Leadership Vacuum

One of the problems besetting the Philippines is that it’s difficult to impossible to find a good leader on either side of the political fence.

On one side you have the present administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Try as she might, she cannot shake off the various charges against her leadership, ranging from her alleged cheating in the 2004 elections, which has already led to one impeachment attempt to the current all-out war against the New People’s Army, which has also been waged against those militants who are taking the legitimate route to change. This shadow war has claimed the lives of more than 200 activists and militants, and the government appears to give a tacit approval of this, by cooling its heels on solving these cases, and passing these casualties off as "collateral damage".

I cannot help but draw the similarities between GMA’s administration, and George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm. GMA is almost as arrogant as the pig Napoleon, moving against her political enemies with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop. And she is not adverse to using whatever means to add legitimacy to her regime, even milking her current visit to Pope Benedict XVI for everything it’s worth. Like Bishop Oscar Cruz, I agree that Pope Benedict’s statement of “Well done,” should only be limited to her abolition of the death penalty, and not be construed as a blanket approval of her governance of the Philippines, considering the current state of the nation. Even that abolition of the death penalty is tainted with expediency, as the timing of its abolition coincided with GMA's trip to Rome.

GMA’s arrogance makes new enemies with each passing day, with a growing number of people wanting to see her fall.

Unfortunately, the alternatives aren’t very appealing, either. As I said in a previous post, the political opposition is scattered with those whose moral fiber is questionable at best. There are Marcos loyalists, Erap loyalists, as well as leftists such as Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casino. But, the very reason why GMA got installed was a direct result of repudiating the Erap regime. I don’t think many of us really want to go back to that era of corruption.

Worse, the opposition is badly fractured, with little or no clear direction as to what to do. The flurry of impeachment complaints is indicative of this. What should've been done was to integrate all of the charges into one focused complaint. The current tactic of flooding the House with complaints only dilutes the charges, making it easier for the President's allies to kill the complaint.

Furthermore, it's unclear why the opposition chose to follow this path of impeachment, considering that it lacks the numbers in the House to push it through to the Senate. The opposition's time can be better spent repackaging themselves for the 2007 elections, so that they might be able to gain more numbers in the political arena.

This, however, doesn't mean that such a scenario will be good for the country, because the political opposition lacks the moral ascendancy to help the Philippines, being more concerned with their own petty desires.

The problem remains, that, as of now, we are bereft of competent and morally upright leaders, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. There are a lot of competent and morally upright Filipinos, but they see the political arena for the cesspool that it is, and stay very far away from it. 

And, as long as that’s the case, the political maturity of the Filipino will remain in infancy.

Impeachment Season

You know, if the opposition pursued working for the good of the country with the same amount of zeal that they're pursuing the impeachment process, one can only imagine how it might benefit the country.

It's not like the complaints will prosper, given the fact that the President controls the House of Representatives, and the fact that impeachment is a political process means that nothing will come out of it, because, for good or bad, the President's allies, engorged on pork and other concessions, will simply kill the complaint. Thus, the current flurry of complaints is, to quote from Macbeth, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

The other problem I see with the opposition's flooding the House with numerous complaints is that it serves no purpose, as the Constitution is very clear that only one complaint per year may be entertained by the House. All the President's allies will have to do is to pick the weakest complaint, and simply toss it aside, once more lowering the ban on the other complaints for another year.

I think the opposition would be better off marshalling its forces to do battle in next year's mid-term elections, try to break the majority's grip on the House, and go from there. The problem is that the opposition cannot seem to get its act together, and remain splintered and rudderless, without a strong leader to bring them together and hold them steady for the course. The opposition must rally behind a legitimate contender to GMA, if ousting her is their goal.

But, unfortunately, that is not the case. Worse, the opposition is populated by individuals who have already been discredited by association with previous regimes, or by corruption. With people like those populating the opposition landscape, it's unlikely that they will be able to rally the Filipino people behind them, and bring about real change in the country.

Hectic Weekend

Yes, it's been a while since the last post, but a hectic weekend just ended, and I'm still trying to catch my breath, and get a take on what happened.

The weekend started with the Mass of the Holy Spirit in the Ateneo High School last Friday. The first schoolwide Mass of the year, the Mass of the Holy Spirit is the missioning mass for the school year, wherein the faculty, staff, parents, and students of the High School all pledge to uphold the school's values. It was followed by a salu-salo in each classroom.

Due to the fact that I was a little tired, I only attended one of my class's celebrations and retired to the workroom afterwards. Anyway, classes normally bring their extra food to the workroom, providing those of us there with an ample feast of our own.

Saturday was my mom's birthday, and to celebrate it, they took a trip to Tagaytay, taking Gabby with them. Hazel and I had to stay because I was going to be a secondary sponsor at the wedding of two of my friends in the evening; we would follow to Tagaytay the next day.

The wedding was to be held at Fernwood, which is relatively well-known for its ambience and good food. It's too bad that it's not known for its punctuality.

The wedding coordinator requested that we be there at 5:30. When Hazel and I arrived, along with Caitlin (our nanny had the weekend off), it was around 5:15, and there was still a ceremony going on in the chapel. The 4:30 golden wedding anniversary scheduled before my friends' wedding hadn't even started yet. Joel and Arleen's wedding finally started a little past 7 pm.

The celebration was dignified, and a happy one. My own role went without fuss; Maoi and I placed, and subsequently removed, the cord without any difficulties.

The food at the reception was pretty good. I had mixed vegetables in oyster sauce, some pasta primavera and the ox tongue with mushrooms. For dessert, they had a chocolate fondue fountain, which I was fortunately able to make use of; later on during the reception, the fountain apparently had dried up.

We went home around 11pm, and we had to hurry to fix all of our things for the Tagaytay trip the next day.

We left Manila for Tagaytay around 7 am, and I was still a little groggy and sleep-deprived from the wedding the night before, but I managed to drive all the way without incident. We met up with my parents and sisters and Gabby for mass at the Don Bosco chapel on the hill near Evercrest Golf Club. After the mass, we went back to the rented condo, where I promptly fell asleep for about an hour, while my sisters tried to bring Gabby to the horseback riding at the Picnic Grove, only to find out that they couldn't because of the rain.

Lunch was at the fabled Sonya's Garden, and consisted of salad and pasta. While I found the salad to be very flavorful (it had feta cheese, dill weed, peppercorns in olive oil, and papaya strips as part of the garnishes), I'm not sure if I'd've paid as much for it if I were the one ordering. I guess it's a girl's thing; the gardens were very colorful, and provided a pleasing backdrop to the meal.

On the way home, we stopped at Treffpunkt so that my siblings Bud and Mia could pick up some sausages and cold cuts. I didn't realize that Treffpunkt had a branch so far away; the deli was a few minutes away from Tagaytay city proper. Since Bud and I weren't sure if the main branch along EDSA-Santolan was still open, we decided to take advantage of this surprising opportunity.

When we got to my parents' house, I dropped off again, since I was close to micro-sleeping several times on the way home from Tagaytay, not a good thing on the Expressway. After an hour, it was up and dress up for my mom's surprise dinner at Alba's Eastwood. We had to pick up my aunt on the way, so we left earlier than my family.

We were supposed to arrive a little earlier than my mom, so that I could record her surprise the moment she walked through the door. Unfortunately, we arrived at about the same time; so much for that idea.

As I've said before, I am a big fan of paella, so ending the weekend at Alba's was perfect.
Along with a sumptuous serving of paella valenciana, I also had their lengua and callos, which were rich with flavor.

The weekend ended, and I'm still a little tired. In fact, I didn't get to go to all of the activities that wound up getting scheduled this past weekend. I missed my mom's retirement ceremony last Friday since I was needed in the high school, and I wasn't able to referee at the Junior Nationals at the Mall of Asia over the weekend. Ah, well. C'est la vie. There'll be other times, anyway.

"Keys Me"

Maybe I shouldn't read blogs about a particular topic that I'm interested in writing about. Reading them makes me feel as if my own writing is a little cramped, that I'm subconsciously including what other bloggers have said, and incorporating it into my blog. Note to self: think about what I want to write before looking at what others wrote about the topic.

The topic in question is the super popular video clip featuring Viva Hot Babe Alyssa Alano butchering a Sixpence None the Wiser song, "Kiss Me." You know it's going to be problematic when she starts out by pronouncing the first words, and title, as "Keys Me." And it gets worse from there.

It helps that in the video, someone took time out to subtitle what she was singing, and that someone also took time out to transcribe them and post the lyrics on his blog. And here are some of the lyrics:

Keys me...
Beat in the verdict
Valeey... Nightlee
V-side the green green grass
Swing swing
Swing the spinny stef
You vur the shoez
And I will wear the dress

Here's the original of the above:

Kiss me out of the bearded barley
Nightly, beside the green, green grass
Swing, swing, swing the spinning step
You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress.

On the site hosting the clip, YouTube (and in case you're wondering, no, I'm not going to post the clip here), there are almost 600 comments, part of which is a bit of a flame war, with one side criticizing those laughing at Alano as being racist, saying that it's a habit of Filipinos making fun of Filipinos speaking in badly accented English, and the other side saying that the critics should have a sense of humor.

I'm with those having a sense of humor about the whole thing. We do laugh at people's foibles, and we're not the only ethnic group who laugh at the way we speak a language. Even Americans make fun of each other's way of speaking English; without this, stand-up comedy wouldn't be the same.

At the same time, I feel a little sorry for starlet Alano, gaining fame in this manner. And I wonder at the producers, who probably recorded the song earlier so Alano could lip-synch it during the show. Shouldn't they have advised her to sing it again, this time properly if possible? Or asked her to sing something else?

On the other hand, she is getting an ungodly amount of exposure that she can probably parlay into a lucrative career, if she's savvy. Look at Melanie Marquez.

Oh, well. Yet another instant celebrity courtesy of the Internet.

Red Scare

Back in the 1950s, a neophyte U.S. Senator named Joseph McCarthy brandished a sheet of paper at a press conference and announced the presence of Soviet spies in the U.S. State Department.

And thus was the Red Scare born. A wave of anti-Communist paranoia swept the free world. People's lives were destroyed, just because they were suspected of having communist leanings.

In the Philippines, the country being a U.S. ally, the Red Scare also took root, as the Philippines had an active Communist insurgency, beginning with the Hukbalahap, and continuing with the New People's Army (NPA). Up to now, the NPA continues with its so-called revolutionary government in the provinces, thriving due to the widespread corruption in the government, and the inability of the government to fight the root cause of the insurgency, poverty.

The Red Scare also continues to thrive, thanks in no part to our current government.

Recently, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) announced that she wants the Communists crushed in two years. Almost immediately after that, (In)Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales commented that "collateral damage", meaning injuries or deaths of civilians caught in the crossfire, was unavoidable.

It's not certain if Gonzales was referring to the spate of deaths among the legal leftist movement, particularly among the members of the Bayan Muna party. Since 2001, around 200 activists have been murdered by paramilitary forces, and it seems that the government is not too concerned in pursuing the perpetrators of this crime, sometimes claiming that these people were killed during encounters with the NPA.

In his column today, Amando Doronilla comments that the government's strategy appears to target the legal leftist movement, the members of whom are not combatants, but are suspected of having close ties to the CPP-NPA. Eliminating the members of the legal Left, Doronilla argues, would be less dangerous than engaging the armed cadres of the NPA. What will result, Doronilla continues, will be a butchery of noncombatants and civilians, the "collateral damage" that Gonzales mentioned.

However, unfortunately for the government, not everybody believes that the Communists are the main threat to the security of the country, but rather the heavy-handed way by which the government deals with opposition to its rule. By going after the legal Left, the government may actually push these people back to the hills to continue an armed struggle against the government.

By resurrecting the Communist bogey, GMA probably hopes to draw fire away from herself, and the CPP-NPA provide the perfect scapegoat. However, the more discerning members of Philippine society see nothing more than a President who is desperate to hold on to power, whatever the cost.

Cascades

I wasn’t anticipating any surprises last Friday. To think I was planning on getting some rest that night. Instead, I found myself going to the Araneta Coliseum with Hazel to watch the Cascades live, with free tickets courtesy of my parents.

To those unfamiliar with the group, the Cascades started out as a 60s band, whose greatest hits include “Rhythm of the Rain” and “The Last Leaf”. The current members are composed of: John Gummoe, who's the only original member left, Chuck Crews, the guitarist, Gabe Leposo, the keyboardist, and Tony Perroso. Actually, I was only familiar with those two hits; I have a copy of the special 60s edition of the Jingle songbooks, and there are three pages devoted to the band and, until the concert, I didn’t have any idea how the other songs should be played and sung.

I had an open mind towards the concert; even though I wasn’t very familiar with the Cascades, I do like music of various genres, and I thought I might like listening to this 60s band.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Even though the tickets said the concert was to begin at 8 pm, the posters inside the coliseum said otherwise; the concert would begin at 9. Hazel and I found our seats, which happily were patron seats, and, although the seats were at the left wing, it was still pretty close to the stage. Anyway, there were three video screens for the benefit of those in the upper boxes; these would also be used to flash the lyrics in case the audience wanted to sing along.

The concert was fronted by Sitti, a bossanova band. The lead singer was okay, especially when she was singing rhythmically; however, her voice had a brassy, nasal quality, and it made her singing Filipino songs sound as if Fran Drescher from “The Nanny” was the one singing. Her accompanying musicians, especially the bass cello and the guitarist, were very, very good, and they treated us to their musical skill, fingers flying up and down the fret board.

Sitti ended their act after about forty minutes, and, by then, people were chanting for the Cascades to come out. And come out they did, starting off with “I Wanna Be Your Lover.”

If one peruses the lyrics of the songs the Cascades sung in the 60s, the common theme is that of heartbreak. The music is generally simple, as are the lyrics, but they’re catchy, and easy sing to.

They even had some new songs; I particularly liked “All the Way to Yesterday”.

The band also kept the audience entertained not only with their songs, which harkened to an earlier, and maybe happier, era, but also with their snappy patter. They cracked jokes about each other, and there was a lot of good-natured needling.

They didn’t only sing their own songs, but others as well. Gabe Leposo, their tenor, wowed the crowd with his renditions of “Delilah” and “It’s Not Unusual”; he had a clear voice, with a very wide range of tones, and it was amazing how he was able to keep his voice together as he hit the high notes.

It’s apparent that the Philippines has a special place in the band’s heart. They performed two songs, “Warm Manila Nights” (performed by Gabe) and “Manila” (performed by guitarist Chuck Crews) which showed how much they’ve enjoyed their visits here. And why shouldn’t they enjoy them? The Filipino audience must have gratified them by singing along lustily with the band.

What I found impressive was that they performed almost straight through the night, with only a five-minute break, and, even then, while the other three Cascades left the stage, Chuck stayed to perform an instrumental piece, “Malaguena” which was excellently executed. Not bad for guys who are in their 60s.

Near the end of the concert, they had some fun with the audience, by singing other songs, and having the audience complete the songs, which included, among others, “Day-O”, “Itsy-Bitsy Teeny-Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”, and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. There were some songs, that none of the audience had ever heard, which was embarrassing, since the band members who introduced them seemed pretty excited about them.

The concert ended with “The Last Leaf”, with Tony Perroso singing “Achy Breaky Heart” for an encore. During the encore, some of the audience members in the front row stood up and started line dancing (I’m not sure if that’s what it’s called), to which Tony joined in, to their delight.

After the concert, the Cascades came out to autograph CDs and souvenirs. Since Hazel was a great fan of theirs, we wound up lining up a la my quest for Neil Gaiman, although the lines last Friday were a lot shorter.

We went home slightly fatigued, but completely satisfied.

Hatred

One has to wonder how much hate can exist in one person.

One look at Ann Coulter's Wikipedia entry and I don't have to.

Ann Coulter presents herself as an ultraconservative with a deep, abiding hatred of anything liberal.

I was first keyed in to Coulter when I read about her comments in one of her books about four 9/11 widows. She wrote:

"These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis. These self-obsessed women seemed genuinely unaware that 9/11 was an attack on our nation and acted as if the terrorist attacks happened only to them. ... I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much."

The statement is not only mean-spirited and small-minded, it's a vicious attack on the memory of the people who died on that day. Apparently, the reason for her comment was because these widows supported John Kerry for President in 2004, implied that President George W. Bush was responsible for the attacks, and called for an independent investigation into the tragedy. Given the state of the world today, I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. But, Coulter seems to relish bashing these people, all to draw attention to herself.

Reading the rest of the entry (whose content, by the way, is disputed, so it would be a good idea to take note of the talk page for the entry. It would also be a good idea to take a look at other sources to see if what Wikipedia says is accurate. End of digression) gives me a picture of a woman who has strong extreme view about the world, and isn't afraid of sharing those views.

Some of the info from Wikipedia:

On women: "women are "not as bright" as men, "have no capacity to understand how money is earned", and "shouldn't be in the military."

On apartheid: Miss Coulter said she supported the government of Israel for the same reason she supported apartheid in South Africa, because they were surrounded by "savages".

On the Oklahoma bombing: "My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times building."

What I find offensive is that she was quoted in an interview as saying, "Christianity fuels everything I write." Maybe the Christianity she ascribes to is the Christianity practiced by the Inquisition. She conveniently forgets one of the greatest commandments in the Bible, which she purports to believe in: "Love thy neighbor as you would love yourself."

I guess she doesn't love herself very much.

One has to wonder what she went through in life for her to be such a bitchy character. Or maybe she's hungry for attention, and isn't picky about how she gets it. Whatever the reason, it's sad that this hatred gets so much attention from the media, allowing Coulter to spread her gospel of hate.

Popular Politics

From the front page of today's edition of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, it appears possible that our politicians aren't driven by moral convictions; rather, they're driven by whatever issue is in vogue at that time.

The picture is a file photo dated January 11, 1999, and it shows "Baby" Echegaray, the rape victim properly veiled to protect her identity, rallying for the reimposition of the death penalty, presumably to be imposed on her stepfather and prime rape suspect, Leo Echegaray.

What's interesting is that surrounding her in the picture are current Senators Loi Ejercito Estrada (then the First Lady), Jamby Madrigal (don't know if she had any official position at the time), and current President, then Vice-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. I'm assuming that these three women are lending moral support to "Baby" Echegaray, and were also campaigning for the death penalty.

However, it's noted that all three women are now against the death penalty, with the two senators recently voting to abolish it.

What caused their change of heart?

The story underneath the picture is entitled, "Death penalty is OK while popular," and goes on to quote Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) chair Dante Jimenez lambasting the politicians for the haste in abolishing the death penalty. He was quoted as questioning the politicians' convictions by saying, “We wonder if the decision was [made] because of political convenience, or that [lawmakers] were really thinking out of their conviction.”

I'd say it was political convenience. It's possible that lawmakers banded together to court the support of the Catholic Church for the Charter Change (Cha-Cha) movement. By abolishing the death penalty, which the Church opposes, maybe the Church leader would be persuaded in lending their support behind Cha-Cha.

If this was the case, however, it probably didn't work, as the Catholic Church came out with a statement criticizing the government and warning the faithful against the return of a dictatorship. Good thing the princes of the Church have their heads screwed on right, by not letting themselves be swayed by such outright bribery.

The other reason why the decision behind the abolition of the death penalty was based on political convenience is that our current batch of politicians is by and large bereft of solid values; instead, the politics of greed and expediency is what drives this current batch, and there seems to be no end to their rapaciousness.

It's a pity that it's almost impossible to find a lawmaker who truly has the good of the country at heart, and not the good of him/herself. It's almost impossible to find a lawmaker who will stick to his guns, not because he's paid to do so, but because he truly believes in his cause.

It's a pity that it's almost impossible to find a lawmaker or politician who is truly good; most, if not all, have had their values corrupted by the political system. And these people want to change the form of government? Change it, yes, to a system where they continue to make the rules to benefit themselves.

If only there was a way to wipe the slate clean, remove all politicians from their elective offices, and convince the truly good people to participate in government. Maybe we'll be able to see change then.

But that's a big "if."

"Cars"

Once more, the wizards at Pixar have done it again. Their newest release, “Cars,” the seventh of the collaboration with Disney, joins a stellar lineup of quality computer generated image (CGI) films.

What sets Pixar apart from the other CGI studios is that the people at Pixar always seem to keep in mind that what is most important in making a good movie is to have a good focused story.

Lightning McQueen, a rookie racecar, is on his way to the biggest race of his life, when he gets sidetracked and finds himself in Radiator Springs, a backwater town in the middle of nowhere. It’s there that he discovers that there are more important things in life than simply winning.

While it’s not a very original story (it’s been done before in “Doc Hollywood,” starring Michael J. Fox; in fact, looking up the movie on IMDB, it's almost exactly the same plot. Go figure.), it’s fast-paced, entertaining and engaging, and the message it gives is always something for us to bear in mind.

There are some interesting scenes, such as the two races, and the scenes in Radiator Springs. Moreover, try to stay over for the credits; there are some visual goodies to be had there.

As always, it’s the characters who bring life to the story, and, in this case, it’s the voices of the actors which animate the CGI characters.

Owen Wilson has the perfect mix of cockiness and naivete to play the rookie McQueen, although it seems as if it’s the stereotypical character that he’s wont to play. Bonnie Hunt, a Pixar mainstay, plays the Porsche Sally, and infuses the character with determination and sexiness, enough to play McQueen’s love interest.

Paul Newman plays the grizzled Doc Hudson, who’s seen it all, and, in a way, so has Newman, having played a myriad of characters. In Hudson, I’m reminded of Newman’s portrayal of the pool player/mentor in “The Color of Money.” Hudson also provides the well-grounded advisor to McQueen’s brashness.

The supporting cast is also interesting. Tony Shaloub plays Luigi, the Ferrari-loving tire salesman. Guido Quaroni, who normally does technical stuff for Pixar, plays his namesake, a forklift/master crew, although he doesn’t say much; most of Guido’s appeal is visual in nature. Michael Keaton is appropriately annoying as Chick Hicks, McQueen’s rival for the Piston Cup. Larry the Cable Guy plays the hokey wrecker Mater, and it’s Mater who provides both the comic relief and some of the touching scenes in the movie. Longtime Disney/Pixar voice talent John Ratzenberger has a bit role as Mack, McQueen’s transport, and look for him in the credit scenes. Comedian George Carlin plays the laid-back hippie Filmore, who plays off the proper military jeep Sarge, played by Paul Dooley. Cheech Marin and Jenifer Lewis play Ramone and Flo, the "cool" cars in Radiator Springs.

Fittingly, there are cameo appearances by famous drivers, notably Michael Schumacher, Mario Andretti, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr, who help provide the atmosphere, and a bit of fan voice candy. NASCAR legend Richard Petty plays the King, who is a legend in the movie as well.

Of course, Pixar's wonderfully detailed computer art complements everything. What's amazing is the attention to detail, in the roads, the trees, the stadium, everything. The art, the story and the characters combine to form an instant classic.

“Cars” is a wonderful addition to the animated film world, and it’ll probably be there at the finish line come Oscar season.

CJ Blunder

One has to wonder what is going through the Chief Justice's mind.

Yesterday, in the news, Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban was quoted as stating that the Supreme Court decision affirming the execution of Leo Echegaray was a "judicial error". He argued that Echegaray should've been meted the life sentence, considering that Echegaray was not the father of the victim (I probably should try to reread the decision, when I can. Not being a lawyer, I'm not aware of the nuances of the case.).

While it's a noble thing for a person to admit error, it's a different thing when what we're talking about is the Court of final appeal, the Supreme Court. What CJ Panganiban has just done is to call into question all of the controversial decisions of the Supreme Court; it's now possible that error exists in these decisions.

Already the fallout from Panganiban's statement is happening. Justice Secretary (and government lightning rod) Raul Gonzales is waxing smug, saying that he's said all along that some of the decisions of the Supreme Court are faulty. Former President Joseph Estrada is claiming that the Supreme Court's decision in declaring him "constructively resigned" is a faulty decision, and should be overturned.

What's worse is that Panganiban has just called into question the very credibility of a Court whose credibility is its one redeeming factor. How can we trust the Supreme Court now, when even its Chief Justice claims that an error has been made?

What I'm also wondering about is why only now? Echegaray has been dead for seven years now; will the admission bring him back? Why did it take seven years for Panganiban to state this?

Great. Now all of our political and judicial institutions are compromised. Who shall we trust now?

School Events

Parents' Day in the high school is always enjoyable, if a little nerve-wracking. It's nice to meet the parents of my students, albeit if only for ten minutes. Still, it gives both sides a chance to see what the other looks like, and get a feel of what the teachers and parents are like.

Even though I've already met both my classes, I still have to stay on in order to act as co-moderator (secretary) during the moderator's session. C'est la vie.

Last Friday, the High School commemorated Philippine Independence Day, which will be tomorrow, June 12, 2006. To pay tribute to this historic occasion, the High School had a school assembly wherein the focus was on the tumultuous events during the 70s and 80s, the martial law era. The audience was treated to a documentary featuring accounts given by some high school teachers who were active during that time, as well as such personalities as former President Corazon Aquino, whose husband, Ninoy, was imprisoned, exiled, and subsequently assassinated by the Marcos regime, and former Sen. Jovito Salonga, a direct victim of martial law, having been injured during the Plaza Miranda bombing, a foreshadowing of martial law.

To highlight the event, folk singer/activist Noel Cabangon, whose son is a freshman in the high school, went up on stage and sang the anti-Marcos anthem "Bayan Ko," which brought tears to my eyes, recalling the memory of those who gave up their lives so that we could enjoy the freedoms we enjoy today.

While Cabangon was performing, on the far left side of the covered courts was a montage of Ateneans, both living and dead, who were to be considered as Heroes of the Ateneo. Of course, the way the montage was presented, it looked as if all of the people had already passed away, as if the montage was an "In Memoriam" slideshow. However, I'm pretty certain of at least two, former Jesuit Provincial, Fr. Archie Intengan, SJ, and former Vice-President Alejandro Roces, are still very much alive and well.

I liked the whole assembly because it's a reminder for us to continue to safeguard the freedom which we have won from future tyranny. It's timely in the sense that our country is teetering under the weight of both an oppressive government, and an opposition that has no clear answer to the problems besetting our country. It's a reminder that it's up to us citizens to be vigilant and make sure that the woes of the past do not rise up and haunt us ever again.

Coffee!

One of the problems about coffee, which I think I’ve noted before is that if I take it in the morning before breakfast, my stomach goes acidic on me, which is very uncomfortable. However, I’ve also discovered that if I take coffee black (with or without sugar) in the evening, it is very difficult for me to get to sleep.

So, it is in the grip of a coffee-induced caffeine fix that I am writing this post. Hazel felt she needed to get out of the house, so I brought her, along with Gabby, to the Starbucks across our subdivision. She ordered her usual, a short almond mocha, along with a ham and cheese croissant, and a slice of chocolate dome cake for Gabby.

As for me, I saw, with some delight, that Starbucks had maple oat scones in stock. Back when I was still heavily into swimming, my friends and I would head for Starbucks Katipunan after swimming at the Cervini pool. My regular breakfast would consist of whatever brewed black coffee they had at Starbucks, and a slice of scone. Normally, I’d take the coffee black, with the scone and the almond syrup I’d invariably ordered with the coffee serving as my sweetener.

So, I decided on ordering brewed coffee (Gold Coast blend, supposed to be extra bold) with a scone slice, and, this time, instead of almond syrup, I decided to have a dash of raspberry syrup added to the coffee.

What I like about brewed coffee in Starbucks is that I can ask for it to be served in a mug. I think this makes for a larger serving of coffee, so, in spite of the fact that I’d ordered a short coffee, I probably got the equivalent of a cup and a half of coffee. Hence, my continued awakened state.

The coffee blend was slightly fruity to begin with, so the raspberry syrup enhanced the flavor immensely, making the coffee have a sweet and sour taste. The scone had a granola texture to it, and the addition of the maple-flavored glaze made it seem like I was eating a richer sort of pancake. Before I knew it, I had finished both the coffee and the scone.

I probably won’t do this again in the near future, as staying awake at this time will invariably make me groggy for the day, but I probably will continue trying out the different coffee blends, and seeing which blend is custom-made for me.

Addendum to previous post: It seems that Drilon has found his sense of honor, after all. It turns out that he will support the candidacy of Villar for the Senate Presidency. Now, the cynic in me is asking, did he make his previous statement in order to force concessions from Villar? This seems unlikely, though, because, from the looks of it, Villar has enough support from the other senators to claim the choice position. Still, I can’t help but wonder why Drilon didn’t show that he intended to honor the agreement in the first place. Oh, well. Maybe he grew a conscience very quickly.

Or, more likely, he saw the writing on the wall, and decided that it would more prudent and statesmanlike to concede.

Unfortunately, it's all for naught, as he showed his true colors before he acted more nobly, reducing his supposedly noble act to an act of realpolitik.

Gentleman's Agreement

Gentleman's agreement: an agreement secured only by the honor of the participants. Source: webster.com

When one makes a deal, one should be ready to honor that deal; otherwise, his word, and his honor, will be no good. No one will trust a person who breaks a deal.

It seems that Senate President Franklin Drilon doesn’t care about his good name; rather, he cares about holding on to a position that places him very close to replacing the President.

But, then again, Drilon has always been the consummate Filipino politician, bereft of values or honor, and ready to sell himself to whatever cause will propel him to greater heights. His call for President Arroyo and Vice-President de Castro to resign last year was in bad taste, considering that, as Senate President, he was next in line to succeed. I suspect his crying during the impeachment trial of Estrada was also calculated to draw sympathy from the Filipino audience; unsurprisingly, it (the crying) was part of his campaign strategy in the following 2001 elections.

Once again, in the turnover of the Senate President, Drilon has showed what sort of person he is.

When asked about the gentleman’s agreement he had with Senator Manny Villar regarding the sharing of the Senate Presidency, Drilon merely replied that Villar should have the prerequisite number of votes, which is thirteen. If he has those votes, Drilon says, only then can he become Senate President.

Does this sound like someone who’s going to honor an agreement? Does it sound like a gentlemanly statement? Does it sound like Drilon will support Villar in Villar’s bid to become the Senate President?

Nope.

It sounds more like someone saying, “Let him try.” Is that the word of a gentleman?

Drilon is just indicative of the type of politician that populates the Filipino political landscape: selfish, greedy and honorless. Look at how Congress has held on to its pork barrel, instead of doing the honorable deed and allocating the pork to wherever it’s most needed to benefit the Filipino people.

The problem is that same breeds more of the same. It’s difficult to find a politician with a sense of honor, even among the younger breed of politicians. The problem here is that the youngsters have been thoroughly indoctrinated into the Philippine political system, which means that they will simply emulate the actions of their forebears.

The more insidious problem is that we have come to accept this corruption as the reality in Philippine politics, that nothing can be done to stop it. We accept the President not because we believe in her, but because we believe that she’s the lesser evil among the choices we currently have. We have become desensitized to corruption, and this is the more pressing problem, because this desensitizing strikes at our very core. If we cannot rouse ourselves and being fighting against this decay, our country is the lesser for it.

What is the solution to this problem? It’s not going to be easy. What is needed is for us to be able to depart from our personality-based politics, and focus on strengthening the party system, to foster parties which have solid platforms and beliefs, and aren’t merely paper parties built as vehicles for a politician’s vanity.

We need to move away from electing people on the basis of their popularity, and focus on electing people who have the desire to work for the country’s betterment. We need to remember to focus on electing people who truly have the people’s interests at heart, and aren’t merely mouthing the right catchphrases.

We need to find these people and fast, before the moral decline from which our country is suffering becomes a permanent downward cycle.

Update: I got this from Federico Pascual’s column today in the Philippine Star. Apparently, Drilon has signed a resolution endorsing Villar for the Presidency. Maybe his conscience bothered him? Or maybe he realized the political fallout that would occur if he reneged on the agreement? I'll be keeping an eye on this for now.

Start of Classes

Classes have begun in the high school, and, once more, it's back to the same old grind of giving lectures and quizzes, checking papers, and constant meetings. C'est la vie.

Today is the Schola Brevis, or shortened school, in order simply for the teachers to meet their respective classes. All three of my sessions were interesting, especially my third year class, as it contained a good number of former students, as well as members from my judo club. We'll see how the year shapes up, how much my old students have grown since I last handled them.

I also have two first year classes, and we'll see how they adjust to the rigors of the high school standards. Of course, some will succeed and excel, while others will falter and fail. It'll all depend on the student's determination.

Well, here's to the new school year. May it hold only good things.

Death Penalty Repeal

My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time--
To let the punishment fit the crime--
The punishment fit the crime
- "The Mikado", Gilbert and Sullivan

It was a little jarring to read in the newspaper today that Congress overwhelmingly voted to repeal the death penalty law. This is because I didn't have an inkling of it in the news.

I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. With the President unwilling to implement the law, Congress might as well abolish it, after having reimposed it twelve years ago.

For me, however, this is a mistake.

I agree with Max Soliven of The Philippine Star when he writes in his column today:

"If capital punishment were cancelled, how do you think criminals and gutter rats would be scared off from committing heinous crime? This is not, alas, a "civilized" country – not by a long shot...

Don’t we see the results of our over-tender attitude towards death convicts and their ilk? The murder rate is soaring – with journalists, leftist militants, activists, as well as innocent folks leading the hit parade. Kidnapping is again a growth industry. Drugmakers and drug pushers are having a ball. Why not? They’ll get off the hook somehow – and never again be in fear of the lethal injection chamber. Why, a "compassionate" GMA will commute their sentences, too."

The reason why the death penalty was not an effective deterrent to crime was that it was never implemented properly. If it was clear that if a person was to be executed after being convicted of a heinous crime, then maybe people would think twice about committing such acts. But, due to the "compassion" of the President, this has never come to pass. Condemned people, awaiting execution, could rest easy, knowing that their day of reckoning would never come.

The other problem is that some of these condemned are truly guilty, and, being kept alive, might escape to perform another heinous act. What will be done to them, if they're caught: incarcerate them again, so that they may have the chance to escape once more?

However, it's also clear to see why the death penalty had to go. With the way our justice system works, what with the corruption and the ability of rich accused to buy the best lawyers, the death penalty would be imposed more often on those who cannot afford to bribe or buy, the poor.

Also, there is the problem of guilt. It's very possible that, if the death penalty were truly implemented, an innocent person would wind up on the gallows. That would nullify whatever benefits the death penalty would have.

It's hard to see what the repercussions of this repeal will have, especially those who were the victims of heinous crimes. How will they react, considering that the person responsible for their pain is alive and well, safe from the lethal injection chamber? Will these victims decide to take vengeance their own way, and take the law into their hands? It remains to be seen.

Perhaps, along with the repeal of the death penalty, the government should now take a look at our country's burgeoning prison system, and see what means can be done to truly rehabilitate those members of our society who are incarcerated in the system. That way, we can move toward being a more enlightened society.

But, you'll forgive me if I think that that will be a long way in coming.

Nothing Else to Do ...

Jean Grey 75% Cyclops 75% Storm 65% Wolverine 65% Gambit 60% Beast 55% Colossus 55% Nightcrawler 45% Iceman 40% Rogue 35% Emma Frost 30%

You scored as Jean Grey. Jean Grey is likely the most powerful X-Man. She loves Cyclops very much but she has a soft spot for Wolverine. She's psychic so she can sense how others are feeling and tries to help them. She also has to control her amazing powers or the malevolent Phoenix entity could take control of her and wreak havok. Powers: Telekinetic, Telepathic

Most Comprehensive X-Men Personality Quiz 2.0
created with QuizFarm.com

Note: Considering the numerology of the day, I was thinking of writing about it, but thought the better of it. While it's interesting, I don't really believe that people born on this day will someday become very dangerous individuals, but I pity them, because they'll probably be joked about it for the rest of their lives. That's all I have to say about the matter.

"M.I. - III"

Wow, three straight movie posts in a row. Yep, I've been busy following the various movies that have been coming out to herald the summer season in the U.S. And in reverse order, no less. First, "X-Men: the Last Stand", then "The Da Vinci Code", and now, "Mission Impossible 3".

Of the above, "M.I. - 3" was the best for me, although even this movie wasn't as good as the original movie (I actually haven't watched the second movie.).

All the elements of the series are there: the cliff-hanging development of the plot, the use of incredible technology, deception tactics, and the specific timing in pulling off the mission all add up to a wonderful popcorn movie.

(Spoilers Follow)

In the movie, Ethan Hunt is tasked to recover the Rabbit's Foot, the MacGuffin of the plot, and deliver it to Owen Damian, a ruthless arms dealer, in exchange for the life of his wife Julia.

Plotwise, there were few problems, although I think the producers were asking the audience to suspend disbelief a little too much, such as the way Ethan Hunt entered the Vatican (how could he not have been noticed?), and he gained entry into the Rabbit's Foot's building (could a person actually survive what he did?). Still, the movie isn't a highbrow artsy film; it's an action film, and it does deliver on the action.

In addition, the actors turn in great performances, most of them, anyway. Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames reprise their roles as top Impossible Mission Force (IMF) agent Ethan Hunt and master hacker Luther Stickell, respectively. Since the two have been around from the start, it's possible that they might've gotten lazy in portraying their characters, but that's not the case. Cruise and Rhames have a wonderful chemistry as partners, playing off each other's qualities.

The new members of the IMF also do creditably well. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is passionate and professional as Declan, the driver and utility man of the team. Maggie Q is slinky and sexy as the stealthy Zhen Lei. Keri Russell, as the doomed agent Lindsay Ferris, is a far cry from her "Felicity" days; she's tough as nails, and pretty to boot. Simon Pegg, as computer expert Benji, delivers the comic relief, alternating giving Hunt directions, and bewailing what will happen to him.

Michelle Monaghan plays Julia, Ethan Hunt's love, and, while she merely plays the love interest and damsel in distress, manages to show that she's pretty tough underneath.

The villain, underplayed beautifully by Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, is scary and deadly; a calm, calculating monster of a character.

I didn't much like Lawrence Fishburne's role as IMF top brass Theodore Brassel; maybe I've associated him too much with the "Matrix" movies. Ditto for Billy Crudup's portrayal of Ethan's direct boss Musgrave; I guess he was trying to be cool and calculated, but, instead, he came off as expressionless and robotic.

The movie was worth it, compared to the other two movies I've watched in the recent past. Here's hoping that "Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest", "Cars", and "Superman Returns" turn out to be better movies.

"The Da Vinci Code"

The blog is two years old today.

For all of the hype, "The Da Vinci Code" didn't really live up to it.

Hazel, Scarlet and I caught the movie at Gateway, which is one of the premier places to watch a movie. Of course, the price is a bit high, but the moviehouses in the Cineplex are well-maintained, and worth the expense.

(SPOILERS FOLLOW)

While it was visually breathtaking, the movie felt as if it was too enslaved by the book, much like the first two "Harry Potter" movies. It plodded on from scene to scene, following the book's pages in perfect cadence. However, since the two media are different, what works in the book might not necessarily work in the movie.

What I did like about the scenes was that they made it easier for me to visualize what I read in the book. Key visual scenes were the parts where Silas (Paul Bettany) was whipping himself in penance, and the final scene, where Langdon (Tom Hanks) finds the Holy Grail, was more impressive than in the book.

Whatever changes the makers made to the story came off as either corny, as in the case of the remaining Priory members appearing at Rosslyn Chapel, or contrived, as Langdon's preachy speech at the end of the movie demonstrates.

Given their collective talent, I felt that the actors' performances were mixed, at best. The one who shone was Ian McKellen, who essayed the role of Sir Leigh Teabing. He played the role with a mix of seriousness and humor that made him the most well-developed character. Jean Reno, who plays Bezu Fache, is a character actor favorite of mine, and plays his role fairly skillfully. Bettany, who plays the albino monk Silas, delivers a powerful performance as the tortured soul.

I wish I could say the same for Hanks and his co-star, Audrey Tautou, who plays Sophie Neveu. I agree with review which criticized Hanks for being very pedestrian in his performance of Robert Langdon; he simply walks through his lines, and doesn't really infuse his character with enough emotion to draw in the audience. I can see why the Cannes crowd laughed when he revealed to Sophie the true nature of her heritage; he delivered it with all the dramatic flair of a statue, no buildup. Tautou, I guess, cannot be faulted, considering that her character is nothing more than a willing sponge for the information that Langdon and Teabing share. Still, it's a disappointing performance for both of them.

This is not one of Ron Howard's (Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13) outstanding directorial works. It's plodding, and a little too heavy on the explanations. But then again, how can one condense everything that was in the book, and still manage to make sense?

I don't think my faith will be shaken after having watched the movie, or read the book. However, I can see the point of some, that some Filipinos will take the movie too literally, and take it as established fact. Then, it is the job of those of us who know better to educate our countrymen about separating fact from fiction, and not rail against a movie, which, while provocative, remains solidly fixed in the realm of fiction.