an indelible image in the mind.

If there was one thing I was disappointed by the movie, it's that it didn't give any credit to the co-creator, Alan Moore. But, then, I learned that Moore didn't want to be associated with works he's created but doesn't own, and has asked that he not be mentioned in the credits.

All in all, "V for Vendetta" is an admirable addtion to the lineup of comics turned into movies, and is worth the watch.

Tickets!

What a nice way to start off the week, by winning invites to the premiere of a movie I've wanted to watch.

When I was on my way to work this morning, the DJ on 103.5 K-lite announced that he was giving away tickets to the premiere of "V for Vendetta", a movie based on Alan Moore's vision of a fascistic Britain. To win the tickets, he said, one had to name one of the top 5 worst movie sequels, according to Entertainment Weekly. So I texted in Supermans 3 and 4, and Batman and Robin. Lo and behold, whaddaya know? Apparently, Batman and Robin came in at number 5, and me and another guy both guessed it. So, I'll be picking up the tickets this morning, and enjoying the movie tonight.

Boo-yah!

(Oh, yeah, a lot of things happened over the weekend, but I'll write about them later.)

Foot in Mouth

One has to wonder if there's anyone advising our President to watch what she says in public.

Or, maybe, she's just too arrogant to listen to anybody.

A week before she issued the infamous Proclamation 1017, she declared before a crowd that she was the best person to lead the country.

Two days ago, she said that it was God's plan for her to be where she was.

If the Philippines ever had a stand-up comedy community like the U.S., it would have a field day on all the inanities that we read in the newspaper today.

There's a big difference between showing one is tough and one is merely arrogant. So far, all we've had from GMA is arrogance.

Maybe she should keep her mouth shut, if she cannot think of anything proper to say.

The End is Near

I'm thinking maybe I pushed my system too hard as the school year winds down to a close. As a result, I've been sick since Sunday, with fever and sore throat.

Still, I'm in the home stretch. All I have to do is finish my checking by tomorrow (and with the grace of God, I can), and I'll be done with this school year.

Thank goodness.

It'll be a busy weekend for me. This Friday, I'll be accompanying G on her field trip. Saturday is a host of chores, ranging from pediatric appointment to getting the car's airconditioning fixed to choir practice. On Sunday we'll be heading off to Alabang for my cousin's birthday, and, assuming I'm well by then, I'll be swimming with G, who absolutely adores the water. Since H can't swim in her condition, it'll be me who'll be with G in the water.

Next week will be the deliberations on students, on whether we'll allow them to pass or repeat or take summer classes. It'll be a nailbiting wait for the students, who will find out if they're moving on up (to the East Side, I've finally found a piece of the pie...oops, showing my age there), or not.

C'est la vie.

Oscar Win

Scanning through the Oscar winners, I'm very pleased to see that the animated feature, "Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit," directed byNick Park and Steve Box won the best animated feature award.

It's ironic that box office hits "Chicken Little" and "Madagascar" didn't make it into the category, although I'm also glad, because I didn't really like "Chicken Little", and while "Madagascar" was hilarious at times, I guess Oscar voters probably felt that the pop culture references were too overpowering.

Another reason why I like "Wallace and Gromit"'s win is that maybe it'll remind animated moviemakers that a good film has to rely on a solid story, and not on the effects it uses, particularly computer-generated image (CGI) effects. Not that I have anything against CGI, but it seems like studios are cranking them out without thinking to package them with good stories.

Here's to crackers and cheese!

Two Sides

It's the last day of classes before the exams next week, and I'm taking a quick breather before I go back to the humdrum of checking.

The irritating detail about the political mess our country is in is that neither side really evokes strong feelings of sympathy or support from the people.

On one side, the opposition seems to be trying every trick in the book to oust the President, but they're not offering any alternatives to her, whether by proposing a clear platform of ideas, or by presenting a possible leader personality to replace GMA.

Furthermore, the opposition is a hodge-podge of failed political personalities, who represent ideas or leaders who have lost their credibility. What's more is that the opposition is united by only one issue: to oust GMA by any means possible. The political spectrum that makes up the opposition is so diverse and polar, that, should it gain power, it will crumble from within, torn apart by factionalism.

On the other hand, the government has been very heavy-handed in dealing with its enemies. It has attempted to arrest leftist congressmen by raising arrest warrants that pre-date EDSA I; are these still enforceable?

While threatening to clamp down on the media, the government has only really "taken over" newspapers which are openly critical of it, such as the and Daily Tribune and Abante Tonite, although I don't really know how much of a takeover it was, as the Tribune continues to spew out its vitriol on a daily basis.

The personalities who are chosen to speak for the government, such as Presidential Chief of Staff Mike Defensor, and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, lack credibility, or, at least, the ability to project credibility. Thus, anything that comes out of their mouths is either suspect or blatantly stupid. How can one believe the government with these idiots speaking for it?

Then, of course, there is the President, who has been amazingly arrogant about the whole thing. She has basically stated that she's in power, and she can do anything she damn well wants. And, to the opposition, she says that there's nothing that they can do about it. Such hubris will only polarize the factions further, and leave no room for any middle ground to be reached.

Both sides, the government and the opposition, have shown that they're not the answer to the problems of the country. The big question remains, what now?

Frio Mixx, and Others

H, G and I went over to Shangri-la to meet with one of our friends, as well as H's sister.

Dinner was at Wham! Burger, which I think, is now my favorite burger place of choice. The beef patty is warm and juicy, and the veggies (lettuce, tomato, and onion) are crisp. The fries, one can tell, are made from real potatoes, with the skin still on some of them.

Beside Wham! is Frio Mixx, which is another of my sometime favorite quick treat restaurants. However, like the branch in Don Antonio, something is not quite right about their menu sign. Underneath the rice meal portion of the menu, I saw:

gralic rice ... (italics mine)

I wonder who makes Frio Mixx's signs, and I wonder if, going to another branch of Frio Mixx, I'll find another problem with its menu.

* * *

It's the last week of classes, and people in the high school are getting stressed. Me? I'm just taking everything one at a time, so I don't get too overwhelmed.