Daily Musings

The Corona Impeachment Trial: Prosecution Incompetence

2012-01-26T16:03:00.002+08:00

The House majority apparently believes Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas, Jr. is doing okay in heading the prosecution in the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The viewing public doesn't agree.

In the six short days of the impeachment trial, Rep. Tupas has already been castigated by Senate President and impeachment court presiding officer Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, and has been thoroughly schooled by defense lawyer and retired Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas.

One of Rep. Tupas' lowest moments was when he called upon the court to be more "liberal" and "flexible" in enforcing the rules of the trial. In what is probably one of the more memorable moments of the trial, Sen. Enrile,deadpan, pointedly asked Rep. Tupas if he was suggesting that the court "entertain hearsay questions? ... argumentative questions? ... hypothetical questions? ... leading questions, teaching the witness what to say?" To which, Rep. Tupas could not give any clear explanation of what he meant by "liberal" and "flexible".

Rep. Tupas was also ripped by Senator Defensor-Santiago because he couldn't say how many witnesses the prosecution was going to present.

I rarely agree with Philippine Star columnist Alex Magno in political matters, but his take on the bungling of the prosecution is spot-on. Opines Magno,

"They clearly did not expect to actually sit through a trial. They expected that a rushed impeachment complaint, signed by overeager congressmen even as it was still being written out, combined with a massive propaganda effort aiming to humiliate the Chief Justice, will be quick and easy.

"They expected a repeat of the triumphant blitz that took out Merceditas Gutierrez. That did not happen, as we know, even as administration spokesman continued holding to the hope a sustained campaign of demonization might still work some magic.

"Now they have to do what they can in a terrain where rules on evidence matter. There is a price to pay for a strategy driven by political arrogance and weighed down by hubris. It is always the prosecution that carries the burden of proof, a load made heavier by a flawed political strategy."

Pro-Aquino Philippine Star columnist William Esposo is livid with Rep. Tupas' apparent incompetence. He says,

"It should have been the task of Tupas to argue and sell the liberal parameters on evidence. Tupas hardly made any effort to do that. Instead, Tupas delved into matters that were off tangent, or of little importance to the prosecution cause. He appeared to be a babe in the woods — exposed as a legal chick competing with legal eagles. It would not surprise your Chair Wrecker if Tupas raised the blood pressure of many folks who followed the impeachment trial in real time on broadcast media.

"It’s bad enough that Tupas was operating like a kid’s prattle — he committed the mortal sin of not recognizing that Senator-Judge Santiago had inadvertently won the prosecution’s pleadings for a liberal interpretation of the rules. He should have kept his mouth shut after Santiago established the parameters for the tribunal. Oh no! Tupas just had to grab the microphone again and subsequently made the monumental blunder of antagonizing JPE by making it appear that JPE was making things hard for the prosecution to introduce evidence.

"When JPE asked Tupas for specific guidelines on how the Presiding Officer could be more liberal, Tupas could not offer any specific suggestion. JPE asked Tupas if he wants the Presiding Officer to admit hearsay, allow argumentative cross-examination of witnesses and so forth — Tupas said no. Now what do you call a man who asks for something that’s important and vital to his cause and could not exactly describe what it is exactly that he wanted?"

What indeed?

It was arrogant of the congressmen led by Rep. Tupas to think that they could force Chief Justice Corona to resign. They should have accounted for that possibility, and did their homework to prepare for what appears to be a drawn-out battle. Now, their ineptitude, especially Rep. Tupas', is on display for all Filipinos to see.

As I have said in the past, and will probably keep on saying, I don't believe that Chief Justice Corona is fit to hold his current position, having been the recipient of a submissive Supreme Court ruling that allowed his midnight appointment, but, if he is to be removed from office, let it be done properly, and not be railroaded through. Otherwise, the quest against corruption will simply be viewed as a political vendetta. The fact that the prosecution team appears incompetent is not helping the case against Chief Justice Corona; it just magnifies the flaws in their strategy.

"Tuwid na Daan"? Ask Ronald Llamas

2012-01-26T15:24:00.002+08:00

It's difficult for Filipinos to believe in the President's call for "tuwid na daan" (straight road) when he himself doesn't observe it.

When asked about the controversy involving his political adviser, Ronald Llamas, who was witnessed buying pirated DVDs by a reporter from Bandila, President Noynoy Aquino said that Llamas could've been just "passing by". President Aquino also said that the issue involving Llamas was not his priority.

Of course, Llamas was already involved in a previous controversy, when his bodyguards, who figured in a car accident in Quezon City, were caught with a high-powered assault rifle; Llamas, though, was not present during that time. Even then, President Aquino was not concerned about his adviser, and police eventually cleared Llamas but charged his bodyguards with illegal possession of firearms.

However, in this case, Llamas was caught red-handed buying P2,000 worth of pirated DVDs, and yet the President decides to look the other way. What's infuriating about this is that he's pulling all the stops in trying to nail down former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, but when it's one of his own people, the President doesn't even lift a finger.

Admittedly, buying pirated DVDs in this country is not a crime; in the Inquirer news story about Llamas' purchase, Optical Media Board chairman Ronnie Ricketts concedes that "the government could not do anything about it when someone—even a Palace official—buys pirated DVDs because the country’s antipiracy law imposes no penalty on the customer." However, Llamas' actions sets a bad example for an administration whose main pillar is fighting against corruption. The President's apparent abetting of Llamas sends the wrong message to the people.

More than ever, the favoritism being played by the President is a rude awakening for the millions who voted for him, expecting that he would do what he can in fighting corruption. Like the pigs in George Orwell's "Animal Farm", the President is no better than the corrupt administration that he espouses to punish.

If the President has any sense of propriety, he should ask Llamas to step down and appoint someone who is more conscious of following the "tuwid na daan". In fact, Llamas shouldn't wait for that, and simply resign, to spare his boss any further embarassment.

Weekend Movie Marathon

2012-01-23T09:14:00.001+08:00

It's been a while since I was able to watch movies on consecutive nights, so it was a bit surprising to realize that, over this long weekend, my family and I were able to catch three movies on three consecutive nights. While it's a bit of a drain on the budget, I'd say the movies were worth it. Here they are, in order:

1. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (Friday)

This one is primarily for the kids, and they enjoyed the whole show. For the adults, there are moments, but, otherwise, it's best to park one's brain at the door, and just go with the flow. Admittedly, I'm particularly attached to Theodore's cuteness.

2. Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (Saturday)

While I wasn't able to watch the first movie, I don't think I missed much, as director Guy Ritchie quickly brought viewer up to speed on this tongue-in-cheek take on the great detective. Robert Downey Jr., is hilariously manic as Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law plays a refreshingly dapper Dr. Watson. Downey and Law play off each other so smoothly, that the partnership is believable and entertaining. The story is also quite good, as it pits Holmes against his archenemy Dr. Moriarty, and the twists and turns, as well as the breathtaking action scenes, do justice to Conan Doyle's creation.

3. We Bought A Zoo (Sunday)

With a lot of action movies abounding, it was fairly easy to get good seats to this dramedy even fifteen minutes before the showtime. Based on a true story, the movie focuses on a family dealing with a tragic loss. Writer Benjamin Mee, played by Matt Damon, decides that he and his two children need a change of atmosphere, and, during his hunt for a new house, winds up buying a zoo along with the house. The movie chronicles his misadventures and missteps, and the lessons he learns along the way. The result is an inspiring, touching, and often funny, movie.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T06:58:00.002+08:00

Today marks the Chinese New Year, as people over the world celebrate the incoming of the year of the Water Dragon. To believers of Chinese astrology, the year of the Dragon is an auspicious year, a year of great fortune or disaster. Here's hoping that this year will have more of the former than the latter.

So, whether it's "Kung Hei Fat Choy" (Cantonese), "Kiong Hee Huat Tsai" (Hokkien), or "Gong Xi Fa Cai" (Mandarin)", I'd like to wish one and all peace and prosperity for the year of the Dragon. Happy Chinese New Year!

NBA Fantasy Basketball: Injuries Galore

2012-01-21T20:00:00.001+08:00

It's almost four weeks into the shortened NBA season, and the injuries have been piling up, making life both interesting and difficult for fantasy basketball enthusiasts such as myself.

The lack of a proper training period before the season began (thanks to both the owners' and players' intransigence) has ensured that not everybody is really ready for the season. As a result, a whole host of injuries hitting both stars and average players alike.

In our long-running faculty league, I've already had injuries to Zach Randolph (Memphis, torn knee ligament), Corey Maggette (Charlotte, strained hamstring), Derrick Rose (Chicago, sprained toe), Rodney Stuckey (Detroit, groin), and Vince Carter (Dallas, sprained foot). Of these, I've already let go of Randolph and Maggette, and I'm still hoping the others will come back soon. Actually, Stuckey's already playing, but not at the level he was last year; he's still feeling that groin injury, which hampers his play.

As it is, I've had to retool my lineup with players such as Luke Ridnour (Minnesota), Ian Mahinmi (Dallas), Nate Robinson (Golden State) and Marreese Speights (Memphis), players who were undrafted, but now are valuable because they're either filling in for injured players, or they're playing better than expected. One of the difficulties of our league is that almost everybody guards the free agent pool with a passion, and, as soon as any player starts playing with any degree of consistency, he's quickly snatched up; one has to be quick on the trigger to get a good player.

At least, I'm not alone. My fellow managers are also dealing with various injuries. In fact, one can build an All-Star lineup with the various injured players:

PG - Chris Paul (LA Clippers), Rajon Rondo (Boston), Dwayne Wade (Miami), Baron Davis (New York)
SG - Manu Ginobili (San Antonio), Eric Gordon (New Orleans), Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers)
SF - Michael Beasley (Minnesota), Corey Maggette (Charlotte)
PF - Al Horford (Atlanta), Zach Randolph (Memphis)
C - Brook Lopez (New Jersey), Nene Hilario (Denver)

It also doesn't help that, with the shortened season, there are stretches wherein teams play three games on consecutive nights. Unless coaches are careful, more players will probably succumb to some injury or the other, and will have to make decisions on whether to play through the pain or submit to being shelved for surgery or rehab.

On the fantasy side, one has to be adept and flexible in order to deal with the slew of injuries; otherwise, it's going to be a long season.

The Corona Impeachment Trial: Musings on the First Week

2012-01-21T19:27:00.001+08:00

With one week of the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona over, political pundits have been commenting left and right on the merits of the case, as well as the performance of the key players: the prosecution, the defense, and the Senate-judges. The following points appear to be the common ones:

1. The prosecution needs to do its homework. Despite the fact that the House prosecutors are all lawyers, it's clear that they've spent more time in the political arena than the legal one. On day one of the trial, they were caught unprepared to present their witnesses or their evidence, since they apparently did not realize that the articles of impeachment would be tackled in the order by which they were filed. I can't help but feel that, after transmitting the articles of impeachment to the Senate, the House prosecutors thought that the whole trial would be a walk in the park, hence, their unpreparedness. Hopefully, they've learned their lessons, and, chastened, will be better prepared for the following week.

2. The defense is focused on the legalities of the impeachment. This was clear when the defense lawyers, led by retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas, tried to hold a preliminary hearing, the subject of which, if I recall, was the verification of the articles by the House members who signed them. Much has been made by the pro-Corona groups that the House members did not verify the articles or even read them; this, according to the defense, could invalidate the articles. The Senate judges, led by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, disallowed the request, stating that the articles, as transmitted, were valid.

While impeachment is primarily a political process, I believe that due process must be followed, so that the whole trial remains credible. By focusing on the legalities, the defense is trying to maintain the process.

3. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile is credible as the presiding officer in the impeachment trial. Senator Enrile knows the value of maintaining the credibility of the Senate; he knows that the whole nation is watching the proceedings of the trial. Thus, he cannot afford to allow partisan leanings to be dominant, although it's clear that, from the first week, there are Senators who are already perceived to be partisan. So far, Senator Enrile has kept the proceedings on an even keel. What amazes me about Senator Enrile is his ability as a political survivor. Imagine, the architect of Martial Law, now being revered as much as former Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide was during the impeachment trial of former President, and convicted plunderer Joseph Estrada.

4. The impeachment trial will be a long process. With one week over, barely four witnesses have taken the stand, with the one lone drama being the surrendering of Justice Corona's statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SAL-N) by the Supreme Court's Clerk of Court. The prosecution says that they will be presenting around seventy witnesses, and, of course, each one will be cross-examined by the defense. While I agree with those who say that the impeachment trial is part of our maturing as a country, I'm also worried whether the Senate and the House will be able to continue their legislative work, since there are many other pressing matters for the country.

One week of the trial is over. Like many of us, I'm looking forward to seeing what will happen next week. At the same time, I'm hoping that this trial will move more quickly, so that we can move on to more important national matters.

Larkin in the Hall

2012-01-10T10:04:00.000+08:00

Third time was the charm.

Longtime Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame after two failed tries.

Larkin's credentials are pretty impressive. Here's the Yahoo! news report on his accomplishments:

"Playing from 1986-04—all with his hometown Reds—Larkin hit .295 with 198home runs, 960 RBIs, 2,340 hits and 379 stolen bases. A 12-time All-Star, he wonthe 1995 NL MVP award, nine Silver Slugger trophies and three Gold Gloves. Hehelped the Reds win the 1990 World Series and in 1996 became the first shortstopto have 30 homers and 30 steals in a season."

What I find impressive was that, in an era where free agency reigns supreme and players switch teams at the drop of a hat, Larkin spent his entire career in one town, Cincinnati, and, he rewarded his home town with quality play for almost two decades.

Larkin reminds me of my favorite player, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken, who was elected to the Hall in 2007. Ripken, known as "The Iron Man" for his streak of 2,632 consecutive games played, also played for just the Orioles over his 21 seasons.

It's sad, though, that Larkin was the only one elected into the Hall, since there are other players, such as Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, and Alan Trammell, whose careers are just as good. Of course, sluggers Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmiero, despite their impressive resumes, are tainted due to their alleged involvement in steroids, which explains their low election percentages (19.5% and 12.6%, respectively). According to sportswriters, next year will be interesting since other Steroid Era stars, namely Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, will be eligible for the ballot. It will be interesting to see how voters will treat them.

In the meantime, kudos to Barry Larkin for being recognized as one of the truly greats in baseball.

Musings from Sendong and Compostela Valley

2012-01-09T12:51:00.002+08:00

The double tragedies of the devastation wrought by “Sendong”on Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and other parts of the country, and the deaths causedby landslides in Compostela Valley, bring several issues into sharp focus. Ifour government could be reminded that there are more important issues thanplacing former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her cohorts behind bars,it would do well to address these issues, or else, we will be resigned toseeing these tragedies repeated sometime in the future.

Issue #1: Local government officials should be moreaggressive in enforcing laws and emphasizing safety.

It’s amazing how many times we read about mayors and otherlocal government officials washing their hands and saying that they had warnedpeople about the dangers of living in geo-hazard areas, and, yet, we see noaction beyond the warnings. If the officials had any real concern about thepeople living in dangerous situations, they would take concrete measures todeal with the situations.

Issue #2: The government should step in if the localgovernment officials are not doing their job.

While the probes initiated by the President are welcome,and, hopefully, will have real results, the fact of the matter is that governmentofficials, once more, were caught with their pants down, and the probes aremerely after the fact. I’m not sure what should be done in this situation.Perhaps the various Cabinet officials should direct their people to make surethat local government officials are properly informed about potential dangers,and make concrete suggestions on what should be done. Local governmentofficials who do not heed these suggestions should be held accountable ifsomething such as what happened last week happened.

Issue #3: More resources should be allocated to betterweather forecasting and geo-hazard mapping.

Admittedly, our experts at PAGASA can only do so much, but,if they were better funded, and better equipped, perhaps they would be able togive us ample warning of potential dangers.

Issue #4: Clear alternatives in terms of shelter andlivelihood should be provided to those displaced from potential geo-hazardareas.

One of the reasons why people live in areas that could beflooded, or work in conditions that are life-threatening is that they believethey have no other options available to them. Of course, this is not somethingspecific to those affected by the recent disasters; with majority of ourcountrymen living in poverty, there are many who work in dangerous conditionsor resort to illegal activities in order to survive. This, then, is thechallenge of each of the leaders who have made Malacañang Palace his or herabode: to lift Filipinos living in poverty from their station in life.

Unfortunately, since our leaders, from the President all theway down to the mayors, appear to be more interested in playing their own “Gameof Thrones”, with the lives of our countrymen as the playing pieces, it’sdifficult to see whether these issues will ever be adequately addressed.

Ferdinand Topacio -Heart- Hitler

2012-01-03T12:47:00.001+08:00

I guess former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo retained Attorney Ferdinand Topacio for his legal expertise. He certainly didn't hire him for his views outside the courts.

After making a public spectacle of himself for being willing to castrate himself if Arroyo didn't return to the country, Topacio stirred a hornet's nest once more in his defense of the late German dictator Adolf Hitler. According to an ABS-CBN report, not only did Topacio have Hitler's painting on his office wall, he went on to deny that Hitler ever ordered the Holocaust, and blamed German desperation at losing the war for the genocide of around 6 million Jews.

Topacio seems to be in denial of history, considering that the extermination of the Jews was undertaken long before defeat for Germany was a clear reality. According to the Wikipedia entry (sorry, no time to do actual research), it is recorded that Hitler was supposed to have said to his associates, "we shall regain our health only by eliminating the Jews." In fact, Auschwitz, one of the most infamous concentration camps was already ready for its evil task in 1942.

While the entry also notes that there was no specific order given by Hitler, it is unlikely that he was unaware of the activities of his subordinates, or, that he would have disapproved of their actions. Topacio also seems to ignore the onus of command responsibility, that all of the death and destruction caused by Nazi Germany falls on Hitler's shoulders.

Topacio even goes as far as to compare President Noynoy Aquino to Hitler. While President Aquino may be seen as incompetent by his critics, comparing him to Hitler is a vile insult, and opens Topacio to even further ridicule.

Considering that Topacio is already handling the corruption charges against his client, doesn't he have enough on his plate to deal with? Or is he trying to generate controversy to obfuscate the issue? Only Topacio knows.

Already, Topacio is reaping the whirlwind, as a number of people have already reacted negatively to his politically incorrect statements. I wonder how Mike Arroyo feels now about this lawyer he has hired, and whether he has second thoughts about this loose cannon.

Resolved

2012-01-02T10:07:00.000+08:00

2012 started pretty much like any other New Year in the Philippines: with a raucous bang. As usual, many Filipinos celebrated the coming of a new year with loud fireworks and bright pyrotechnics, causing no end of smoke and smog. So, what else is new in the Philippines?

The coming of the new year is accompanied by the usual reflections and resolutions, as the new year heralds a new beginning, a challenge to make a change. For those who haven't made their new year resolutions, Lifehacker has some thoughts on how to be able to keep those resolutions. Fr. James Martin, SJ, has a list of 12 things that he doesn't want to do again, and is worth a look-see.

As for me, the only concrete resolutions that I want to make for now are the following:

1. To write more often - And not only in this blog.
2. To lose weight - Here, the Lifehacker scaffolding ought to help. There are a number of changes that I'll have to make in order to make this happen.

When 2012 comes to an end, I'll look back on this post, and see whether I was able to achieve these resolutions.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T09:11:00.001+08:00

Well, it's the last post of the year. So, I didn't make it to a hundred posts, but that's okay.

Next year promises to be an interesting one, both on the personal and the national level. For one thing, we'll be welcoming a new addition to the family in April, so that will likely mean a few changes in the house (more than a few!). On the national level, come the new year, the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona will begin, and, once more, Filipinos will be riveted to the trial of one of the most powerful government officials in the Senate.

At any rate, it's the end of another year. Here's hoping that the new year will usher in prosperity for all.

Happy new year to all!

Year-ender: Saying Good-bye

2011-12-29T10:30:00.001+08:00

As with every year, life goes on, and, every year, we say good-bye to people dear to us. Wikiepedia, in fact, has a running list of those who have passed on over the course of the year 2011. Scanning it, I can see a number of persons whose passing leaves the world a lot poorer, although in the case of Bin Laden and Jong-Il, their passing leaves the world a little safer than before.

1. Harry Morgan, 96 - while he is best known for his role as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on the hit comedy M*A*S*H, I will always remember him as the voice of Carolinus, the green wizard from the animated movie "Flight of Dragons".
2. Anne McCaffrey, 85 - sci-fi writer, creator of the world of Pern
3. Vaclav Havel, 75 - writer and leader of the Czech Republic
4. Joe Simon, 98 - co-creator of Captain America
5. Eduardo Barreto, 57 - comic book artist
6. Andy Rooney, 92 - "60 Minutes" commentator
7. Steve Jobs, 56 - the public face of Apple and innovator
8. Dennis Ritchie, 70 - creator of the C programming language
9. Randy Savage, 58 - "The Macho Man", wrestler
10. Osama Bin Laden, 54 - terrorist and architect of the 9/11 attacks
11. Michael Gough, 94 - actor. He played Alfred in the Michael Keaton "Batman" movies
12. Dwayne McDuffie, 49 - comic book and cartoon writer
13. Joe Frazier, 67 - boxer
14. Elizabeth Taylor, 79 - actress
15. Kim Jong-Il, 69 (?) - dictator of North Korea
16. Amy Winehouse, 27 - singer and songwriter
17. Gene Colan, 84 - comic book artist
18. Peter Falk, 73 - actor. He played the grandfather narrator in "The Princess Bride"
19, Pete Postlethwaite, 64 - actor
20. Harmon Killebrew - baseball player, and member of the 500-home run club

On the local side,

1. Edith Tiempo, 92 - writer, National Artist
2. Fe del Mundo, 99 - pioneering pediatrician
3. Agapito Lozada, 72 - Olympic swimmer
4. Regalado Maambong, 72 - '86 Constitutional Commission member
5. Alejandro Roces, 86 - statesman and writer
6. Federico Alcuaz, 78 - artist

And, of course, on the very local side, I will miss Manong Nelson Abilong, one of the long-time security guards in the High School.

At the same time, I will also remember the victims of the various tragedies both here and abroad, including those affected by the earthquakes in Japan, as well as the numerous victims of the Philippine typhoons, especially "Pedring" and "Sendong".

Year-ender: Feeding My Mind (Movies)

2011-12-28T23:29:00.002+08:00

Normally, in the past, whenever I watched a movie, I was able to write about it in my blog. However, once more due to the lack of time, this wasn't possible going into the close of the year. At the same time, due to family concerns, watching a movie was difficult because either one, it had to be with the kids, or two, my wife and I had to make sure that there was someone who would be with the kids while we watched something more adult-level. Another factor curtailing movie-viewing was the prohibitive prices of theaters nowadays. Gone are the days that going to the movies was a cheap form of entertainment.

These were the movies we were able to watch in the theater going into the end of the year:

1. Captain America: The First Avenger

Part of the summer blockbuster gang, this movie failed to disappoint, and merely whetted our appetite for the upcoming "Avengers" movie. Chris Evans was great as the iconic Captain, and Hugo Weaving basically repeated his Agent Smith persona, albeit with a red skull for a face. Tommy Lee Jones had a witty role as the crotchety commanding officer.

2. Breaking Dawn, Part One

I got roped into this one as a favor to my wife, so I tried to be game about it. However, the following things are clear: one, each of the major characters (Bella, Edward and Jacob) really only have a limited number of facial expressions; two, the story continues to be blah, with major holes in logic and plot; and three, one of the few bright spots is the fight scene between the vampires and werewolves, although the lack of actual casualties makes me wonder what the body count in the upcoming "Underworld" sequel will be.

3. Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

There are mixed feelings about this almost-live action rendition of Tintin by Steven Spielberg (and produced by Peter Jackson). However, like Jackson's rendition of "The Lord of the Rings", it's likely that this will be the only time we will get to see the intrepid young reporter on the big screen. Two of the scenes caused my youngest daughter to laugh uncontrollably; I won't spoil them for those who have yet to watch the movie.

4. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Brad Bird ("The Incredibles") directed the fourth installment of the "Mission Impossible" series. I didn't realize that the first movie came out in 1996, but, 15 years later, the series hasn't lost its style. Tom Cruise continues to impress in this movie, with great performances from Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner. Ving Rhames makes a cameo in the end.

The Corona Impeachment Case: Opening Salvos

2011-12-28T08:08:00.000+08:00

As we make our way towards the year 2012, the political fireworks haven't ended.

Embattled Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona submitted his reply to the eight Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. On initial reading, it's interesting to note the following things:

1. Unlike former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, who was also facing impeachment by pro-Erap congressmen, Corona is not respected by the public, as shown by his negative approval ratings, the lowest for any post-EDSA I sitting Chief Justice. Thus, the "state of bewilderment" that he claims the nation is in only exists in the minds of the pro-Corona and pro-GMA camps. One will also note that there appears to be no public outcry over Corona's impeachment, the same lack of outcry over the arrest of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

2. The snub of President Aquino, while rude and a probable breach of protocol, is consistent with the President's assertion that Corona's appointment as Chief Justice was a midnight appointment by outgoing President Arroyo.

3. Among the anti-Aquino crowd, the common thread being woven is that the impeachment of Corona is in retaliation for the Supreme Court's decision on Hacienda Luisita. Corona's response to the articles includes this insinuation.

4. Corona assails the impeachment complaint as "a partisan orgy, devoid of any mature deliberation and of lawful purpose whatsoever". I wonder what his thoughts on the impeachment complaints against Arroyo (quashed by a "paid" House) would have been.

5. It's interesting how Corona's response attempts to paint himself as a defender of democracy, that the impeachment complaint against him is an "attack on the Constitution itself".

After his opening statements, Corona answers, point by point, each of the articles of impeachment. This is something I'll have to devote some time to study. I'll probably write about each article of impeachment in separate posts

Predictably, the House prosecution panel, through Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo, labeled Corona's response as "weak", although the main reason Rep. Quimbo gave was that there was no verification, e.g. Corona's signature on the document.

What I'm not too clear about is the argument of prosecution panel member and Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares that the assertion of Corona that the Supreme Court's decisions are collegial does not matter because each justice is supposed to be independent and impartial. According to Colmenares, despite the collegial decision, a justice can be considered biased towards a party, and therefore be impeached for this bias. So, the prosecution panel plans to treat CJ Corona as an individual justice, which, I guess, is in line with the assertion that only Corona, and not the judiciary as an institution, is to be convicted.

With these opening salvos in place, it looks like it's going to be an interesting impeachment trial, to say the least.

Year-ender: Feeding My Mind (Books)

2011-12-26T22:06:00.003+08:00

As people who are familiar with me know, I am a voraciousreader, and, this year, I continued to explore the world of books. I’ve writtenabout what I’d read by mid year; below are some of the books I’ve read sincethen.

1. UnseenAcademicals by Terry Prachett - ****

2. ChewOn This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson - ****

3. WaiterRant by Steve Dublanica - *****

4. GhostStory by Jim Butcher - *****

5. SideJobs by Jim Butcher - *****

6. PacificRims by Rafe Bartholemew - *****

7. AmeliaRules, Books 6 and 7 by Jimmy Gownley - *****

8. TheEmpire series by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts - *****

9. Northand South by John Jakes - *****

10. Loveand War by John Jakes - *****

Still a good number of fantasy books are in the mix,although there are more non-fiction books (Chew On This, Waiter Rant andPacific Rims) included. There are also two historical fiction books, as Imanaged to read John Jakes’ wonderful narrative about the American Civil War.I’d been hunting down the second book, Love and War, for the longest time, andfinally found it in Fully Booked, Bonifacio High Street last November. I’dactually had a complete set of the trilogy, but it mysteriously went missing.

I’m currently reading:

1. Snuffby Terry Prachett – the newest Prachett book is disappointing so far, since thewriting style is so different from Prachett’s previous books. Still, I’mslogging through it, in the hopes that it’ll get better.

2. Underground by Haruki Murakami – Murakami’s collectedaccount of the sarin gas poisoning in the Tokyo subways in March 1995 is a powerfulread so far. I wish I could understand Japanese to get the more direct account(The English version is translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Philip Gabriel).

3. Feetof Clay, and Thief of Time by Terry Prachett – I think I’m reading these two tobalance out Snuff.

Next year, I’m planning to reread, for the umpteenth time,the Lord of the Rings trilogy, plus the Silmarillion and the Hobbit, inanticipation of the release of “The Hobbit” in December 2012. Yes, I know. I’ma geek.

And I’m proud of it.

Year-ender: Unwritten Posts

2011-12-26T22:04:00.000+08:00

With Christmas Day come and gone, it’s a mad dash to the endof the year, and before we know it, 2012 will be greeting us with thetraditional bang of noisemakers and fireworks. As always, many start lookingback at the year that was. Year-ender stories can be found in newspapers, andweb sites, and I’m no exception. So, for the next few posts I can managebetween now and December 31, 2011, I’ll be looking back on the year 2011, andall of the memorable details this year has wrought.

It’s been a mostly down year as far as blogging goes, aswork and family kept me busy enough that collecting my thoughts and jottingthem down was a Herculean task; in fact, for the first time, I’m looking at ayear with less than a hundred posts. Looking back on the year 2011, there are anumber of posts I would’ve liked to have written about, but was unable to doso. Some of the events or issues that I would have liked to have focused on,but didn’t include, in no particular order:

1. TheNBA lockout

Actually, I was prepared to write about this topic; I even managed to doquite a bit of research. Unfortunately, I got overtaken by work, and by thefact that the owners and the players managed to get their act together and cometo terms. While the terms aren’t satisfactory for everybody, they’re stillsubstantially better than what a lot of people are getting in the US. If I hadwritten about this issue, I would’ve scored both sides for their greed andinsensitivity to economic realities.

2. TheReproductive Health (RH) Bill

While I have written about this issue in the past, I’ve remained silenton it in recent times since it’s a sensitive issue, and I don’t want to getinto trouble writing about my beliefs on the matter. What I do know is thatboth the pro- and anti- sides of the RH Bill have painted themselves intoideological corners, and no middle ground is possible.

3. TheFreedom of Information (FOI) Bill

I’m disappointed that the President has not prioritized this bill asurgent, to enable transparency in government. However, I realize that nofreedom is absolute, and any FOI bill has to have safeguards in order to makesure that the information obtained through it is used responsibly. It’s one ofthe issues that I have to read up on, though.

4. Komikon2011

Last November 19, 2011, the second Komikon for the year was held inPasig, and it was a heavily attended event. I wasn’t able to write about myexperiences that day due to lack of time, but since Komikon’s not really atime-specific event, maybe I can still write about it in the near future(assuming I can still remember everything that happened that day.).

5. Re-consecrationof the High School Chapel

The Ateneo de Manila High School Chapel underwent major renovations overthe past year, prompting the Jesuits to move the altar out of it. When theChapel was ready to be used again, the very first Mass held there included there-consecration of the altar, an event that I don’t think many of us have thechance to attend. It was an indelible point of High School history, and, Idon’t know about the rest of the community, but I was very glad to have beenthere.

6. AniMo, Ani Ko, Alay ng Ateneo 2011 (AMAKANA 2011)

Every other year, the High School holds Ani Mo, Ani Ko, which is acelebration of the myriad talents of the students, as well as some of theteachers. It is a two-day event, with one day marked for literary, artistic andmusical events, and the other for the Fun Run and Fun Laro events. After allwas said and done, everybody who was involved in the event was tired butfulfilled and happy nonetheless, as the whole event was an explosion of talentand camaraderie.

7. Therise of the Azkals

I’m not much of a football fan, but I am amazed how the Azkals snared thehearts of the Filipinos and raised the sport of football (soccer) to a level ofobsession in Filipinos approaching that of basketball and boxing.

8. TheSoutheast Asian (SEA) Games debacle

Another victim of time lack, my thoughts on the SEA Games debacle,wherein we finished with one of the lowest gold medal totals our country hasgarnered in the years competing, would have been that of anger towards thepoliticization of our athletic program, and the lack of a true grassrootssports development program.

9. Writingabout opinion columnists

Reading the newspapers on a daily basis, I’ve come to identify some ofthe various biases and foci that opinion columnists have in their writing. Someare extremely skewed in their writing; few are truly objective and clear intheir analysis of issues. This is actually a topic I’ve been playing aroundwith for the past few years. What I would’ve liked to have done is do awrite-up of each of the columnists, and analyze their biases, their focus onparticular topics, and so forth. Maybe next year will be the year that I dothis.

10. TheArab Spring

25years ago, we Filipinos took it upon ourselves to oust an oppressive regimefrom power. From there, a number of countries, particularly in Eastern Europe,shook off their own chains of oppression, and embraced freedom. This year, anumber of countries in the Arab region have experienced similar uprisings. Insome countries, such as Egypt and Libya, the ages-old dictators were toppled.In others, such as Syria, the oppression continues, as the leaders use everytool at their disposal to crush the opposition. The situation is still veryvolatile, and is likely to continue into the next year.

Advanced Greetings

2011-12-23T10:24:00.000+08:00

With Christmas just two days away, I'm not sure if I'll manage to post anything by then, so I'd like to take the time to greet all of my readers (the 20 who are following, and the nameless few) an advanced merry Christmas. Thanks for reading my blog; while I write simply to get my thoughts down onto print, it's nice to know that there are people out there who read my posts.

After Christmas, I'm hoping to put up my year-ender posts, to look back on the year that was, and try to sum up how I feel about the coming year. It's been up and down, as far as writing goes this year, and I'm probably not going to reach a hundred posts for the first time in the seven years I've maintained this blog. Ironic, since I titled my blog as "Daily Musings". Still, I'm going to keep slogging on as far as I can, writing about my observations on the world and life, in general.

Merry Christmas, all. :D

P.S. If I do manage to put up any posts in the next two days, yay for me. :D

In the Wake of 'Sendong': Light in the Darkness

2011-12-22T12:21:00.001+08:00

In the wake of typhoon 'Sendong', I find myself both saddened and amazed.

I am saddened by the destruction and death wrought by the killer rains. As of this writing, the death toll has now passed the one-thousand mark, and is still likely to rise. People affected by the floods struggle to piece back their lives together. Families are scattered, with many losing someone precious to them. Whole communities have been wiped out by the floods, and questions rise about the wisdom of settling in those areas to begin with.

Despite all these, it's amazing, and touching, to see that the spirit of the Filipino remains indefatigable. As soon as word came out about the tragedy, people hurriedly mobilized themselves, and relief operations began almost immediately. The spirit of Christmas was strong in the air, as people willingly gave of themselves in order to help those in need. The stories of generosity are as numerous as of those of tragedy. While the giving will not erase the horrors that people in the affected areas have experienced, at least it will help ease the burden, and maybe help these people rise from the ashes.

It is said that the brightest of lights shines in the darkest of times. I'm glad that our countrymen have risen to the occasion, and have proven this to be true.

Traffic Rant: Rage Against Pollution

2011-12-22T11:57:00.001+08:00

When I drive to work along Commonwealth Avenue in the early morning, there's a smoky gray haze blanketing the road. It becomes even more apparent as I approach the Tandang Sora Ave. flyover, as it dirties the morning air. That, of course, is the pollution, much of it coming from the vehicles which ply Commonwealth Ave. everyday.

If our government officials can pry their attention away from the political circus involving the President and the Supreme Court, they will notice that the problem of pollution seems to have worsened over the past few years. This pollution is responsible for many a respiratory or allergenic problem, and endangers the health of Filipinos living in the metropolis, if not the entire country.

Despite this, the officials in charge of motor vehicles and traffic, the LTO, the LTFRB, and the MMDA, as well as local government officials seem oblivious or indifferent to the problem. Everyday, as I make my way to work, it is not uncommon to see buses, jeepneys, and private vehicles spewing black smoke, obscuring one's driving view, and adding to the already suffocating smog that pervades the city. These vehicles often pass by traffic enforcers, both from the MMDA and local government, yet these enforcers do nothing to apprehend these polluting violators.

It used to be, once in a while, the government would come out in force against smoke belchers, the same way the MMDA does now against speeders and motorcyclists along Commonwealth Ave., only to be struck by the malady of ningas kugon, and disappear after a few days. Now, these anti-smoke belching drives are no longer seen.

The proliferation of smoke belchers is strange, considering that, in order to register a vehicle, one has to be able to submit emission test results. It implies that perhaps unscrupulous vehicle owners are taking short cuts in order to bypass the emission tests.

Once more, the crooked road makes itself known. Here's hoping that our government officials would wake up and crack down on these offenders. However, I'm holding my breath in the meantime.

* * *

On another note, I'm wondering what has happened to the crackdown on erring buses. After around two or three bus companies' franchises were either suspended or canceled in the wake of the wildcat strike they held last year, the LTO seems to have slacked off on its slapping of sanctions. At the same time, at least along Commonwealth Ave., there's a wealth of violations committed by buses on a daily basis: smoke belching, speeding, letting off passengers in the middle of the road, and so on.

It appears that bus companies, its owners and its drivers, have learned nothing from the past, and are blatantly thumbing their noses at the government. It makes me wonder how much the owners have had to shell out in order to avoid prosecution. I can only wish that the government and the media would pay more attention to issues outside of the political realm, and pay attention to issues that directly affect the public.

The Corona Impeachment Case: Senate Prognostication

2011-12-20T15:31:00.000+08:00

The battlefield over the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona has been moved to the Senate, with the transmission of the impeachment complaint by the House. It will be interesting to see how the Senate will decide the matter.

While, technically, the Senators are supposed to judge the impeachment case on its merits, given the evidence presented by both sides, the previous impeachment trial of former President and convicted plunderer Joseph Estrada has shown us that, despite the evidence presented, the Senators are likely to vote based on their political and personal preferences. While it carries the trappings of a judicial case, impeachment, after all, is a political exercise, and evidence will likely be damned in the face of the Senators' leanings.

It's still early, but I'd like to take a look at the current set of Senators, who will be sitting in the impeachment trial as judges, and see whether we can discern how each will likely vote. When the impeachment trial starts next year, I'm probably going to update the prognostications based on the Senators' actions. Keep in mind that an impeachment conviction requires a two-thirds vote by the Senate, so 16 Senators will have to vote for conviction to remove Justice Corona from office.

The Senator-Judges (Party, if any, in parentheses):

1. Edgardo Angara (LDP) - Sen. Angara was the Executive Secretary of Estrada, and it was his diary which was apparently the basis of his leader's 'constructive resignation'. Still, he has shown himself to be fairly objective, so I'm betting he will likely try to vote according to his conscience. Prediction: neutral, could go either way.

2. Joker Arroyo (Lakas-Kampi) - Sen. Arroyo has been consistent in his criticism of the Aquino administration, despite the fact that he had previously served as Executive Secretary during the administration of President Aquino's mother, the late President Corazon Aquino. If I'm not mistaken, he has already condemned the impeachment complaint, so it's probably no surprise as to how he will vote. Prediction: no to conviction.

3. Alan Peter Cayetano (Nacionalista) - Sen. Cayetano has been a consistent critic of the Arroyo administration, so it's likely he will vote for conviction. However, being a member of the Nacionalista Party, he is also an ally of Sen. Manuel Villar, who ran against President Aquino in last year's elections. His vote will probably depend on Sen. Villar's position come trial time. Prediction: Likely yes for conviction.

4. Pia Cayetano (Nacionalista) - The sister of Sen. Alan Cayetano, Sen. Pia Cayetano has kept a rather low profile as of late, and, thus, has kept her cards close to her chest. I'm not sure how she will vote on the case, but I'll go out on a limb, and say that she will probably vote according to her conscience. Prediction: Neutral for now.

5. Franklin Drilon (Liberal) - Sen. Drilon is one of President Aquino's allies in the Senate. Enough said. Prediction: Yes for conviction.

6. Jinggoy Estrada (PMP) - Sen. Estrada is a wild card for now, since he is both an enemy of Arroyo, which would make a yes vote likely, and a son of Estrada, who was impeached. I presume his feelings towards Arroyo will probably determine his vote. Prediction: Yes for conviction.

7. Francis Escudero (Independent) - Sen. Escudero is an ally of the President, but, since he is not affiliated with the Liberal Party, he will likely vote according to his conscience. Prediction: Neutral for now.

8. Teofisto Guingona III (Liberal) - Another ally of the President in the Senate, Sen. Guingona will vote along party lines. Prediction: Yes for conviction.

9. Gregorio Honasan II (Independent) - Sen. Honasan isn't really a free-thinker, and will likely vote along the lines of his ally, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. Prediction: Neutral for now.

10. Panfilo Lacson (Independent) - After hiding abroad for more than a year, Sen. Lacson resurfaced after murder charges against him were dropped. Since he was practically welcomed back with open arms by President Aquino, he will likely vote accordingly. Prediction: Yes for conviction.

11. Manuel Lapid (Lakas-Kampi) - A Senator of no strong convictions, Sen. Lapid is one of those Senators who make a case as to why we shouldn't vote for celebrities on their being popular alone. Nominally, he belongs to Arroyo's party, so he will probably vote according to party lines, although I wouldn't put it past him to be 'convinced' to vote for conviction. Prediction: No for now.

12. Loren Legarda (Nacionalista) - The consummate political butterfly, Sen. Legarda has thrown her lot with whichever party she thinks will help her win. Since she is likely to run for a second term in 2013, it is likely that she'll vote with whatever the popular sentiment will be. Prediction: Yes for conviction.

13. Ferdinand Marcos Jr (Nacionalista) - Sen. Marcos has been a staunch critic of the Aquino administration, so it is likely that he will vote accordingly. Prediction: No for conviction.

14. Sergio Osmena III (PDP-Laban) - Despite belonging to the ruling coalition, Sen. Osmena has shown an independent streak in the past, and he is likely to display that streak during the trial. He will probably be objective about the trial, and vote according to his conscience. Prediction: Neutral.

15. Francis Pangilinan (Liberal) - Sen. Pangilinan is a party-mate of President Aquino, and will vote accordingly. Prediction: Yes for conviction.

16. Aquilino Pimentel III (PDP-Laban) - A beneficiary of the Senate Electoral Tribunal, Sen. Pimentel will likely vote with the ruling coalition. Prediction: Yes for conviction.

17. Juan Ponce Enrile (PMP) - The Senate President is the consummate survivor, and will likely vote according to his conscience. Prediction: Neutral.

18. Ralph Recto (Liberal) - Another party-mate of President Aquino, Sen. Recto will vote along party lines. Prediction: Yes for conviction.

19. Ramon Bong Revilla (Lakas-Kampi) - Sen. Revilla belongs to Arroyo's party, and will likely vote along party lines. Prediction: No to conviction.

20. Miriam Defensor-Santiago (PRP) - It's difficult to read with whom Sen. Santiago currently sides. On one hand, she is probably grateful for the support she received in winning a seat on the International Criminal Court. On the other hand, she has shown to be independent and unpredictable. It's anybody's guess how she will vote. Prediction: Neutral.

21. Vicente Sotto III (NPC) - It will be interesting to see whether Sen. Sotto has shed his image as one of the 'balato' twins (along with former Senator Tessie Aquino-Oreta) during the Estrada impeachment. If not, it's likely that he will be 'convinced' to vote accordingly. Prediction: Likely yes for conviction.

22. Antonio Trillanes IV (Independent) - Sen. Trillanes was freed from prison by President Aquino, and 'utang na loob' is a strong cultural Filipino quality. Prediction: Yes for conviction.

23. Manuel Villar Jr. (Nacionalista) - The Nacionalista Party President was a bitter rival of President Aquino during the 2010 elections, although he finished a dismal third in the final tally. It will be interesting to see how he will act during this trial, considering that, as House Speaker, it was he who transmitted the Estrada impeachment to the Senate. Prediction: Neutral.

So, the initial tally is: 11 yes, 4 no, and 8 undecided. It will be those 8 who will determine Justice Corona's fate in the Senate trial.

The Corona Impeachment Case: The Articles of Impeachment

2011-12-20T14:33:00.004+08:00

Just for clarity's sake, I'm posting the articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona (taken from the Bombo Radyo website). It'll also be a handy reference for me for future posts.

SUMMARY OF THE IMPEACHMENT COMPLAINT vs CHIEF JUSTICE CORONA

I. RESPONDENT BETRAYED THE PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH HIS TRACK RECORD MARKED BY PARTIALITY AND SUBSERVIENCE IN CASES INVOLVING THE ARROYO ADMINISTRATION FROM THE TIME OF HIS APPOINTMENT AS SUPREME COURT JUSTICE WHICH CONTINUED TO HIS DUBIOUS APPOINTMENT AS A MIDNIGHT CHIEF JUSTICE AND UP TO THE PRESENT.

« Midnight Appointments in violation against Sec. 15, Article VII of Constitution

« Arturo de Castro v. Judicial and Bar Council and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, et. al., SC held that the prohibition does not apply to SC but only to executive department and other courts lower than SC.

« Indeed, Newsbreak report showed that he has consistently sided with the (Arroyo) administration in politically-significant cases. Newsbreak further reported when it tracked the voting pattern of Supreme Court justices, Corona lodged a high 78 percent in favor of Arroyo¨

« A table shows that in 10 cases show respondent's voting pattern in cases involving Arroyo government's frontal assaults on constitutional rights prior to his appointment as Chief Justice.

« During his tenure as Chief Justice, Respondent also sided with Arroyo in the following 3 cases such as in (1) Biraogo v. The Philippine Truth Commission of 2010, (2) Bai Omera D. Dianalan-Lucman v. Executive(revoking midnight appointments) and (3) Aquino vs. COMELEC (redefining districts of CamSur)

II. RESPONDENT COMMITTED CULPABLE VIOLATION OF THE CONSTITUTION AND/OR BETRAYED THE PUBLIC TRUST WHEN HE FAILED TO DISCLOSE TO THE PUBLIC HIS STATEMENT OF ASSETS, LIABILITIES, AND NET WORTH AS REQUIRED UNDERSEC. 17, ART. XI OF THE 1987 CONSTITUTION.

« Respondent failed to disclose to the public his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth as required by the Constitution.

« Some of the properties of Respondent are not included in his declaration of his assets, liabilities, and net worth, in violation of the anti-graft and corrupt practices act.

« Respondent is suspected of having accumulated ill-gotten wealth, acquiring assets of high values and keeping bank accounts with huge deposits (among others, a 300-sq. meter apartment in the Fort in Taguig).

III. RESPONDENT COMMITTED CULPABLE VIOLATIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION AND BETRAYED THE PUBLIC TRUST BY FAILING TO MEET AND OBSERVE THE STRINGENT STANDARDS UNDER ART. VIII, SECTION 7 (3) OF THE CONSTITUTION THAT PROVIDES THAT [A] MEMBER OF THE JUDICIARY MUST BE A PERSON OF PROVEN COMPETENCE, INTEGRITY, PROBITY, AND INDEPENDENCE IN ALLOWING THE SUPREME COURT TO ACT ON MERE LETTERS FILED BY A COUNSEL WHICH CAUSED THE ISSUANCE OF FLIP-FLOPPING DECISIONS IN FINAL AND EXECUTORY CASES; IN CREATING AN EXCESSIVE ENTANGLEMENT WITH MRS. ARROYO THROUGH HER APPOINTMENT OF HIS WIFE TO OFFICE; AND IN DISCUSSING WITH LITIGANTS REGARDING CASES PENDING BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT.

« Respondent previously served Arroyo as her chief of staff, spokesman when she was Vice-President, Presidential Chief-of-Staff, Presidential Spokesman, and Acting Executive Secretary.

o Flip-flopping of the Corona Court on FASAP vs. PAL on a mere letter from Philippine Airlines counsel Atty. Estelito Mendoza (and also in the flip-flopping case of League of Cities v. COMELEC)

« Respondent compromised his independence when his wife, Cristina Corona, accepted an appointment as on March 23, 2007 from President Arroyo to the Board of the John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC) in violation of Code of Judicial Conduct

o serious complaints were filed against Mrs. Corona by her fellow board members because of acts of misconduct and negligence. Instead, on acting on the complaint, the complainants were removed and Mrs. Corona promoted as OIC board chair

« Respondent has been reportedly using the judicial fund as his own personal expense account, charging to the Judiciary personal expenditures.

« Respondent Corona discussed with litigants (Lauro Vizconde and Dante Jimenez) regarding the Vizconde massacre case, which was then pending before the SC and accused fellow Justice Carpio for lobbying for acquittal, in violation of Code of Conduct and Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act

« Respondent Corona irregularly dismissed the Inter-petal Recreational Corporation case under suspicious circumstances.

IV. RESPONDENT BETRAYED THE PUBLIC TRUST AND/OR COMMITTED CULPABLE VIOLATION OF THE CONSTITUTION WHEN IT BLATANTLY DISREGARDED THE PRINCIPLE OF SEPARATION OF POWERS BY ISSUING A STATUS QUO ANTE ORDER AGAINST THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN THE CASE CONCERNING THE IMPEACHMENT OF THEN OMBUDSMAN MERCEDITAS NAVARRO-GUTIERREZ.

« Respondent railroaded the proceedings in the Guttierez case in order to have a Status Quo Ante Order issued in her favor.

o Newsbreak showed that most of the justices received the Petition after the deliberations, while three (3) justices (Velasco, Bersamin and Perez) who voted to issue the Status Quo Ante Order received the petition a day after the status quo ante order was granted.

« Its issuance violated the principle of separation of powers since the Supreme Court prevented the House from initiating impeachment proceedings.

V. RESPONDENT COMMITTED CULPABLE VIOLATIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION THROUGH WANTON ARBITRARINESS AND PARTIALITY IN CONSISTENTLY DISREGARDING THE PRINCIPLE OF RES JUDICATA AND IN DECIDING IN FAVOR OF GERRY-MANDERING IN THE CASES INVOLVING THE 16 NEWLY-CREATED CITIES, AND THE PROMOTION OF DINAGAT ISLAND INTO A PROVINCE.

« Respondent violated the principle of the immutability of final judgments (flip-flopping) known to have been instigated through personal letters or ex-part ecommunications addressed to the Respondent:

o League of Cities v. COMELEC case involving the creation of 16 new cities,

o Navarro v. Ermita which involved the promotion of Dinagat Island from municipality to province

o FASAP v. Philippine Airlines, Inc., et al.

VI. RESPONDENT BETRAYED THE PUBLIC TRUST BY ARROGATING UNTO HIMSELF, AND TO A COMMITTEE HE CREATED, THE AUTHORITY AND JURISDICTION TO IMPROPERLY INVESTIGATE AN ALLEGED ERRING MEMBER OF THE SUPREME COURT FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXCULPATING HIM. SUCH AUTHORITY AND JURISDICTION IS PROPERLY REPOSED BY THE CONSTITUTION IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VIA IMPEACHMENT.

« Vinuya vs. Executive Secretary, it was alleged that rampant plagiarism was committed by the ponente, Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo

« It appears that, with a clear intent of exonerating a member of the Supreme Court, Respondent, in violation of the Constitution, formed an Ethics Committee thereby arrogating unto himself, and to a Committee he created, the authority and jurisdiction to investigate an alleged member of the Supreme Court.

VII. RESPONDENT BETRAYED THE PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH HIS PARTIALITY IN GRANTING A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER (TRO) IN FAVOR OF FORMER PRESIDENT GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO AND HER HUSBAND JOSE MIGUEL ARROYO IN ORDER TO GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO ESCAPE PROSECUTION AND TO FRUSTRATE THE ENDS OF JUSTICE, AND IN DISTORTING THE SUPREME COURT DECISION ON THE EFFECTIVITY OF THE TRO IN VIEW OF A CLEAR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE CONDITIONS OF THE SUPREME COURT'S OWN TRO.

« The Supreme Court, under the Respondent, immediately acted upon the Petition and granted the TRO despite the fact that there are clear inconsistencies in former President Arroyo's petition

« It appears from reports that the ponente to whom the petitions were raffled was an Associate Justice. Under the Internal Rules of the Supreme Court, a TRO can only be considered upon the recommendation of the ponente. In view of certain objections against the grant of the TRO, a holding of a hearing within the short period of five (5) days was recommended. Despite this recommendation, the respondent engineered a majority of 8 votes (as against five dissenters) the immediate grant and issuance of the TRO in favour of former President Arroyo and her husband in blatant violation of their own internal rules.

« Despite the conditions laid by the SC for the issuance of the TRO, Respondent allowed the issuance of the TRO notwithstanding the fact there was noncompliance of an essential pre-condition

o Due to the Arroyos' abject failure to comply with Condition 2, the Supreme Court en banc in its November 18, 2011 deliberations, by a vote of 7 V6, found that there was no compliance with the second condition of the TRO.
Consequently, for failure to comply with an essential condition for the TRO, the TRO is not effective. However, by a vote of 7-6, the Supreme Court decided there was no need to explicitly state the legal effect on the TRO of the noncompliance by petitioners with Condition Number 2 of the earlier Resolution.

o However, the SC decided that the TRO was effective despite noncompliance with an essential condition of the TRO. It is notable that Respondent did not chastise Marquez for his outrightly false and public misrepresentation.

Worse, the Respondent did not correct the decision that was issued despite the fact that the decision did not reflect the agreement and decision made by the Supreme Court during their deliberations on November 18, 2011.

VIII. RESPONDENT BETRAYED THE PUBLIC TRUST AND/OR COMMITTED GRAFT AND CORRUPTION WHEN HE FAILED AND REFUSED TOACCOUNT FOR THE JUDICIARY DEVELOPMENT FUND (JDF) AND SPECIAL ALLOWANCE FOR THE JUDICIARY (SAJ) COLLECTIONS.

« Respondent has reportedly failed and refused to report on the status of the JDF Funds and the SAJ collections.

« There is likewise the reported failure of Respondent to account for funds released and spent for unfilled positions in the judiciary and from authorized and funded but not created courts.

o In particular, the annual audit report of the Supreme Court of the Philippines contained the observation that unremitted funds to the Bureau of Treasury amounted to P5.38 billion

o the Special allowance for Judiciary along with the General Fund, Judiciary Development Fund in the amount of P559.5 Million were misstated resulting from delayed and/or non-preparation of bank reconciliation statements and non-recording /uncorrected reconciling items.

The Corona Impeachment Case: Two Minds

2011-12-20T14:22:00.000+08:00

Regarding the current issue of the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, I am of two minds on the issue.

On one hand, I wouldn't mind if Corona is removed from his position, as his appointment as Chief Justice was clearly a political accommodation, as well as a midnight appointment, by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. His acceptance of the appointment, aided and abetted by fellow Arroyo appointees in the SC, has tainted the credibility of the SC ever since. Other decisions, such as the del Castillo plagiarism case, wherein the SC justices practically redefined what plagiarism was in order to protect one of their own, have strengthened this lack of credibility.

It also didn't help that Justice Corona, faced with impeachment, blasted President Aquino's apparent desire to control the judiciary, and labeled the popular leader as a 'dictator'. As one commenter noted, Justice Corona forgets that President Aquino was popularly elected, while he was merely appointed by Arroyo, his 'patron', and under suspicious circumstances, at that, considering that the other Arroyo appointees (except Justices Nachura and Velasco, who stated that voting on the issue was premature, as well as Corona himself, who inhibited) basically reinterpreted the Constitution in order to defend Arroyo's appointment of Corona.

At the same time, I am very bothered by the heavy-handed tactics employed by the Aquino administration to impeach Justice Corona. It doesn't help that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who appears to be giving former Injustice Secretary Raul Gonzalez a run for his money in terms of arrogance, has been combative towards the Chief Justice and the SC: first, by ignoring a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Court, and, second, by warning the SC that the President aims to reclaim the SC for the people.

It's also troubling that not all of the 188 representatives who signed the impeachment complaint had actually read the complaint, which implies that Arroyo-style tactics of arm-twisting via the pork barrel may have been employed to obtain the signatures.

In addition, Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas, Jr., the chairman of the House justice committee, stated that, aside from Justice Corona and SC Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, two other SC justices will also be impeached. Thus far, the two justices have not been named.

These statements by de Lima and Tupas hint that the Aquino administration appears to be launching an all-out attack on the judiciary, no matter what presidential spokespersons have stated to the contrary. If this is the case, the Aquino administration is not doing the country a favor by weakening the judiciary arm of government, as this may cause people to resort to vigilante justice in order to seek redress.

By all means, I am for impeaching Justice Corona, but only if due process is followed, and there is sufficient evidence to back up the articles of impeachment. If the Aquino administration is simply going to use the tyranny of numbers to convict Corona, then that would not be justice, merely an arrogant exercise of power.

Typhoon 'Sendong'

2011-12-19T05:59:00.000+08:00

Amidst the current political strife, the country was jolted back to reality with the horrific damage and loss of life wrought by typhoon 'Sendong' (International name: Washi). Taking people by surprise in the dead of the night, 'Sendong' roared through Mindanao and parts of Visayas in the middle of the night, and, in its wake, left a trail of death and devastation not seen since the likes of typhoons 'Ondoy' and 'Pepeng' two years ago.

So far, 650 people lost their lives in the tragedy, hundreds remain missing, and thousands are left homeless and in need of help.

My prayers go out to the people affected by this natural disaster.

Mea Culpa

2011-12-07T06:35:00.001+08:00

With his current tirades against the Supreme Court, ChiefJustice Renato Corona and the previous administration, President Aquino woulddo well to remember the Biblical passage about removing the plank from one’seye before removing the mote from that of another.

While I agree with some of his points, such as the apparent‘midnight appointment’ of Chief Justice Corona by former President GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo, aided and abetted by her appointees in the Supreme Court, hislambasting of the Court and its Chief Justice during a public forum, with noless than the Chief Justice sitting in the audience, leaves a sour taste in themouth. As some have already pointed out, it was crass and tasteless, andunbecoming of a national leader.

It would still have been wrong, but people would probablynot have been so turned off by the President’s remarks if his administrationhad actually accomplished anything noteworthy in uplifting the state of theFilipino people. If the Aquino administration had actually taken more concretesteps in combating corruption beyond the banning of the wang-wang, it would have the moral high ground from which tocastigate the previous administration and its faults.

However, the current administration has committed a numberof blunders and missteps that it’s difficult to continue to buy into the beliefthat it can lighten the country’s burdens.

The Manila hostage tragedy, happening so soon after thePresident had taken office, continues to haunt this administration by tarringit with the brush of incompetence. The fact that government officials who wereresponsible for the tragedy were not punished, and, in fact, continue to holdoffice in this administration shows that the ‘straight road’ that the Presidentespoused at the start of his term is still pretty crooked.

The boycotting of the Nobel Peace Prize awarding ceremony isanother blunder by the government. The Prize was to go to a Chinese dissident,which, of course, the Chinese government loudly protested, and called for aboycott. The Philippines was apparently all too glad to comply. The Presidentgave the reason being the apparent fact that the government was negotiatingwith the Chinese government to release three Filipinos slated to be executedfor being drug mules. The Aquino administration basically threw out itsprinciples to save the lives of three Filipinos who had committed heinouscrimes, and all it got was a stay of execution, as the three were simplyexecuted at a later date.

The perception that the Aquino administration appears tohave no clear road map with which to navigate is yet another black mark against it.Almost one and a half years have passed since President Aquino took office, andthere still seems to be no concrete plan for the country’s woes. The governmenthas been perceived to be exerting all its effort to jail Arroyo and attack theSupreme Court that it seems to have forgotten that there is a whole country torun. In author Tom Clancy’s “Executive Orders”, where Clancy’s main hero JackRyan has ascended to the Presidency, his chief of staff counsels him againstbeing too focused on just one issue. It is the job of the President to takecare of the entire country, and he (or she) cannot be too narrow-focused, orelse the country will suffer.

Granted, the Aquino administration’s faults appear to beborne out of incompetence, as compared to the rapacity and corruption thatmarked the Arroyo administration. However, whether it be incompetence orcorruption, the fact is neither will help our country, and President Aquino hasto remember that, while going after the corrupt is a noble cause, he has toremember that there’s the rest of the country to worry about as well.

Petulant

2011-12-05T14:13:00.001+08:00

President Noynoy Aquino just upped the ante in the game of brinksmanship that he's playing with the Supreme Court and Chief Justice Renato Corona.

In a speech he delivered today during the 1st National Criminal Justice Summit at the Manila Hotel, President Aquino lambasted both the SC and Chief Justice Corona, attacking both the questionable appointment of Corona as Chief Justice, and what he believes is the one-sidedness of the SC, particularly in decisions regarding former President and current Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. President Aquino also bemoaned the perceived obstruction of the SC in his drive for good government, such as the striking down of the Truth Commission.

All of these he delivered, with the Chief Justice in the audience.

I am of the agreement that Corona's appointment was questionable, since it fell under the time of the election ban. It was the Arroyo appointees in the Supreme Court who decided that their patron could appoint the Chief Justice despite the ban. They simply reinterpreted the provisions in the Constitution to make it possible.

However, there is a time and place for everything, and criticizing the Chief Justice in public is a no-no. President Aquino may not respect Corona, but he should still respect the position that Corona holds. By attacking the judiciary, President Aquino weakens the credibility and authority of a co-equal branch of government. If the judiciary arm should collapse, who will people turn to in order to seek redress? Who will determine what the law says and means? It's more than possible that people will take the law into their own hands, creating anarchy and chaos.

President Aquino's actions lack any civility and behavior befitting a President of the Philippines. Reading what he's supposed to have said in his speech, he comes off as a petulant child who didn't get what he wanted. Granted that he's frustrated with the slow and often obstructive wheels of justice, President Aquino could have dealt with the matter in a more mature way, by showing more respect for the members of the judiciary. Instead, by going after the Chief Justice in public, he has given more ammunition for his enemies and has turned off supporters such as myself, who had voted for him in the belief (mistaken?) that he would actually effect changes in our society.

Requiem, Manong Nelson

2011-11-25T00:29:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, "Manong" Nelson Abilong, one of the high school security guards, collapsed while directing traffic because of a heart attack. Efforts to resuscitate him failed, and he passed away on the way to the hospital.

I remember when I was first appointed one of the prefects last school year, and Manong, as I knew him then, greeted me with a grin as I entered my new office. That begun our morning routine: whenever I'd arrive, he'd be at his post right outside the prefects' office, and we'd greet each other a good morning as I passed on my way to my office. Last year, he was a great help in dealing with situations in the third year wing, always assisting my colleague (I was assigned to the second year last year.) in various cases involving students.

This year, his security agency's contract was up last September, and, the school decided to go with a different agency for the next rotation. I remember the faculty holding a going-away ceremony on their last day at work, and Manong was one of the guards who were able to be there for that. I remember him telling me that it was their last day, and I remember thanking him for all the help he'd given the school.

As luck would have it, he and another guard were allowed to be absorbed into the new security force, and, he resumed his post by the prefects' door after a few days of going through the paperwork, I guess. And our morning routine also resumed.

Yesterday morning, I remember greeting him for what was to be the last time. He didn't seem as if he was having any trouble; either that, or he was hiding it well. I first had an inkling of what happened when one of my friends in the high school posted on Facebook that she was sad, and I wondered why. During this time, I was doing some writing in the library, and I didn't hear anything untoward happening. It was only when I climbed up to the faculty workroom that I received the sad news.

Rest in peace, Manong Nelson. My prayers are for your peaceful repose and for your family, that they may be consoled during this trying time. Rest in peace, Manong. Your long guard is at an end. Go to your reward.

Journalistic Hypocrisy

2011-11-24T13:29:00.001+08:00

It's interesting to note how Inquirer columnist and former Arroyo press secretary Rigoberto Tiglao castigates the Aquino administration for having "spit upon the graves of the Maguindanao massacre victims" for having gone after Arroyo hammer and tongs, when, in fact, the massacre happened during Arroyo's watch. If it weren't for Arroyo's patronage and her turning a blind eye to the excesses of the Ampatuans, the tragedy could have been avoided.

Tiglao also criticizes his fellow journalists for utilizing what he calls "a student-paper gimmickry" in having their pictures in the Inquirer printed with their eyes closed. According to columnist Rina Jimenez-David, the pictures with the eyes closed is supposed to symbolize "a message not just of remembering what happened two years ago on this day, but also of reminding authorities not to close their eyes to the “culture of impunity” which gave rise to the massacre." Apparently, Tiglao isn't comfortable with that, considering that he himself aided and abetted that culture of impunity.

In a way then, Tiglao's column today is the one which spits on the graves of the massacre victims, since, though it, he shows his own blindness to the excesses of the administration which he served. He criticizes the Aquino administration for its ineptitude, but he remains quiet about the crimes of the Arroyo administration. He may have his eyes open in his column picture today, but he is even more blind than his colleagues. Because of this, he lacks the moral high ground with which to castigate and criticize the Aquino administration.

At the same time, though, I'm hoping that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has more evidence than just one witness allegedly overhearing then President Arroyo order then Comelec head Abalos to cheat in the 2007 elections. Otherwise, the case against Arroyo will simply collapse, and the accusations of political persecutions will sound louder.

Maguindanao Massacre: 2nd Anniversary Updates

2011-11-23T13:53:00.001+08:00

Today marks the second anniversary of the infamous Maguindanao massacre, wherein private army forces led by the Ampatuan clan killed 58 people, including 34 journalists. The massacre, a result of two political clans fighting against each other for control of the province, is the worst instance of political violence and the "single deadliest event for journalists" (Committee to Protect Journalists).

The tragedy was an eye-opener for media practitioners, since it was assumed that the presence of so many media people would have protected the Mangudadatus, who were filing their relative's certificate of candidacy despite dire threats from the Ampatuans. Sadly, this was not the case, and the journalists who accompanied the Mangudadatus simply helped to up the death total. The tragedy has been used to illustrate the culture of impunity that typified the previous administration.

According to the Wikipedia website of the event, "At least 198 suspects, including Andal Ampatuan Jr. and Andal Ampatuan Sr. and several other members of the Ampatuan clan, have been charged with murder." The case is currently being tried, although the snail's pace by which the trial is proceeding means that it could be years before any resolution can be reached.

The fallout from the massacre has finally reached beleaguered former President and current Pampanga representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, as the victims' relatives filed a civil case against her for her connections to the Ampatuans, to whom Arroyo had given arms. Under the concept of command responsibility, the relatives' lawyer, Harry Roque argued, Arroyo is partly responsible for the massacre, since she was the commander-in-chief of the army, which had armed the Ampatuans. Also, the Ampatuans were responsible for delivering the Maguindanao vote to Arroyo, which put her in debt to the political clan.

The worst thing that we can do is to simply forget that this tragedy ever happened, or let it be buried by the continuing barrage of issues that crop up on a daily basis. It is indifference that allowed people such as Arroyo and the Ampatuans to act with impunity. Let us continue to be vigilant, in order to ensure that the impunity is ended.

Requiem, Dragonrider of Pern

2011-11-23T12:55:00.001+08:00

Aside from J.R.R. Tolkien, one of the major influences on my love of fantasy is Anne McCaffrey, author of the Dragonriders of Pern series. Ironically, I only noticed that the series was actually listed as a science-fiction series after reading about six of the books (the original trilogy and the Harper Hall trilogy). It was only after reading Dragonsdawn that the science-fiction side of the story became a lot clearer. Still, the Pern series helped fuel my imagination and entertained me for many a year.

In Pern I was introduced to a plethora of interesting characters, both human and dragon. My absolute favorite was Masterharper Robinton, who was the moving force behind a number of storylines. McCaffrey also enjoyed creating and writing about strong female characters, such as the Weyrwoman Lessa, whose unequaled bravery helped save Pern.

I remember finding McCaffrey's email on the Web, and I gathered up the courage to write her about a error I discovered in Dolphins of Pern. To my surprise and delight, she wrote back, apologizing about it. She also seemed pleasantly surprised that her work was being read in the Philippines.

It was with great sadness that I learned of McCaffrey's passing at the ripe old age of 85 a while ago; she apparently died of a stroke. As Aivas quoted from the Bible, "To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven." Like Master Robinton, her time simply had come, and her long journey is at an end.

Rest in peace, Anne McCaffrey. Thank for the all the stories of dragons, and of teaching me to dream.

Update on Arroyo Travel Ban TRO

2011-11-18T15:10:00.001+08:00

UPDATE: The Supreme Court (SC) has denied the government's motion of reconsideration on the TRO allowing former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to leave the country, and has ordered Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to answer why she should not be held in contempt.

Well, I can't say I'm surprised. The Supreme Court is still primarily composed of Arroyo appointees, and it's understandable that they would uphold the TRO, after having voted 8-5 on it. What will be interesting to see will be Secretary de Lima's response to the SC.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has finally decided to file charges of electoral sabotage against the Arroyos, for allegedly having been involved in attempts to cheat in the 2007 elections. Due to this, the Comelec has asked the Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) to issue a hold departure order (HDO) on the Arroyos. Predictably, the Arroyo camp, led by Arroyo spokesperson Elenita Bautista-Horn and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio have accused the Comelec of railroading the case against the Arroyos. Atty. Topacio, in particular, said that he would be surprised if the RTC issues the HDO quickly. Of course, it's not surprising that the Arroyos were speedily able to: a) make multiple bookings in airlines; b) come up with P2 million in cold cash; and c) convince the SC to issue a TRO.

The manner by which the Arroyos have manipulated the system to benefit themselves is a continuation of the culture of impunity that pervaded the Arroyo administration. Here's hoping that the Aquino administration can figure a legal way out of this mess.

UPDATE: An arrest warrant has been issued against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on charges of electoral sabotage. The warrant effectively bars Arroyo from leaving the country. While the Arroyo camp has decried the alleged 'railroading' of the case, the SC, through spokesperson Atty. Midas Marquez, has stated that while the TRO stands, the warrant prevents Arroyo from leaving. There will probably be more to come in the next week.

The Ongoing DOJ-SC-Arroyo telenovela: Brinksmanship

2011-11-18T11:18:00.001+08:00

The current telenovela involving the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Supreme Court (SC), and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has reached brinksmanship levels, as we await the SC's decision regarding the perceived intransigence of DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima in defying the temporary restraining order (TRO) that allows Arroyo to leave the country.

It's easy to throw brickbats at the SC, since the eight justices who voted for the TRO are all appointees of Arroyo, raising the specter of the so-called Arroyo court making favorable decisions for their patron. It's easy to comment on the speed by which the SC decided on the TRO, and the alacrity of the Arroyos in meeting the TRO's conditions, particularly the P2-million bond, which was apparently delivered in cold cash consisting of P1,000-peso bills to the SC .

However, it should be noted that the DOJ, via Sec. de Lima made it easy for the SC to issue the TRO. The reason for this is that the DOJ has yet to file any case against the Arroyos, and based its hold order on a departmental circular that was issued during Arroyo's time in office. I would have preferred that the DOJ file the plunder cases against Arroyo, which would have given it a stronger basis for holding Arroyos. Unfortunately, the cases are still going preliminary investigation, and I'm sure that the DOJ prosecutors would want that the cases be rock-solid before they file them in court. Hence, the use of the DOJ circular, which may or may not be constitutional.

By defying the TRO, the DOJ is courting a constitutional crisis, as the SC may find the government in contempt of court. If that occurs, the question arises as to who would serve the contempt charges, as the law enforcement officials are under the control of the said government. The impasse may cause the failure of the rule of law, which will lead to anarchy.

One also has to wonder how much of this is driven by the President and his advisers, since, technically, the DOJ Secretary is an extension of the President. So far, the President has appeared to allow Sec. de Lima to take the lead in going after the Arroyos. However, because of this, the government has already been tarred with the accusation of persecuting the Arroyos, and, given the current situation, it is difficult to argue with that charge.

At the same time, it's also clear that the Arroyos are milking the situation for all its sympathetic worth. Playing on the soft hearts and absentmindedness of Filipinos, the Arroyo camp circulated images of Arroyo wearing a vest and a brace, and have released stories of the President's alleged deteriorating health. However, how many times have we seen them utilize this ploy to either garner sympathy, or to escape culpability. If one takes a look at the Arroyos' itinerary, it lists a number of countries to be traveled within a span of a month or two. It's a grueling grind for a healthy person; what more for one with Arroyo's illness?

For me, the bottom line is that the government has to hew the straight and narrow, and follow the due course of law, and not subvert it just to meet its goals. If this means letting the Arroyos leave, so be it. The President was elected on a platform of anti-corruption and the rule of law; he has even given it a catchphrase: "ang tuwid na daan". He cannot throw all of that away just to punish the Arroyos.

Pregnancy Food Trip - Revisiting

2011-11-14T13:48:00.001+08:00

One of the posts I managed to put up before the hiatus wasabout the various restaurants my wife and I have visited over the course of herpregnancy. While that post was about the new discoveries we’ve made along theway, this post is about some of the old favorites that we’ve gone back to.

1. CaféBreton (Trinoma, QC)

While I’m a fan of Breton’s dessert crepes, the savory crepes aren’t veryfilling for me. During this visit, I ordered a crepe with sausages and onions,with a cream sauce. I liked it, although I wasn’t really that satisfied.

2. MannHann (Trinoma, QC)

I’ve been a fan of Mann Hann for the longest time now. I love the oystercake, which is richly laden with oysters and fried up with egg and veggies. My wifeand I also enjoy the spicy squid, with its crunchy exterior and tenderinterior. What I’m a bit turned off by in Mann Hann is that it’s no longer thataffordable, as it seems that prices have doubled over the years. Still, when mywife and I are looking for a Chinese food fix, Mann Hann consistently delivers.

3. Alfredo’s(Tomas Morato Ave., QC)

I can’t remember the last time we ate at Alfredo’s, since my mom does areally good steak. Still, for old times sake, Hazel and I tried it out. Sheordered the tenderloin, and I the pepper steak. While the servings weredelicious and the steak tender and juicy, I think I still prefer my mom’ssteak.

4. Alba’s(Tomas Morato Ave., QC)

I love Alba’s paella; if it weren’t for the carbohydrates, I could eat itall day. Alba’s restaurant in Tomas Morato is cozy and comfortable, with a trioof musicians playing Spanish-style music while you dine. The buffet is worththe price, with a wide array of Spanish cuisine, from callos to lengua toconchinillo (Spanish lechon), and, of course, the paella. More often than not,there are two types to choose from. When Hazel and I dined there, the buffethad the regular paella, and paella negra, whose distinct flavor and color comesfrom squid ink.

5. Yoshinoya(SM North EDSA, QC)

Hazel loves the gyudon of Yoshinoya, and I the yakiniku. The beef isalways tender, and the dishes are always flavorful.

6. LukYuen (SM Megamall)

I’m pretty certain that I’ve written about Luk Yuen before. The congee,though, is the main reason why we come to Luk Yuen; among the various Chineserestaurants we tried, Hazel considers Luk Yuen’s congee to be the best. Formyself, I ordered the chicken with black mushroom, which, while flavorful,still pales in comparison to what was served at the long-defunct ChopstixExpress.

7. Fleurde Lys (Tomas Morato Ave., QC)

I should remember to write a bit more about this place, which is one ofour favorite haunts. Hazel almost always orders the pesto pasta with sun-driedtomatoes, while I normally order the chorizo hamonado, although I’ve managed totry out and enjoy a number of the patisserie’s entrees. Dessert is almostalways Fleur de Lys’ Nuts About You, a caramel-laden macadamia nut pie, forHazel, and A River Rhums Through it, a rich rum butter cake with walnuts, forme.

8. Subway’s(National Bookstore, Quezon Ave. branch, QC)

I normally meet Hazel at the Quezon Ave. branch of National Bookstoreafter work, and, as luck would have it, we’re both fans of Subway sandwiches. Hazelnormally orders the roast beef, and I order the Italian BMT.

9. KamameshiHouse (Quezon Memorial Circle, QC)

Another favorite haunt, Kamameshi is where we go to when we want Japanesefood, although Red Kimono at the Hub is slowly replacing it. Still, when onewants good kamameshi, kettle-cooked rice, one goes to Kamameshi.

10. Cyma(Trinoma, QC)

My youngest daughter doesn’t like going to Cyma because of the waiters’trademark “OPA!” to signal the flambéing of the saganaki, the signature cheesedish of Cyma. My eldest daughter loves Cyma’s baby back ribs, which are tenderand savory-sweet. Of the dishes we’ve sampled over the various visits to Cyma,I particularly enjoy the chopped salad, with its bits of blue cheese and nuts,the grilled pork chops, and, yes, the baby back ribs. Despite the price, theservings are always plentiful, and worth every centavo.

11. LukFoo (Pure Gold Commonwealth branch, QC)

Thisis probably the one miss in the various restaurants we’ve visited over Hazel’spregnancy, which is strange, considering that dining with my parents was almostalways an enjoyable experience. This visit, we ordered the spicy squid, similarto Mann Hann. However, the breading of the squid was chewy, and the squidover-fried to the consistency of chewing gum. It’ll probably be a while beforewe visit Luk Foo again.

Back Again

2011-11-14T13:47:00.001+08:00

It took the Pacquiao-Marquez fight to do it, but I finallymanaged to write up a post for my blog after three weeks of writing inactivity.This is not to say that I’ve been inactive; quite the opposite, really. Familyand work duties, not to mention being distracted by games and comics, allcombined to create an enforced hiatus from the blog.

It’s a pity, since, as a result, I was unable to write aboutsome interesting topics, such as the World Series Cinderella win by the St.Louis Cardinals, the near-collapse of the Greek economy, and, locally, themurder of Ramgen Bautista, a member of the Revilla clan. However, there arestill topics worth writing about, such as the current brouhaha over the travelban on former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the travails of the Aquinoadministration, among other things. Since it hasn’t really resolved, I canstill write something about the Bautista murder case, as details continue todevelop.

So, this is just a quick post to say that I’m back, althoughI give no assurances as to how often I will continue to write. Rest assured,though, that writing in this blog is once more among my various priorities.

Pacquiao-Marquez 3: Some Thoughts

2011-11-13T15:01:00.001+08:00

And so ends Pacquiao-Marquez 3, not with the big knockout as predicted by Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, but with yet another split decision.

I wasn't able to watch the fight, but from the various comments I'd seen, it was a close fight that could have gone either way. In fact, Marquez was apparently so incensed by the decision that he and his followers immediately left the ring after the decision had been announced.

The problem with the decision is that it wasn't decisive; Pacquiao was unable to even knock down Marquez in this, their third fight, after having knocked down Marquez around four times in the previous two fights. The fight leaves the door open for yet another fight between Marquez and Pacquiao, one that could go either way based on the results of this one. Despite all of Roach's and pundits' pronouncements that Marquez was going down, the Mexican counter-puncher managed to remain standing at the end of the match. Based on his reaction to the decision, Marquez will continue to show disrespect to Pacquiao, and will continue to taunt the Philippine congressman about Pacquiao's ability to put Marquez away.

And what of Floyd Mayweather, Jr.? Pacquiao's acknowledged rival, who has continued to sidestep and dodge what many believe to be the fight of the century, will now have additional ammunition with which to taunt Pacquiao. Inevitably, comparisons will be made between this fight and Mayweather's fight with Marquez, and, given the dominance with which Mayweather took out Marquez, Mayweather will continue to stake his claim to being the best fighter. Never mind the fact that Marquez was unable to handle the increase in weight division; between Pacquiao-Marquez 3 and Mayweather-Marquez, the latter had the more convincing result.

Still, Pacquiao still managed to convince the judges that he was the more dominant fighter today, so congratulations to him for having successfully defended his welterweight crown.

Marcos' Weak Leadership

2011-10-16T22:26:00.000+08:00

Something my dad mentioned over dinner gave me food forthought.

Our conversation revolved around the fallout from President Noynoy Aquino’s decision not to allow a state funeral for the late dictatorFerdinand Marcos. Part of the basis that he gave was that the Marcoses havenever apologized for their father’s crimes against the nation.

In reaction, the dictator’s son, Senator Bongbong Marcosretorted that other Presidents have never apologized for events such as theMendiola Massacre (during President Cory Aquino’s time) and the so-called HaciendaLuisita massacre (during President Gloria Arroyo’s time), so why should they?

Senator Marcos also insinuated that his father was notresponsible for what happened during martial law. Instead, he blamed formerDefense Minister and current Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and former Armed Forceschief and President Fidel Ramos for the excesses of human right violationsduring martial law. Interestingly enough, it was these two men who triggeredthe fall of the dictator in 1986.

Marcos loyalist Cherry Cobarrubias also took a similar tackin her reaction to President Aquino’s statement. She claimed that it was themilitary who were responsible for the human rights violations, if at all, sinceCobarrubias apparently believes that the communists were the ones who did thetorturing.

Going back to my conversation with my dad, my dad observedthat Marcos must’ve been a weak leader, since a lot of things were beyond hiscontrol during his 20-year hold on the country.

In a way, then, Senator Marcos and Cobarrubias are doing thelate dictator a disservice, since they both claimed that someone else duringMarcos’ time was responsible for the crimes committed. Ergo, President Marcoscould not control his Cabinet officials nor could he control the military whichbacked his imposition of martial law on the country in 1972. Hence, he was aweak leader.

Come to think of it, there used to be a lot of talk that Marcos would not have been so bad if it weren't for his wife Imelda. So, not only was he a failure as a leader, he was also "under the saya."

As to Senator Marcos’ assertion that other Presidents havenot apologized for tragic events that occurred during their time, he shouldremember that while events such as the Mendiola Massacre were tragic, nothingcompares to the systematic rape of the country that happened over the 20 yearsof Marcos’ rule. To this day, our country still feels the effects of that era,from the entrenched corruption in government, to the abuses committed by themilitary. Until Senator Marcos and his ilk can come to terms with that, andapologize on behalf of their father’s rule, their denial of the past is what iskeeping our country from unity and reconciliation.

Pregnancy Food Trip - New Discoveries

2011-10-16T00:14:00.000+08:00

With the promise of new life arriving next year, it’s been apregnancy food trip for me and my wife, Hazel, as she searches for food thatwon’t upset her. Along the way, some old haunts were revisited, and some newones were discovered along the way. This will be a multi-part post, I suspect,since the first trimester isn’t quite over yet, and we’ll probably wind upeating out for some time to come. As a result, it’s likely that we’ll discovernew places to eat as the weeks go by.

New Discoveries

1. CountrysideBarbeque (Katipunan Ave. extension)

Hazel had a craving for kaldereta, and I remember my friend and foodblogger, Lori Baltazar, mentioning that Countryside Barbeque had decentkaldereta, so, after Hazel’s tests at Makati Medical Center last Tuesday, wemade a beeline to Countryside. As luck would have it, the parking space rightin front of the restaurant was newly vacated, so we didn’t have far to walk;normally, there’s a long line of cars parked along Katipunan Ave., whereCountryside is located, and I was afraid that we’d have to walk a long way.

At any rate, Countryside is somewhat like a glorified turo-turo, wherethe food is on display right at the front, and one places his order there.Unlike turo-turos, there is a spacious dining area in Countryside.

We ordered the kaldereta, which is a meaty stew with a tomato sauce/liverpaste base; the meat is normally either beef or goat. In this case, it wasbeef, and the dish came with two chunks swimming in a spicy sauce. I liked thesauce, since I’m fond of spicy food, but the beef itself was on the stringyside (my piece, anyway. Hazel’s cut of beef was nicely tender.).

We also ordered the adobong pusit (squid stewed in vinegar), which I alsoliked, and two sticks of pork barbeque, which were decent, although I thoughtthere was a slight hint of lighter fluid in my first bite.

2. Pino(Malingap Street, Teachers’ Village, QC)

Maginhawa Street in Teachers’ Village is a potpourri ofholes-in-the-wall, with a wide variety of cuisine. Perpendicular to Maginhawais Malingap Street, where one can find Pino and Don-day.

I was first introduced to Pino when I ate there with my friends, so Ithought Hazel would enjoy it. Pino offers Filipino cuisine with a bit of atwist, such as the kare-kareng bagnet (peanut stew with deep-fried pork bellyis the closest translation I can come up with), or the adobong tadyang(traditional Filipino dish with beef instead of pork). Hazel tried the bagnet, which she liked, andI can’t remember what I had then, although I had the tadyang my first timethere. We also ordered wasabi onion rings, which came with a wasabi mayonnaisedip that cleared my sinuses.

Pino also serves vegetarian and vegan cuisine, although I haven’t triedordering that. For more on Pino, Lori’s write-up is the one to read.

3. Don-dayKorean Buffet (Malingap Street, Teachers’ Village, QC)

After my friends and I played inthe VTES ACC Qualifier, we went to pick up Hazel with the intention of eatingat Pino. Unfortunately, when we arrived at Pino, it was full, so we decided totransfer to Don-Day across the street. (Side note: This was also the day thatLori was there at Pino, to sample the food for her write-up. I thought theshort-haired girl fiddling with the camera was familiar. :D))

Don-Day is one of those buffetswherein one can cook his or her own Korean barbeque right at the table. Add theline-up of Korean cuisine, and it’s a veritable Korean feast.

4. JettBurger (Holy Spirit Drive, QC)

Technically speaking, I visited Jett during the weekend that I was on myown, since Hazel brought the kids to Iloilo for her mother’s birthday. Theburger I had at Jett was at par with other higher-end burger joints such asBrother’s and Wham!. What I like about Jett hamburgers is that there is a fairrange of toppings that I can have on my burger for free, and the prices forother toppings such as bacon and blue cheese are fairly priced. The fries arealso nice, being crunchy on the outside and mealy soft on the inside.

There are other dishes at Jett, such as their sausage sandwiches andbuffalo wings. The first time I was at Jett, I ordered their schueblig, whichwas a tad on the short side, although it was flavorful.

5. Felicity(Holy Spirit Drive, QC)

Felicity is run by a co-teacher friend of mine and his wife, and is a greatplace to hang out while I wait for my daughter to finish her Enopi sessionacross the road.

Felicity offers a fair range of dishes, from breakfast items such aslongganiza and tocino, to pastas, to entrees such as steamed creamy dory (oneof my personal favorites), and chicken masala.

The dessert choices vary from day to day, but a staple favorite is thefrozen brazo, a yummy concoction consisting of traditional brazo layers (lightmeringue and egg yolk custard) on top of a block of vanilla ice cream.

6. HapChan Tea House (SM North EDSA Annex)

Oneof the dishes Hazel’s into, perhaps because it’s fairly neutral, is congee, theChinese rice porridge. Since Luk Yuen, which we feel has great congee, hasn’tmoved north of SM Megamall, looking for an alternative can be problematic. HapChan Tea House in SM North EDSA Annex has decent congee, along with decent dimsum.

No to Marcos State Burial: Better Late Than Never

2011-10-14T12:47:00.002+08:00

My only reaction to President Noynoy Aquino's assertion that the late dictator, former President Ferdinand Marcos will not be buried with state honors during his term, is: it's better late than never.

After hemming and hawing, going through the process of having his Vice-President study the issue, President Aquino finally found the courage to put his foot down, and said no to burying Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, and to burying him with state honors. As President Aquino asserted, burying Marcos such would be disrespectful to the Filipinos who were affected by Marcos' martial law rule.

Of course, the Marcos family and their sycophants were loud in their discontent. Senator Bongbong Marcos stated that the President "wasted the opportunity to unify the nation." Marcos loyalist Cherry Cobarrubias flatly stated that Marcos "was a true icon of democracy for declaring martial law," a statement that can only be described as "delusional".

As it has been stated in the past, there can be no true reconciliation without repentance, and the Marcoses, their cronies, and their loyalists continue to deny any wrongdoing committed by the Marcoses during their rule of the country. As long as this denial exists, there can be no true unification of the nation, since what will be done if the Marcos' stand is accepted is the sweep everything under the rug, and forget about the past.

Of course, this may actually spur Senator Marcos to run for President in 2016, in order to completely rehabilitate his family, and bury his father in the way his family wants. If that should happen, that would be a tragedy, as it would emphasize how woefully short our memory is. As I've stated in the past, it would be like Germany extolling Hitler as a paragon of German leadership. The evil of the Marcoses should never be forgotten.

Catching Up

2011-10-12T14:25:00.001+08:00

Just to let you know I'm still around.

A number of things came up over the almost two weeks that I'd been out, first and foremost of which is the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Jobs, who passed away last week due to complications resulting from pancreatic cancer, leaves behind a legacy of showmanship and superior technology. He will be sorely missed.

Another issue that has hogged the headlines is that of the gun issue involving Presidential adviser Ronald Llamas. Llamas, whose bodyguards were apparently apprehended with an assault rifle, has denied any complicity in the matter, and claimed that he needed the guns for protection. A pistol, maybe, but an AK-47? That seems a little excessive.

Llamas has stated that he continues to serve "at the pleasure of the President", but, at the same time, President Aquino has always maintained that the Filipino people are his "bosses". If people call for Llamas' resignation, shouldn't he have the delicadeza to at least offer to resign, and not wait for marching orders? Llamas' statements regarding the resignation issue are eerily similar to government officials during the previous Arroyo administration. Unless President Aquino is truly serious about his "tuwid na daan", it appears that it is still business as usual in Malacanang, where officials seem to have a superglue-like grip on their positions.

4-Peat!

2011-10-01T23:56:00.003+08:00

It took a while, but the end result was the same.

For a time, it looked as if Game Two was going to go FEU’sway, but the Ateneo Blue Eagles regrouped in the second half, and won theirfourth straight championship, 82-69.

The game started with the Tamaraws and the Blue Eagles goinghead-to-head, trading baskets, and playing tough defense on one another.However, by the middle of the first quarter, Ateneo had taken the lead, and, byearly in the second quarter, Ateneo was up by 10, 28-18, which was what FEU’slead was around the same time in Game One.

Then, the Tamaraws turned on the heat, went on an 18-7 runthat put them up by one at the end of the first half, 36-35.

At the start of the second half, the Ateneo players playedpatient basketball, not letting FEU break their composure and it paid off, asAteneo regained the lead early in the third quarter. The lead see-sawed for awhile, until a short jumper by Rookie of the Year Kiefer Ravena gave Ateneo a3-point lead with around seven minutes to go in the quarter.

The Tamaraws, hounded mercilessly by a tight Ateneo defense,continued to miss shot after shot, and were forced into committing turnoverafter turnover, including 2 24-second violations. Just a little after the fourminute mark, Ateneo had rebuilt its lead back to 11. A 3-pointer by ToninoGonzaga pushed the lead up to 14 with 47 seconds to go in the third quarter.Ateneo outscored FEU 22-9 in the third quarter, to lead by 12, 57-45.

It was more of the same in the fourth quarter, as theTamaraws never got their game back, and even allowed the Blue Eagles to lead byas much as 19 points, with a little more than four minutes to go. Ateneo coachNorman Black pulled all of his starters as the minutes ran out, and when thebuzzer sounded, the whole team and its coaching staff swarmed onto the court asAteneo had won its fourth straight championship, joining La Salle, UST, and UEas the only schools in the UAAP to achieve this rare feat.

For Ateneo, it was an emotional win, especially forgraduating players, Emman Monfort, Bacon Austria, and team captain Kirk Long.With the win, the Ateneo Blue Eagles showed their strong spirit, powered bytough defense and disciplined play. From the looks of it, Ateneo is in positionto enter uncharted territory, as it still has the talent to go for anunprecedented fifth straight title. Expect Kiefer Ravena, Greg Slaughter andNico Salva to anchor the Blue Eagles run for this goal.

As for the FEU Tamaraws, they played well, but were hamperedby poor shooting. In particular, sophomore guard Terence Romeo, who was the only Tamaraw toscore in double figures in Game One, was a non-factor in Game Two, shootingmiserably (3-15), and fouling out in a lost cause. Add the numerous injuries (Pipo Noundou, J.R. Cawaling andChristian Sentcheu) to the Tamaraws' woes, and it was clear that FEU simply did not have the manpower to match up with the Blue Eagles.

With the end of the season, FEU will be saying goodbye to perennial Mythical Fiveforward Aldrech Ramos, Jens Knuttel, and Noundou, but still retain enoughpieces to make another run next season. Of course, with Ateneo still strong,and other teams such as UST and NU on the rise, the Tamaraws will find nextseason to be a challenging one.

So ends another chapter in the UAAP men’s basketball wars.For basketball-hungry fans, there’s still the NCAA wars ongoing, and afterthat, the Champion’s League, where perhaps the Ateneo Blue Eagles can continuetheir glorious run, and add another feather to their cap before this year isover.

Collapse

2011-09-30T15:04:00.000+08:00

Taking a break from the local UAAP basketball wars, as “Pedring” washed out Game 2 of the Finals between Ateneo and FEU, I managed to catch up on the baseball news.

While the division titles in both the American and National Leagues had been wrapped up weeks ago, the wild card race in both leagues went down to the wire, and both ended in dramatic fashion.

Going into the final month of the season, the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves had seemingly insurmountable leads in the wild card race, with Boston leading by nine games, and Atlanta leading by 8 and a half. Even sportswriters had more or less conceded the race as early as the first week of September. However, the sportswriters couldn’t have predicted the race that was to come.

Boston went on a downward spiral throughout the month of September, winning only seven games and unable to win consecutive games throughout the month. In the meantime, both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Angels continued to play solid baseball down the stretch. While the Angels faltered, the Rays kept up their torrid streak, winning games against the division leader New York Yankees, and finally catching up to the Red Sox on the day before the final games of the season.

Atlanta didn’t fare much better, losing key games, and allowing the St. Louis Cardinals to also catch up to them the same day as Tampa Bay did.The last games for the four teams were as follows: Boston would be up against cellar-dweller Baltimore, Tampa Bay would face the New York Yankees, Atlanta was hosting division winner Philadelphia, and St. Louis would face cellar-dweller Houston.

Boston looked as if they could stave off disaster, and held a thin 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, and their closer Jonathan Papelbon failed to hold the lead, and gave up two runs to allow the Baltimore Orioles to end their dismal season on a winning note.

Tampa Bay, on the other hand, looked like they were going south when the Yankees built up a huge 7-0 lead. However, since the Yankees weren’t playing for anything in this game, New York manager Joe Girardi pulled his star players, and let his bench play. The Rays managed to win in extra innings, 8-7, and, with the win, edge the Red Sox for the wild card slot.

Atlanta, like Boston, almost won their match with Philadelphia, only to lose it when their rookie closer gave up the tying run, and Philly outfielder Hunter Pence, acquired this season from Houston, drove in the winning run, as the Phillies won, 4-3 in the 13th inning.

St. Louis apparently had the easiest assignment, and left nothing to chance, as the Cardinals blasted the Astros 8-0, to clinch the wild card slot. Two teams that seemed to have their respective playoff spots locked up simply collapsed. For Boston, it was too many injuries to too many players. For Atlanta, it was the fact that their pitching couldn’t continue hiding the flaws in their offensive lineup.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a season go this way, and I’m sure executives and coaches from both teams will be spending their off-season asking what happened and figuring out what needs to be done in order to improve for next season. As for the players, it’s likely that a number of them won’t be back to play for either Boston or Atlanta, since it’s certain that some of the figuring out will involve making decisions on which players can still help deliver a postseason for their respective teams. It’s not going to be easy, since a number of these players have had long ties with their teams, but then, taking the easy way out is not how one wins championships.

"Pedring"'s Onslaught

2011-09-28T20:56:00.001+08:00

Two years after typhoon "Ondoy" dumped a month's worth of rain on Metro Manila, typhoon "Pedring" roared into the Philippines and caused havoc across Luzon.

Classes were suspended at noon last Monday and continued to be suspended throughout Tuesday yesterday.

Unlike "Ondoy", however, "Pedring" brought gusty winds along with the rains, which, while plentiful, did not come up to the month's worth of rain that "Ondoy" brought. The winds, though, made up for the lack, as they whipped through the metropolis, uprooting trees and causing billboards to topple; in one case, the billboards fell on passing vehicles.

Many parts of Metro Manila experienced power failures and floods; in my case, the brownout lasted from morning to late afternoon, while other areas continued to be blacked out Wednesday morning. I only saw videos and images the next day, and saw how nature's rage once more rampage through the city.

At the same time, I think officials were better prepared to deal with "Pedring" than they were two years ago when "Ondoy" caught them with their figurative pants down.

Palace officials announced that classes would resume today, unless the local government units and schools said otherwise. In Metro Manila, Marikina, Navotas, and Malabon called off classes, and schools around Metro Manila, especially in the flood-prone University Belt, also canceled classes.

The Ateneo, however, announced as early as last night that classes would resume, but, as I drove to school, I saw the carnage that "Pedring" had wrought: branches and leaves were strewn across Ylanan Rd. in U.P., and, the Ateneo campus itself had a good amount of debris. Most students, though, made it to school, and I wouldn't be surprised if teachers were a little more lenient about school work this day. The day passed without incident, although there were occasional rains throughout the day.

Still, it will be a while before things in the metropolis will go back to normal, as a number of people are still staying at evacuation centers, waiting for the flood waters to subside.

On a side note, I wonder if those who clamor for school opening to be moved to September have noticed that both "Ondoy" and "Pedring" hit Metro Manila in September. It's just a thought.

In the meantime, there's yet another storm set to enter the Philippine area of responsibility this weekend, and the weather bureau expects a few more storms to pass through in the coming months. The best thing to do is to be prepared, and be ready to deal with the adversity as it comes.

UAAP Men's Basketball: Blue Eagles Triumph!

2011-09-24T17:16:00.005+08:00

It looks like I was wrong about the momentum.

This morning, when I posted my Finals preview, I wrote that the FEU Tamaraws had the momentum going into Game One, since they had a great end of the season, having taken away the twice-to-beat advantage of Adamson Falcons.

Well, the basketball aficionado I talked to had the right of it, that everything gets thrown out the window come the Finals, as the Ateneo Blue Eagles shook off a shaky start, and came out strong in the second half to beat down the Tamaraws, 82-64, to take Game One of the Finals.

It seemed that the Blue Eagles were rusty both in offense and defense in the first half, as the Tamaraws executed pick and pop after pick and pop, and zoomed to a 10-point lead in the middle of the second quarter. Fortunately, Ateneo found its legs and its defense down the stretch of the first half, and managed to end the half tied to FEU, 33-33.

In the second half, whatever adjustments Ateneo coach Norman Black made during the halftime break paid off, as the Blue Eagles leaned on their championship experience, and Ateneo took the lead for good in the middle of the third quarter, and never looked back.

Whatever composure FEU had during the first half disappeared with the exception of guard Terence Romeo, who continued to score throughout the second half. The rest of the Tamaraws were shackled and hampered into missing shots and turning the ball over, and fell further behind.

During the final quarter, Ateneo continued to pour it on, and the lead ballooned to as much as 20 points. The Tamaraws continued to stumble, and, having been stymied from driving inside by the Blue Eagles' stifling defense, had to content themselves with 3-pointers down the stretch.

Blue Eagle forward Nico Salva had a monster game, scoring 24 points, being perfect from both the field and the foul line. He was ably supported by the other starters (Kirk Long, Kiefer Ravena, Emman Monfort, and Greg Slaughter), as well as quality minutes by the bench, especially JP Erram, who has played sparingly this season.

Game Two is on Tuesday, and expect Ateneo to try to close it out and clinch its fourth straight men's basketball crown. The FEU Tamaraws, on the other hand, have to reach down deep in order to attempt to extend the series to a third game. Here's hoping, though, that the Blue Eagles don't let up the pressure, and win on Tuesday.

UAAP Men's Basketball: A Finals Preview

2011-09-24T11:43:00.003+08:00

With just a few scant hours before game time, I am writing this hurriedly to get my pre-game thoughts in. Game 1 of the UAAP men's basketball finals pits the three-time defending champion the Ateneo Blue Eagles versus last year's runner-up, the FEU Tamaraws.

It looks to be a close fight, as each teams prepare to square off against each other. I thought I'd try to break down the match-up into the various factors that will determine the outcome.

Guards - Here, it appears that FEU has the edge, as the Tams' backcourt of RR Garcia, Terence Romeo and Cris Tolomia will create headaches for Blue Eagles Emman Monfort and Kiefer Ravena. While Monfort and Ravena aren't slouches, and can probably put the defensive stops on the FEU guards, Garcia, Romeo and Tolomia have the ability to explode on the offensive end. Needless to say, Monfort and Ravena will need help in stopping this electric trio.

Forwards - It's in the front court where Ateneo has the edge, as Nico Salva and Captain Kirk Long will take on Carl Cruz and Russel Escoto. As long as Salva's shooting is solid, even the fiery play of Escoto will not be able to stop him. While Long has had a bit of a slump as far as his shooting is concerned, his defense hasn't faltered, and he will probably wind up breaking up many a Tamaraw play.

Center - Greg Slaughter versus Aldrech Ramos? Close, but Slaughter has the edge in height, and has the presence of mind to pass the ball once the opposing defenses double team him. He's also going make it difficult for the Tamaraw guards to drive to the basket. Ramos, however, is no slouch in defense, and his perimeter shooting could mean the difference in the game.

Bench - I'm biased here, but Ateneo's bench is deeper than FEU's, and Ateneo coach Norman Black will have a number of options (Tonino Gonzaga, Justin Chua, and Frank Golla, to name a few) to deal with the Tamaraws' game. I can't recall if Tolomia comes off the bench, but players like Jens Knuttel and Ping Exciminiano will have to step up their game against the Blue Eagles.

Coach - While both Norman Black and Bert Flores have both won UAAP titles, Black has won the last three, and has the savvy in order to adjust to whatever game plan the Tamaraws have prepared.

Momentum - A basketball aficionado I spoke with yesterday stated that the Tamaraws' overcoming the Adamson Falcons' twice-to-beat advantage gives them no real edge going into the finals, as he opined that the finals wipes the slate clean, and it's anybody's ball game. Still, it can't be denied that FEU has had the hot hand in its last few games, and are coming into the Finals on an emotional high, while Ateneo has had to struggle, having lost to Adamson to end the Blue Eagles' 29-game winning streak against the Falcons, as well as the chance for an outright entry into the Finals via a 14-0 sweep.

Pressure - This is all on Ateneo, as the Blue Eagles are attempting to win their fourth straight crown. FEU, on the other hand, has nothing to lose, and will probably play with less tension.

Keys - For Ateneo, it'll be the defense that will carry it to victory. For the FEU Tamaraws, it'll probably be how well its backcourt is able to shake off the defense, and score.

All things considered, it'll be a close match, with whoever takes Game One gaining a huge upper ground. My call? Ateneo will probably win it in three.

Heartbreaker

2011-09-22T12:46:00.001+08:00

It’s been a while since I watched a live basketball game. I can’t even remember the last time I did. Even when the Ateneo junior basketball team, anchored by the stellar trio of Kiefer Ravena, Von Pessumal and Paolo Romero, was on its way to winning its third straight title last year, I was cheering it on in the confines of the faculty workroom. This time, I decided that I would be there to cheer on our players.

Last Tuesday, the Ateneo Blue Eaglets, vying for its fourth straight title, were fighting for survival against the FEU Baby Tamaraws, trying to get past the Baby Tams’ twice-to-beat advantage. Having won the first Final Four match, the Blue Eaglets were hoping against hope to make it back to the Finals.

When I entered the Blue Eagle Gym to watch the game, it appeared as if the Eaglets were well on their way to accomplishing that feat, as they had a commanding 19-6 lead in the first quarter. Bolstered perhaps by the presence of the student body, the Eaglets played great offense, and held the Baby Tams down with a pressuring defense.

However, FEU managed to find its bearing, and managed to go into the locker room, having cut Ateneo’s lead to seven points.

In the second half, FEU opened up with guns blazing, and, coupled with a stifling defense that caused the Eaglets to turn the ball over again and again, the Baby Tams managed to grab the lead somewhere in the middle of the third quarter.

It was a lead that they would not relinquish again. The Eaglets, confounded by the Tams’ defense, were unable to get anything going, and, as their offense sputtered, the Tams continued to play excellent defense and offense down the stretch. The Blue Eaglets’ last hurrah was a sprinting, driving layup by junior Mark Gamboa that caught the Tams sleeping, and cut the lead down to five points, which was the closest that Ateneo got down the stretch. FEU closed out the game strong, and won by 7 points to propel them to the Finals, where they will face the NU Bullpups, who had earlier managed to overcome De La Salle-Zobel’s twice-to-beat advantage.

Still, it wasn’t a bad season for the Blue Eaglets, even if they were unable to defend their title. At the start of the season, I was talking to a more knowledgeable co-faculty, who had predicted that the Eaglets would have a hard time getting back to the Finals. Having taken their season this far is accomplishment enough for an Ateneo team that wasn’t expect to strongly contend.

What I liked about the end of the game was that the fan base, mainly composed of our high school students, continued to show strong support for the team by singing the alma mater as lustily as they could, showing that, true to form, “win or lose, it’s the school we choose!” So, there’s next year to look forward to, and here’s hoping that the Blue Eaglets who will remain for next year’s season will take the lessons from this loss to heart, and come out strong for next season.

Spoilsport

2011-09-20T13:09:00.001+08:00

In 1993, Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly wrote an essay entitled “Too Many Spoilsports”, wherein he illustrated the apparent death of sportsmanship by enumerating event after event of unsportsmanlike conduct, from coaches racking up the score over hapless opponents, to players throwing temper tantrums, to fans using personal taunts on opposing players.

I wonder how he would have described the actions of Floyd Mayweather, Jr., last Sunday.

Mayweather won via a controversial knockout over welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, to keep his unbeaten streak going. After a head butt by Ortiz, Mayweather sucker-punched Ortiz when it wasn’t clear that the match had already re-started. Ortiz, who had apologized for the head butt, was apparently under the impression that there was a break, and had his gloves down when Mayweather clocked him.

Referee Joe Cortez, whose head was turned away from the action, immediately counted Ortiz out, giving the win to Mayweather, and giving the viewers the impression that they were watching a WWE match, rather than a professional boxing match.

Mayweather, true to form, declared it an impressive victory, one that apparently added to his Hall-of-Fame credentials. He also berated HBO announcer Larry Merchant and demanded that Merchant be fired for his biased line of questioning. Merchant responded that he would kick Mayweather’s ass had he been younger, and turned his back on Mayweather.

Predictably, Mayweather continued to duck questions on whether or not he would face Manny Pacquiao. While Mayweather holds an unbeaten record, to the boxing enthusiast’s eye, this means nothing until he gets into the ring with Pacquiao. Given Mayweather’s crass attitude towards boxing, I would question, though, if Pacquiao actually has anything to gain from fighting someone who has little or no integrity.

It can’t be denied that Floyd Mayweather, Jr., is an exceptional boxer, but his lack of sportsmanship sullies whatever glory he achieves. Plus, the fact that he continues to avoid facing Pacquiao raises questions as to whether Mayweather actually has the guts to face a worthy opponent. Here’s hoping that the questions will soon goad Mayweather into facing Pacquiao, and here’s hoping that, when that happens, Pacquiao will emerge victorious.

UAAP Men's Basketball: FEU Back in the Finals!

2011-09-19T06:31:00.002+08:00

The stage is set for the UAAP men’s basketball Finals, as the FEU Tamaraws survived a furious charge led by graduating guard Jerick Canada, and held on to win 78-74 over the Adamson Falcons. By doing so, the Tamaraws overcame the Falcons’ twice-to-beat advantage and won the right to face defending 3-time champion Ateneo in the Finals.

From the start of the game, it was clear that each team came in with a strong intent to make it to the Finals. At one point, tempers flared as Tamaraw forward Carl Cruz mixed it up with Falcon Eric Camson, with both of them being slapped with unsportsmanlike fouls. While the Tamaraws ended the first quarter with a four-point lead, the Falcons came back in the second to take a slim lead going into halftime.

In the third quarter, FEU, led by guards Terence Romeo and Chris Tolomia, surged to a nine-point lead, and looked to put an early end to the Falcons’ hopes.

Going into the fourth quarter, it seemed that FEU would make an easy romp to the win, as the Tams continued to keep Adamson at bay, and managed to up their lead to as much as 11 points.

When it appeared that FEU was going to repeat its 59-49 win in the first game, Jeric Canada went on a tear, scoring 8 points on a spirited drive to the basket and 2 booming 3-pointers to cut FEU’s lead down to a measly 3 points heading into the last two minutes.

However, the Tamaraws’ experience in the face of adversity proved to be the winning factor, as they managed to hold the Falcons at bay, buck the loss of reigning MVP RR Garcia to fouls, and escape with a 4-point win.

For the Adamson Falcons, it was a bitter defeat, considering that, prior to the Final Four matchup, they had finally put an end to the 29-game losing streak to Ateneo in order to claim the second seed, and the twice-to-beat advantage. Instead, they were twice beaten, and their season is at an end. For key players such as Canada, Lester Alvarez, Jan Colina and Janus Lozada, it was even more painful, since this was their last UAAP game.

For Ateneo, playing FEU doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be an easier match-up than Adamson. While the Blue Eagles managed to win both games in the elimination round, the Finals is an entirely different setting, with the two key Eagles, Greg Slaughter and Kiefer Ravena, playing in the Finals for the first time. How Slaughter and Ravena adapt to the pressure cooker will be the key to Ateneo’s annexing a fourth straight title. Veterans Emman Monfort, Nico Salva, Kurt Long, Tonino Gonzaga, Justin Chua, and Bacon Austria will have to play their A-game to provide support.

The Tamaraws, on the other hand, may finally be complete come the Finals, with injured players JR Cawaling, Pipo Noundou, and Chris Sentcheu possibly playing, creating more matchup situations with the Blue Eagles. Aldrech Ramos may be shorter than Slaughter, but he can mix it up with the best of them; plus he can shoot from outside. Rookie Russel Escoto has shown that he’s fiery enough to be fearless in rebounding and attacking the basket. Throw in the potent 3-guard mix of RR Garcia, Terence Romeo and Chris Tolomia, and we’re probably looking at an explosive Finals match.

It’s going to be a long week, waiting for the Finals to begin.

Figuring Things Out

2011-09-18T06:48:00.001+08:00

Okay, now I’m a little worried.

It’s been a largely unproductive month, writing-wise, for me, as I had to deal with a number of issues. However, writing at least once in a while will probably help me in the long run.

I’ve been trying to figure out why I haven’t been able to write anything substantial this past year, and one of the realizations I’ve had is that I lack a reason to be passionate about writing. For the past six years, my writing took on a political bent, as I tried to keep an eye on the excesses of the Arroyo government. Checking my posts over that period, there were a lot of issues for me to be angry enough in order to write. Having chosen my point of attack, I managed to be passionate in dealing with the myriad issues that the Arroyo government spawned, from the perceived massive corruption committed by the Arroyo family to the various effects of that corruption on our society, from Arroyos moves in the Supreme Court, to the Maguindanao Massacre. It seemed as if every day, there was an issue to be angry about.

Now, with the administration of President Noynoy Aquino a year into place, there are fewer reasons to be angry about. I’m not saying the Aquino administration is doing a good job; in fact, there’s a lot to be desired about how this current administration operates. What I’m seeing is that, despite the many naysayers, this current administration, if on the incompetent side, is operating under the frame of mind of an anti-corruption bent. Call me naïve, but I want to believe that the President has the right idea of what direction to take, and, given the right people, there’s still time for him to turn things around.

Maybe it’s also because I voted for President Aquino under the belief that he can effect positive change in our country that I’m hesitant to be overly critical about him and his administration. After all, when I read the editorials in the newspapers, a number of the President’s critics were part of the previous two administrations (Arroyo and Estrada), so I’m rather skeptical about their motives for writing negatively about the Aquino government, and I probably loathe being included among their number.

Be that as it may, how does this impact on my writing as a blogger? It appears that I may have to find other topics to be passionate about, in order to continue writing. Perhaps it’s an impetus for me to expand my writing beyond the political realm, and try flexing my muscles on other topics.

I’m not sure if this post will signal my return to a more regular schedule of writing, although I’m hoping that it will. What I am hoping is that those of you who still follow my blog will be patient with me, as I try to figure out things, and try to see what direction I want this blog to take.

UAAP Men's Basketball: Down the Stretch

2011-08-30T06:28:00.003+08:00

The last time I wrote about the UAAP men’s basketball season, it was last year, when the Ateneo Blue Eagles won the championship for the third straight time. I’ve been quiet this year, due to both the fact that it’s been a difficult year, writing-wise, and the fact that there are much better writers who are more knowledgeable about the game than I. One such writer is my co-teacher Enzo Flojo, who writes the very entertaining and informative blog, Hoop Nut, wherein he covers both the men’s competition and the juniors, albeit only the Blue Eaglets’ games. Still, with three games remaining per team, and having seen most of the teams perform, I’d like to put in my two cents before the season comes to a close. Below is my own ranking of the eight UAAP squads, and a short commentary for each.

1. Ateneo (11-0) – The addition of Kiefer Ravena and Greg Slaughter to the team has made it well-nigh unstoppable, even with the absence of Ryan Buenafe. Slaughter, though, standing at seven feet, tends to draw the most attention, with opposing teams double or even triple teaming him the moment he touches the ball However, the Blue Eagles just have way too many talented players who can step up at a moment’s notice to contribute, and when Slaughter is in trouble, veterans such as Nico Salva, Kirk Long and Emman Monfort are freed up to do damage. Ateneo’s closing schedule (UP, NU, and Adamson) is not light, though, and the Eagles will have to battle complacency if they are to manage a sweep of the eliminations and automatic entry into the Finals.

2. Adamson (8-3) – The Falcons are a veteran team, and hungry enough to go all the way. Standing in their way, though, is Ateneo, and that 29-game losing streak (in the UAAP) to the Blue Eagles will either be an impetus to achieve or a lodestone to provide undue pressure on the Falcons.

3. FEU (7-4) – After falling to 4-4, the Tamaraws apparently have righted themselves, and are on a three-game winning streak. The emergence of Cris Tolomia and Russel Escoto have provided some support to the veteran trio of RR Garcia, Terence Romeo and Aldrech Ramos. With a little luck, FEU may be even able to get past Adamson for the twice-to-beat advantage. The pressure here will still fall on the veteran trio. If they don’t produce, the other Tamaraws will have to step up and take charge.

4. UST (6-5) – I’m actually a little surprised at the Growling Tigers’ success at claiming the fourth spot, given the two possible contenders following them. With a fairly comfortable 2-game lead over La Salle and NU, UST still has a bit of a tough schedule to go, but the two Jerics (Teng and Fortuna), the feisty Chris Camus, and the scary Karim Abdul ought to hold off the opposition to clinch a Final Four spot.

5. NU (4-7) – I realize that after rookie sensation Bobby Ray Parks and Emmanuel Mbe, I’m not really familiar with the rest of the Bulldog squad. Perhaps that’s part of the problem, that NU still lacks some necessary pieces to make a strong run at the title. They’ve had some games wherein they were leading by a wide margin, only to fall apart in the end game and lose by 2-3 points. The Bulldogs will have to win all of their remaining matches if they want to have a shot at a Final Four slot.

6. La Salle (4-7) – I’m not sure if it’s the players or the coach who is the problem for the poor showing of the Archers so far. Veterans Simon Atkins and Joshua Webb have been on and off (mostly off), and comebacking LA Revilla has cooled off considerably after a hot start. At the same time, coach Dindo Pumaren doesn’t seem to have the same flair that his older brother Franz had in bringing the best out of his players. The emergence of Arnold Van Opstal as their next big man may be the key to the Archers’ fortunes down the stretch.

7. UE (2-9) – The Warriors have nothing to lose, and are content to play the spoilers’ role. They very nearly did in the Eagles, who were either caught napping or were too focused on the next game. Coach Jerry Cordinera seems to have instilled some fighting spirit in the Warriors, something to build on for next season.

8. UP (2-9) – As a UP alumnus, watching the Maroons play is a painful experience. The only bright spot for me is watching Ravena’s teammate Paolo Romero develop into an offensive option when Mike Silungan and Mike Gamboa are unable to get their games going. While the two wins, coming off a winless season, are nice, it would be nice if the Maroons could play better and keep the games close, but it looks like another bad season coming to a merciful end for this team.

In Memory: Ninoy Aquino, August 21, 1983

2011-08-21T06:47:00.004+08:00

Today, we commemorate the death of former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., whose assassination 28 years ago was the impetus for us to shake off the chains of oppression and make our voices heard by the dictator. It was Sen. Aquino's death on the airport tarmac that led to the eventual ouster of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

One can only wonder how events would have unfolded had Ninoy Aquino survived to lead the fight against Marcos. Would he have fought with his values intact, or would he have succumbed to the malady of corruption that appears to have afflicted even the staunchest Marcos foe? Would he have become President himself, or would we still be laboring under the yoke of the dictator? We'll never know.

What I do know is that, with his ultimate sacrifice, our country is greater for it. We are reminded what it means to die for one's country. Ninoy Aquino knew that he would either be jailed or killed if he returned to the Philippines. He could have stayed safe in the United States, but he made the conscious decision to come back, to continue the fight. His bravery is a tribute to us all, and calls us to act no less than he did.

Do try to listen to the speech he made in Los Angeles, just before he left for the Philippines, to face the death that was prepared for him. It's broken up into 9 parts, for a total of around an hour and a half. Listen to it, and be reminded of Ninoy's remarkable courage and intelligence.

Provoked into Thinking

2011-08-17T23:20:00.004+08:00

It's been a busy week, since it's the week before exams, so everybody, including myself, is rushing to finish all the lessons, while some have to construct the exams on top of that.

That being said, one of the major topics in the news since last week is artist Mideo Cruz's controversial "Poleteismo", which has sparked a firestorm of discussion about freedom of expression and what its limits are.

"Poleteismo" is part of "Kulo" a now-closed exhibit in the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), which was supposed to be part of the celebration of the University of Sto. Tomas (UST)'s 400th foundation anniversary.

The work, which is essentially a collage, contains such images as a rather disturbing figure of Christ bleeding from the eyes, as well as another image of Christ with a wooden phallus serving as a nose (a side note: checking Google images, apparently the said phallus is one of those wood carvings that you will find in Baguio markets.). From the images, the work looks like some deranged person's room, something akin to the rooms of those creepy stalkers one sees in the movies.

Understandably, Catholics, both religious and lay members, were outraged by what they believed to be a desecration of images that they consider to be sacred. National Artist F. Sionil Jose branded Mideo Cruz, the creator of "Poleteismo", as "immature and juvenile". Before the exhibit was closed down, some of the works were vandalized, and Cruz has apparently received death threats. In addition, criminal cases have been filed against both him and CCP officials.

On the other hand, artists and a number of columnists (Raul Pangalanan and Conrado de Quiros of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and Orlando Carvajal of the Sun Star Cebu) have spoken out in defense of Cruz, raising the banner of freedom of expression.

I've been following the issue, reading as much as I could about both sides. My own inner conflict about the matter is that, as a Catholic, I should be appalled by Cruz's work, but, at the same time, I question the manner by which some Catholics are attacking the issue, namely by resorting to threats, which isn't really Christian, either. If Cruz was aiming to provoke people into thinking about his work, then I guess he's succeeded in making me think carefully about the issue.

I'm not going to try to get my two cents in on the issue yet, because I'm still thinking about it. However, I do have some questions that I'm reflecting on, and I invite you to think about them, too.

The questions are:

Is freedom of expression absolute?

Another question is, if freedom of expression is not absolute, then who sets the limits for it? The law? The Church?

A third question is, what is art? Who determines what is and isn't art?

Catching Up on Issues

2011-08-13T06:31:00.003+08:00

Another lost week of posts. It's a little difficult finding the right time, rhythm, and frame of mind to be able to write anything. Oh, well. I guess I have to stop whining, and just get right on to it.

A number of issues passed me by as my writing lay dormant:

1. The resignation of Senator Miguel Zubiri

This is definitely a historical first, that an elected official would willingly step down from his post due to controversy; in Zubiri's case, it was because of emerging reports of actual irregularities during the 2004 and 2007 elections. Of course, this is more a calculated political move than a gallant one, since it appeared that the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) was all set (pun intended) to proclaim Koko Pimentel as the actual winner of that Senate seat. Zubiri simply resigned before Pimentel was proclaimed in order to avoid the indignity of stepping down as a result. Of course, his so-called gallant move is a wonderful opportunity for 2013, wherein he will most likely run again. Anyone want to bet on his chances of winning, this time around?

2. The downgrade of the U.S. credit rating

I really would've liked to have written about this in more detail; I had a whole slew of commentaries and news reports as my basis. The downgrade is a clear result of the political bickering in the U.S. over the raising of the debt ceiling. The Tea Party movement, that conservative, ideologically-puritan grassroots movement, has emerged as a strong influential force in American politics, but, since it tended to place its ideology over economic realities, its influence could be disastrous for American economic policy in the future.

3. The Philippine Dragon Boat win

It's sad that politics has reared its ugly head once more in Philippine sports. The Philippine Dragon Boat team won 5 golds and 2 silvers in the recently-concluded World Championships, but Philippine sports officials have been unsportsmanlike in putting down the team, claiming that the team was too old to continue competing, and that its opponents were beginners, anyway. The crab mentality was so obvious in the officials' words. It reminded me of what happened to former gymnast and taekwondo jin Bea Lucero, who was not allowed by gymnastics officials to compete since she wasn't accredited by the gymnastic sports federation. I wish the President would come down hard on these officials for their narrow-mindedness.

Travails of the Arroyos

2011-08-02T16:04:00.002+08:00

With the accusations coming left and right, it’s no wonder that the Arroyo family, through their mouthpiece, lawyer Raul Lambino, are crying persecution. For those of us, however, who have long seen the culture of impunity that the Arroyos have unleashed on the country, it’s time for them to reap the whirlwind.

As it is, the number of cases against the Arroyos and their allies continues to grow. Some of the more high-profile cases appear to be:

• The various plunder charges against the former President and her husband Mike Arroyo (here, here and here, to name a few);

• The acquisition of the Philippine National Police (PNP) of what turned out to be second-hand helicopters, previously owned by Mike Arroyo;

• The tax evasion charges against the Arroyos’ son Mikey and his wife;

• The plunder charges against former Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) head and former Arroyo Senatorial candidate Prospero Pichay;

• The anomalies at Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) under former head Ephraim Genuino;

• And the admission of policemen led by PNP Senior Superintendent Rafael Santiago that they switched election returns during the 2004 elections. (although, to be fair, there is no direct link between the police and the Arroyos. Yet.)

At the same time, the Aquino government should be careful about how it handles the myriad criminal cases popping up against the Arroyos, lest the administration be seen as vengeful rather than justice-seeking. Of course, Arroyo lapdogs, such as Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, as well as columnists such as the Inquirer’s Rigoberto Tiglao, have already begun singing that tune, bewailing the atmosphere of revenge (perceived) that surrounds the cases.

The Aquino government should also take care to be more proactive in dealing with the problems besetting our country, since the Arroyos and their allies are raising accusations of failure, that the criminal cases are merely a smokescreen for the Aquino administration’s failure to address the many problems of the country. By acting even-handed, the President can avoid the trap of appearing to be getting back at his political enemies.

It’s not as if the Arroyo excesses are not common knowledge. The culture of impunity that the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos created when he imposed martial law on the country was even more firmly established in the nine-year reign of the Arroyos. This translated to the possible theft of the 2004 presidential vote and the 2007 elections, as well as the rampant killing of journalists and activists under the Arroyo administration. It also translated to Arroyo appointing all of the members of the Supreme Court, who have shown their willingness to defend Arroyo from her detractors. It translated to the Arroyos using the powers of government to suit themselves and their cronies.

But now, the tables have turned. With the Arroyos’ power diminished, and a new government embracing anti-corruption as its platform, it seems as if those who were afraid of recriminations from the Arroyos have found the courage to speak out and reveal what they know about the Arroyos’ machinations. Suddenly, the voices have become a roaring crowd, and can no longer be silenced.

Of course, the accusers had better have the evidence needed to convict the Arroyos. Like it or not, we are still a nation of laws. In order to avoid looking like a lynch mob, we have to do the right thing, and send the Arroyos through the legal process, and, hopefully, the evidence will be strong enough for conviction, sending a strong message to those who wish to continue engaging in corrupt practices. We can only hope that, through this, our country will emerge stronger and more mature.

Rain Delays

2011-08-02T15:59:00.001+08:00

With classes suspended today, the fourth such suspension this school year, some sectors are making noise once more to move the start of classes to September, under the assumption that the rainy season will be winding down by then. However, there are several reasons why this plan may not be feasible.

One is that the rainy season doesn’t necessarily end in September. Due to the changes is climate and weather patterns, as well as the effects of the “La Nina” and “El Nino” phenomena, storms have entered our country’s area of responsibility as late as December. Granted, the frequency of storms tends to die down by then, we’ve had storms as late as December, and as early as January. Moving the start of classes to September is not a guarantee that the number of class days lost to weather disturbances will decrease. One will recall that typhoon “Ondoy”, one of the most devastating storms to hit the country, hit the country in September.

Another reason is that not all areas in the country are equally affected by stormy weather, as this depends on the direction that a storm will take. I forget who pointed it out, but I remember a government official noting that only a few areas are affected at a time by any one storm. Other areas, on the other hand, aren’t affected by weather disturbances, which may make the moving to September plan indefensible.

Moving the start of classes to September will also mean that students will be going to school under the scorching heat of April and May, and, given our congested school system, this may give rise to other concerns, such as heat stroke and dehydration. While not as dangerous as flooding and its accompanying risks (i.e., leptospirosis, among others), schooling in the summertime can be risky to student health.

On a selfish note, the move to September will mean that the students’ ‘summer’ break will take place during the rainy season, which will likely put a damper on local tourism, since people will find it difficult to travel during this time. Flights and ship trips can be canceled, and places such as Baguio and Boracay will be less desirable to visit during stormy weather.

It also means that traditional summer activities may be curtailed, although the Department of Education can probably figure out a curriculum that maximizes the prevailing weather conditions. The DepEd will also have to make room for Holy Week, which would then become a regular holiday event should classes start in September.

The proposal to move the start of classes to September has been brought up time and time again, only to be ignored and discarded. Given the reasons enumerated above, it may not be prudent to give this proposal serious thought. Still, if the government decides that this is the way to go, I hope they’ll have prepared contingencies to deal with the concerns mentioned above.

Feeding My Mind (Movies)

2011-07-27T09:32:00.000+08:00

Aside from the books I’ve read, I’ve managed to keep up with the current summer (U.S.) season of movies. I’m still not sure, though, if I’ll watch “Captain America: the First Avenger” in the movie house.

When I watch movies in the theater, my mind-set is basically to leave my brain at the entrance, and go in with the intention to enjoy the movie. I actually enjoyed all of the movies below, no matter what the critics may say.

1. Kung Fu Panda 2

This is probably the best of the lot, so far. The movie is a wonderful blend of drama and comedy, with thrilling moments and insightful dialogue. Hands down, unless “Cars 2” or “Happy Feet 2” are any good, this is my bet for best animated feature in next year’s Oscars.

2. Thor

I didn’t realize until later on that this was directed by Kenneth Branagh, who’s better known for his Shakespeare than for superheroing. Branagh brought in a Shakespearean quality of story-telling in his interpretation of the thunder god. I wasn’t very taken with the movie when I first saw the trailer, but it’s a good rendition of Thor, and how he needed to learn humility.

3. X-Men: First Class

For this movie, I had to detach myself from what I knew of the X-Men from the comics and the first three movies, and simply watch the movie at face value. The inaccuracies to the comic aside, “X-Men: First Class” is a great introduction to the relationship between the two greatest mutants, Charles Xavier and Magneto.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

The last of the “Harry Potter” series didn’t pack as much punch as I thought it would, but it’s still a stirring ending to the series which chronicled the adventures of the Boy Who Lived. I think that, given the length of the previous movies, more time could have been spent in developing the story in this one, which “only” ran a little more than two hours.

5. Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The last installment of the “Transformers” trilogy packed a lot of punch in terms of action and dazzling special effects, but, since Optimus Prime and Bumblebee were the closest in resemblance to the cartoon renditions, it was difficult feeling anything for the other Autobots and Decepticons who bought it in this movie. Still, it had its moments, and was still wonderful to behold on the big screen.

6. Green Lantern

While the special effects were great, admittedly, the story was on the lightweight side. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the movie, though I realize that pushing a sequel is going to be a big challenge, given the film’s paltry take at the box office. It’s a pity, though, I would’ve liked to have seen the development of Sinestro into a villain.

Feeding My Mind (Books)

2011-07-27T09:31:00.001+08:00

It’s a lazy day, with school being suspended due to typhoon “Juaning”, so I thought I’d take time to take stock of my reading. Due to my current ennui regarding writing, I wasn’t able to come up with this year’s feeding my mind list over the summer, even though I had been reading quite a bit over the past few months. Hopefully, by writing this, I’ll be able to start up my writing muscles once more, and be able to go back to my regular (more or less) mode of posting.

So, without further ado, here’s what I’ve been reading over the past few months (in no particular order), and my rating (out of 5 stars) for each book:

1. I Am Number Four – Pittacus Lore ****

2. A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness *****

3. Night Watch – Terry Prachett *****

4. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents – Terry Prachett *****

5. Thud! – Terry Prachett *****

6. A Song of Fire and Ice Series (A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance With Dragons) – George R.R. Martin *****

7. True Story, Swear to God – Tom Beland *****

8. Amelia Rules – Jimmy Gownley *****

9. Making Comics – Scott McCloud *****

10. Battleships – Peter Hore *****

11. The Art of Discworld – Terry Prachett and Paul Kidby *****

Basically, the list is a mix of fantasy books and graphic novels, as well as two informative books.

The last book I read on the list is A Dance With Dragons, the latest book in the great series by George R.R. Martin. I’m hoping, though, that Martin doesn’t take another five to six years in writing The Winds of Winter, the next book in the series. It’s just too long a wait.

Currently, I have several books that I’m reading, depending on my mood. They’re all rereads, though.

1. The Wee Free Men – Terry Prachett

2. Hogfather – Terry Prachett

3. Hotel New Hampshire – John Irving

4. The Stand – Stephen King

It’s obvious that I’m a big Prachett fan. I love his colorful writing style, as well as the well-rounded characters.

And that is my reading list so far this year. I’m looking at my shelf, at books I’ve read, and wondering whether I should pick one off the shelf and revisit it. It’s been a while since I went through Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles. Maybe it’s time for me to visit my library, and see if there are any books I haven’t read yet.

Back for the Moment

2011-07-16T00:39:00.003+08:00

Been a while since I've managed to get anything written down here. In fact, it's almost been a month, which is probably the longest stretch that I've not posted anything. There are just too many things to take care of, and too little time.

I'm still keeping track of the news, thanks to my RSS Feed. Some of the things I've been following are:

1. The punching incident involving Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and court sheriff. This has already been commented on by a number of people, and I would be interested in hearing what the President has to say about the matter. If he doesn't discipline the Dutertes, it would be clear that he favors his allies over the rule of law. While the Dutertes are much-loved in Davao City for their tough stance on crime, it should be noted that the rule of law has often been flaunted to get this done. Mayor Duterte's bashing of the sheriff shows how valuable the rule of law is to this political family. It doesn't help that her father, Vice-Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, has more or less stomped on the rule of law in defending his daughter.

2. The PCSO scandal involving the bishops of the Catholic Church. It's good that the bishops in question have returned the vehicles given to their dioceses; it shows that they still have consciences.

The other issue is that the PCSO was made into a private piggy bank by a number of politicians, including former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. How this will play out remains to be seen, as the case is still ongoing.

3. The continuation of the Maguindanao Massacre trial. At this point, the current issue is whether former ARMM governor Zaldy Ampatuan is telling the truth about what he knows about the 2009 massacre and the 2007 elections, where several opposition senators got zero votes in Maguindanao. The government, however, isn't interested in making him a state witness, since he is likely to be complicit in the heinous crime. It hasn't stopped Ampatuan from making revelations ruinous to former President Arroyo. It will be interesting to see how this develops.

That's it for now. I'm not sure when I'll be able to go back to a regular posting schedule, but do drop by once in a while, as I will try to post more often.

Opposing Views

2011-06-25T09:21:00.000+08:00

Reading the newspaper can be amusing, especially in the opinion pages where article content can show completely opposite views on an issue.

In today’s Philippine Star, columnist and former Senator Ernesto Maceda scores the President and his Cabinet members, particularly Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Dinky Soliman and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson on their supposed inaction and insensitivity regarding the flooding situation in Cotabato.

Echoing Cotabato City Mayor Japal Guiani Jr.’s assertion that the President did not bring any aid to the flood victims, Maceda ends his column by saying, “another glaring example of an incompetent, slow-moving government who can’t get rid of water lilies fast.” Maceda, of course, is referring to the considerable growth of water lilies on the Rio Grande River which has contributed to the flooding in the area.

Before Maceda goes on his tirade against the Aquino government, he should probably take a look at his newspaper’s editorial, which focuses the blame more on local officials such as Guiani. As the editorial states, “a massive carpet of water lily does not appear overnight,” and questions the inability of local officials to have cleared the waterways of the water lilies on a regular basis. The editorial also observes that other communities such as Las Pinas and Pampanga have actually utilized the water lilies in cottage industries, so why couldn’t Cotabato officials have done the same?

I like the way the editorial concludes. It goes, “Those who don’t clean up their own backyard should not blame others for its consequences.”

It isn’t fair for Maceda to place the blame for the flood aid on the President, who isn’t supposed to micro-manage and provide quick fixes in situations such as these. The blame clearly lies with the local officials, who had failed to practice proper waste and flood management, and probably should be investigated on what they did with the funds allocated for such purposes.

Blocked

2011-06-20T21:04:00.001+08:00

Maybe I should focus my writing on something else for a while.

Another week has gone by without any writing on my end, and I’m beginning to worry whether I’ve lost the passion for writing.

One of the problems has been time, there being too little of it. I’ve been immersed in a number of things, which, in turn, have kept me from the keyboard. However, I’m starting to get into the rhythm of the school year, so I should be able to find time to put my thoughts down.

Another problem is the lack of serious topics. For the past few years, I’ve kept my eye on the national scene, and have written at length on a number of issues, particularly the corruption of the previous administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Compared to rapacity of the Arroyos, the current government of President Noynoy Aquino has been pretty lightweight in terms of scandals. So far, the most serious scandals have been the Manila hostage crisis and the problems regarding the shooting buddies of the President, namely, Land Transportation Office (LTO) head Virginia Torres, and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno.

As for the President himself, the most serious charges would be his ill-timed purchase of a Porsche, and his apparent lack of action on important issues.

While I would agree with Conrado de Quiros when he wrote that President Aquino hasn’t done anything wrong or truly corrupt, the fact remains that President Aquino has been perceived to have done nothing substantial in his first year of office. The current flap with China over the Spratly Islands may be an opportunity for President Aquino to rise to the occasion and show his mettle, but I’m not really confident that he will. I’m hoping that he’ll prove me wrong.

The bottom line at this point is that I’m just not motivated to write about the Aquino government the way I was during the Arroyo administration, which may say something about my own biases. So far, the Aquino government hasn’t done anything the level of what Arroyo and her cronies did. If it does, and I’m hoping it won’t come to that, I’ll definitely be fired up to write about it here, but that time hasn’t come.

Maybe I’m just burned-out. After all, I have kept to this blog for seven years, and having written extensively about Philippine politics, maybe I’m just tired of seeing the same mistakes being committed over and over again. I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that I’d been repeating myself about the same issue over the past seven years. If such is the case, it’s time for a change.

For those who’ve been following my blog over the years, I can’t assure you that I’ll be writing more regularly from here on. It’s ironic, I know, considering the title of my blog. I’ll be doing some thinking, and maybe some brainstorming on topics that I’d like to write about. Hopefully, something positive will come of it, and I’ll be a better writer for it.

Appointing the Next Ombudsman: Attacking Justice Carpio-Morales

2011-06-12T20:17:00.002+08:00

My first post in a while. I wanted to post something about Independence Day, but it isn't ready yet, and this was.

With the resignation of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, the Judiciary and Bar Council (JBC) is now preparing to finalize the list it will submit to President Noynoy Aquino. Apparently, there is already a favorite in Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, who will be retiring on June 19, 2011. Predictably, those who fear her imminent appointment have already begun the process of questioning her capability to do the job.

Former President and Pampanga 2^nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Justice Sectretary Raul Gonzalez have filed separate letters opposing Justice Carpio-Morales’ nomination to the JBC, questioning her “independence and impartiality”. To prove this, both Arroyo and Gonzalez said that, in every case involving Arroyo, Justice Carpio-Morales has supposedly voted consistently to investigate cases of graft and corruption against the Arroyo administration. The only reason why her views “did not generally prevail” is “because the Supreme Court is a collegiate court composed of a Chief Justice and 14 Associate Justices.” However, Arroyo continues, the “Ombudsman would be acting alone in the performance of his responsibilities,” so, it would mean that Justice Carpio-Morales would be free to act on cases against the Arroyo administration.

Gonzalez goes a little further in attacking Justice Carpio-Morales, by insinuating that her decisions are born of a sheep mentality, since, according to Gonzalez, Justice Carpio-Morales has consistently voted in tandem with her cousin, Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.

I find Arroyo’s and Gonzalez’s accusations and insinuations insulting to Justice Carpio-Morales. They imply that her decisions are made because of her bias against Arroyo, rather than out of a desire for justice and integrity in government. For me, Justice Carpio-Morales has been one of the bright lights of the Supreme Court, consistently deciding to have cases against the Arroyo administration investigated. In doing so, she has risen above the fact that Arroyo had appointed her, and has shown more independence and impartiality than majority of her colleagues, who have been perceived to vote as their patron wishes.

At the same time, who are Arroyo and Gonzalez to question Justice Carpio-Morales’ independence and impartiality? Arroyo, whose 9-year reign is so steeped in corruption that it threatens to rival that of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and Gonzalez, who developed a reputation for being the worst Justice Secretary in Philippine history, lack the authority and credibility to assail Justice Carpio-Morales’ credentials. The same goes for Arroyo lapdogs such as Reps. Edcel Lagman, Milagros Magsaysay, and Danilo Suarez, who either kept their mouths shut at Arroyo’s corruption, or even actively participated in the plunder.

If one would question Justice Carpio-Morales’ independence and impartiality, it would be better to use the fact that she swore in President Noynoy Aquino, defying the tradition of the Chief Justice being the official to do so. The fact that she didn’t defer from this is, for me, a more compelling reason not to appoint her, rather than her voting record in the Supreme Court.

Another possible argument against her appointment is the fact that, once she retires from the Supreme Court, Justice Carpio-Morales will be 70 years old, and the grueling task of going after corrupt officials and pursuing cases against them may take a toll on her.

However, since I sincerely believe in Justice Carpio-Morales’ integrity and ability, perhaps, if appointed, she can help erase the stigma of Gutierrez’s dishonorable stint in the office, and reestablish the Ombudsman as a position of trust and honor.

Daily Musings Turns 7!

2011-06-01T10:22:00.004+08:00

It was only after I put up my post on the Leviste escapade that I realized that my blog officially turns seven later this afternoon. Seven years of writing, and around 1,091 posts written thus far. While it's far from the daily posting that I had imagined when I first started writing, it's still a pretty impressive number.

Doing a quick scan of the posts, it's interesting to note how my posts moved from personal stuff, wherein I would narrate the events of the day, to comments on our society, whether political or cultural. While posting has been spotty as of recently, I'd like to think that I've tried to make sure that my thoughts are clearly stated and adequately supported, and that I've tried to make my writing as interesting as I could make it.

As I start my eighth year of blogging, I'd like to say thanks to all those who have followed me over the years, especially to those who have bothered to react in comment to what I have written. I don't really have any concrete plans for the coming year; I'll just continue to write about what interests me, particularly politics, Philippine society, culture. Do stay tuned, and keep on reading!

The Leviste Escapade: A Look at Philippine Prison Reform

2011-06-01T09:54:00.009+08:00

Getting back into the swing of writing has been slow, but I think I'm getting there. I just have to make decisions about the topics I want to write, and make time to get my thoughts written down.

It's been an open secret that our prison system reflects our social hierarchy, wherein the rich can afford perks such as living out of jail, and even setting up their own businesses inside the jail itself, while the poor have to deal with cramped living spaces, and not being allowed to go out of the jail. One can probably still recall former Zamboanga representative and convicted rapist Romeo Jalosjos and his tennis court.

This arrangement has been exposed to the public via the arrangement provided former Batangas governor and convicted killer Antonio Leviste, who was arrested as he was coming out of LPL Tower in Makati, when he was supposed to be serving a 6 to 12-year sentence for killing a close friend. It was discovered that Leviste was allowed to leave jail at least 4 times. What's worse is that he apparently sometimes brought two other inmates, one convicted for robbery and the other for rape, with him when he left the jail.

The Leviste case raised serious questions about our prison system, on whether proper security measures were being followed, and how much corruption has affected it. It has also caused the resignation of Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director Ernesto Diokno, who, at first, said he was not to blame for Leviste's escapades, but later, filed his "irrevocable resignation", which the President accepted.

It's interesting to note that Diokno's resignation, tendered 12 days after the Leviste affair, is considered to be one of the fastest, in a country where public officials stubbornly cling to their posts in the face of public displeasure with their actions. It's still 12 days too long, considering that, before his resignation, Diokno was insisting that he was not to blame for the escapade, and tried to pass on the blame to the prison officials. However, Diokno cannot escape command responsibility, and the blame for the Leviste escapade falls on his shoulders. Still, he's better than most government officials, like DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno, who has stayed at his post despite being responsible for the hostage tragedy last year.

It's clear, as the Philippine Star noted yesterday, that prison reform is badly needed, and cannot be a hurried affair. It is something that the Department of Justice will have to seriously mull over, in order to correct the inequities in the system, to prevent a repeat of the Leviste caper.

Back Again: The Commonwealth Situation

2011-05-28T23:27:00.003+08:00

Just a quick post for today, to let you know I'm still around. Work and family activities, and there have been a lot of them, have made it difficult to sit down and write anything. With a week to go before classes start, I'll try to get back into the swing of things, and find a way to post more regularly.

With the tragic death of journalist Lourdes "Chit" Simbulan, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has once again dialed up its campaign against over-speeding drivers on Commonwealth Avenue, dubbed "the killer highway". I notice, though, that the traffic enforcers appear to only be situated at certain points; from where I drive, there's a whole passel of enforcers at the Ayala Techno Hub, and at the intersection at Tandang Sora Ave.

However, it's apparent that the ones at Tandang Sora Ave. aren't doing their jobs, as buses routinely violate the bus lanes in plain sight of the enforcers. To think that there's even a police station right under the Tandang Sora flyover. What's more is that the enforcers seem to be more engrossed in catching up on the latest gossip, as they often appear huddled deep in conversation while chaos reigns just a few meters away.

It's also noticeable that the enforcement of the speed limit is only done at certain times, since I've had the opportunity to see buses careening down Commonwealth Ave. during the night, since apparently, the MMDA has no means to implement a 24/7 cycle of patrols. The speeding buses, notably, belong to the Nova bus line, whose buses have been tagged by the driver as having been responsible for his hitting Simbulan's taxi (more on that later). Mayor Herbert Bautista and MMDA Director Francis Tolentino clearly have their work cut out for them.

As for the bus driver Daniel Espinosa, who had made it all the way to Davao before surrendering to Davao City Vice-Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, he now claims that two Nova buses were racing in front of him, which was why he didn't see Simbulan's taxi. Judging from the way the taxi was crumpled up like a piece of paper, it's likely that Espinosa was doing a bit of speeding himself, and is guilty of the crime, no matter how his lawyer Salvador Panelo tries to spin it.

Espinosa claimed that he feared for his life; it's interesting that he had to go all the way down to Mindanao to feel safe, and it took a week before he surrendered. Well, I guess I can't blame him for losing his head on the matter, but the fact that he ran and took a week to surrender indicates some guilt on his part. He and Panelo cannot wash their hands off the matter, since he was the driver of the bus which smashed into the taxi.

Going back to Commonwealth, it's clear that a lot has to be done about setting things right, and it will take a lot of political will in order to get it done.

Philippine Star feature writer Paolo Alcazaren gives some helpful suggestions on how to fix things on Commonwealth. Here's hoping that the Mayor and the MMDA are listening.

Chalk Up Another for the Killer Highway

2011-05-16T10:38:00.001+08:00

In the wake of last Friday’s tragic accident, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) officials were hard-pressed to explain how such an event could have happened, given the supposedly stricter traffic rules along Commonwealth Ave., the metropolis’ so-called ‘killer highway’. For one who normally has to drive along Commonwealth, like myself, it’s fairly easy to see why last Friday’s tragedy happened.

Last Friday, U niversity of the Philippines (UP) professor and journalist Lourdes “Chit” Estrella-Simbulan was killed when her taxi was hit by two buses; the first bus apparently sideswiped the taxi, while the second bus, identified as a Universal Guiding Light bus, smashed into the back of the taxi. The bus driver and conductor of the second bus then escaped on foot, and are still at large as of this writing.

The tragedy occurred, despite the fact that the MMDA set a maximum speed limit for vehicles along Commonwealth, and established bus lanes for the buses to follow.

I remember when the guidelines were first enforced. In front of Shopwise Commonwealth, dozens of traffic enforcers lined up along the designated bus lane, and traffic police were out in force, apprehending violators of the guidelines. I also remember, sadly, that the enforcement of the traffic guidelines lasted less than a month, and buses once more ignored the lanes, and vehicles careened down Commonwealth as if their drivers were Formula One racecars.

One of the main problems for the failure of the guidelines is the lack of visible enforcement of traffic laws. One glaring example can be seen in the afternoon near the main temple of the Iglesia ni Kristo. There, in front of the New Era General Hospital, buses and jeepneys stop in the middle of Commonwealth, or stop at a diagonal position, to pick up passengers, causing heavy traffic in the area. A few meters away, one can see a group of traffic enforcers and policemen, ignoring the chaos, and apparently, catching up on the gossip of the day. It is this failure that helped bus drivers become more reckless in their actions, and this helped contribute to Friday’s tragedy.

As it is, last Saturday, barely a day after the tragedy, I saw several buses, one from Jell Transport, another from Nova, and the third, surprisingly, from Universal Guiding Light. All three buses were barreling down Commonwealth, with nary a thought about the speed limit.

While no less than the President has expressed his dismay at the goings-on, and has ordered a stricter crackdown on reckless drivers, I cannot help but be cynical and tell myself that I have seen this zarzuela before. Sure enough, there will be stricter enforcement of rules in the next few weeks, but complacency is the curse of the Filipino, and, once the issue has died down, so will the vigilance in enforcing the rules.

I believe that the MMDA has to establish a more visible presence along Commonwealth, since drivers appear to ignore the rules when they think that no one is watching. There is a pressing need to establish 24/7 patrols along Commonwealth, since the tragic accidents tend to happen during the late hours. While I understand the MMDA’s concern about bribery and ‘kotong’, there appears to be a need to immediately apprehend the violators as they break the rules, to be able to impress upon the minds of the erring drivers that their violations did not go unnoticed.

It’s ironic that it took a tragedy to highlight the failings of the MMDA guidelines, considering one of the reasons the guidelines were established to begin with was because of another tragedy, when a judge and his wife were killed by a speeding bus after they had attended the Christmas “Simbang Gabi” last December. One can only hope that this latest tragedy will force the MMDA to be more consistent in its vigilance, but past practices tell us that we’re likely to see more tragic accidents in the future.

Appointing the Next Ombudsman

2011-05-10T21:26:00.000+08:00

With the surprise resignation of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, the Judiciary and Bar Council (JBC) has begun deliberations on selecting possible candidates to replace her. Already, the factions in the Aquino administration are reportedly jockeying for their respective candidates to be included in the short list, which is unfortunate, considering that it was the perceived partisanship of Gutierrez towards former President and Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that caused Gutierrez to be impeached in the first place.

As of now, I am not aware of whom the candidates of the factions are, but they would do well to refuse their selection in order to ensure that the next Ombudsman will be free of partisan politics. President Aquino would do well to discern very carefully whom he is going to appoint to the position. The only way for the Ombudsman to be empowered to go after all corrupt officials is for him or her to be unfettered by political concerns. President Aquino cannot just appoint an Ombudsman specifically to go after Arroyo and her cronies; that would be too obvious a vengeance trip. Corruption is not exclusive to the Arroyos and their ilk; the current members of the Aquino administration are not saints themselves.

At this point, I’m also not aware of who the candidates are, although I’ve read that former Senator Wigberto Tanada, and soon-to-be-retiring Supreme Court Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales have been mentioned as possible appointees. Whoever is to be appointed, what is important is that the next Ombudsman is independent, intelligent, and honest, so that he or she will have a clear mandate to root out corruption in our government.

Quick Bites: The Past Week

2011-05-06T16:41:00.002+08:00

It's been a busy, hectic, two weeks. I've been on retreat in Baguio, and then it's been back to work, giving me little time to gather my thoughts together to write. In the two weeks I've not written, a royal couple got married, a Pope was beatified, an Ombudsman resigned, and an evil man met his final fate; during my regular writing, that would have been enough to write about for a number of posts. However, all this is in the past, and I'd rather focus on what will be happening in the present.

This weekend, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao will face American Shane Mosley in a match which Pacquiao and his fans hope will continue to add to his legendary status. While Mosley is a huge underdog in the betting odds, he still has a lot to bring to the fight, and it's entirely possible that he will manage to give Pacquiao a tough match.

With the death of Osama Bin Laden, the rest of the world finds itself on heightened alert in the event that Bin Laden's supporters and followers will take revenge for the death of their leader. Even here in the Philippines, a group of Muslims apparently met at the Golden Mosque in Quiapo to honor Bin Laden, whose terrorist group al-Qaida was responsible for thousands of deaths, particularly those killed in the terrorist air attacks made in the United States on September 11, 2001, wherein thousands died when planes struck the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon.

If there's an event I would've liked to have written about when it came out, it would be when Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez resigned from her post last Friday. Gutierrez, who was facing an impending impeachment trial at the Senate this week, resigned, citing family concerns as the reasons, although Ombudsman critics saw it as a way to continue shielding former President and Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Here's hoping I can get some rhythm back into my posting.

Back From Hiatus

2011-04-25T04:19:00.004+08:00

Well, I'm back from the break. With the Holy Week activities come and gone for the year, expect life in the Philippines to go back to normal.

A few weeks ago, I finally got around to using Really Simple Syndication (RSS) , which is a great tool for collecting news items, among other things. Pair it off with Google Reader and a Firefox app called feedly, and I now have all of my news compiled, making it easier for me to find links to stories I use in my blogging.

From a quick glance at the news items, I expect the following story lines to continue hogging the headlines:

The continued rise in oil prices - with the oil-producing nations in the Middle East and North Africa experiencing political turmoil, plus the growing need for oil by rising economic powers like China, it's likely that the price of oil, and, consequently, the price of gas, will continue to rise, making life more and more difficult for people around the world. Here in the Philippines, the Aquino administration will probably grapple with the idea of controlling oil prices in some way. Hopefully, this will not entail the government to allocate resources to what will likely be a bottomless pit.

The impending impeachment trial of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez - Having been soundly impeached by the House of Representatives, Ombudsman Gutierrez is preparing to face the trial in the Senate. While Gutierrez appears to be supremely confident that she will be exonerated by the Senate, she has to remember that impeachment is a political, not a criminal, case, and that means that the Senator-judges will have more on their minds than just sifting through the evidence, especially those who have an eye on reelection.

The firestorm over the Reproductive Health (RH) bill - The Roman Catholic Church has continued to hammer away at the President for having expressed his support for the bill, which, according to its authors, is designed to provide a more informed choice for Filipinos to plan out their families more carefully, as well as improve the lot of poor families. Church officials, however, don't see it that way, and have planted their banner on the argument that the bill will legalize abortion, and nothing will budge them from that position. It'll be interesting to see how things develop over this issue.

The debate over the possible Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani - Some have dismissed this as a trivial matter, but it is probably not so trivial to those who lived through and suffered during the 21 years of Marcos rule. The fact that we are debating over this issue simply shows our inability as a people to remember, and appreciate, our past.

The NBA playoffs - The first round of eliminations is almost over, and most of the top seeds are leading their respective series. For myself, I'm rooting for the Chicago Bulls or the Boston Celtics to make it to the Finals, and, hopefully, once there, clinch the championship.

The return of Willie Revillame - with the Holy Week over, Revillame's show "Willing Willie" will be back live on air after a two-week hiatus due to the controversy around a six-year old boy's "macho dancing". Buoyed by his network's and his fans' unabashed support, one can only guess what the arrogant Willie is going to do or say next.

I'll probably wind up writing about most of these topics, as well as others not mentioned here.

Hiatus

2011-04-17T05:45:00.004+08:00

Since I'll be leaving for the province tomorrow, Daily Musings will be on selective hiatus this week; if something truly interesting to write about comes up, I'll probably do my best to post something.

Enjoy your Holy Week, all.

The Jan-Jan Controversy: Suans File Libel Suit

2011-04-13T21:20:00.003+08:00

That was a quick hiatus. So much for staying quiet about it.

The Jan-Jan/Willie Revillame issue heated up once more when the Suans, Jan-Jan's parents, filed libel suits against child psychologist Dr. Honey Carandang, and bloggers John Silva and Froilan Grate for various reasons: Carandang, for having labeled Jan-Jan's dance on Revillame's show "Willing Willie" as child abuse without having met with Jan-Jan, Silva for comparing TV5 and Revillame with pedophiles (apparently, they felt alluded to), and Grate for emailing the the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), condemning the parents for "subjecting their child to this horrible experience."

In addition, Revillame's lawyer, Leonard de Vera, slammed Carandang for having made a judgment on Jan-Jan without having met him, and imputed that Carandang is apparently part of a plot to destroy Revillame and TV5. While he doesn't accuse ABS-CBN behind such alleged efforts, he does mention Carandang's "affinity" to the network. ABS-CBN, of course, denied such allegations.

Silva and Grate, on their part, remain unbowed by the suit, and dismissed it as an attempt to intimidate them into not pursuing the issue. Silva believes that TV5 is behind the suit, and is using the parents to attack them.

I, for one, believe that the suit is an attempt to silence free speech. While it's clear that ABS-CBN has every reason to go after Revillame for breach of contract, I doubt that it's fueling the outrage over Jan-Jan's dance, which Revillame compared to that of a macho dancer. Silva and Grate don't appear to have any ties to ABS-CBN, and appear to be merely concerned citizens expressing their dismay at how low the Philippine entertainment industry's moral standards, as represented by shows such as "Willing Willie" have sunk. Jan-Jan's parents should be ashamed of themselves for having made their son dance that way on TV, and their inability to recognize that is a testament to the deterioration of family values.

It would be interesting to find out whether the Suans got any assistance from anyone in filing their suit; I'm almost expecting de Vera and TV5 spokespersons coming out with denials that they are helping the Suans. However, considering that Revillame and TV5 are now being investigated by various government agencies over the March 12 incident, one cannot help but wonder at the timing of the suit, and wonder whether this is an obfuscatory tactic to divert attention away from both Revillame and TV5. Well, abangan ang susunod na kabanata.

The President-Ombudsman War: Mounting Casualties

2011-04-13T11:56:00.006+08:00

The current war between President Noynoy Aquino and Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez continues as one of Gutierrez’s underlings, Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Mark Jalandoni, resigns amidst accusations of usurpation of authority, and two others, Deputy Ombudsman Emilio Gonzalez III and Special Prosecutor Wendell Barreras-Sulit run to the Supreme Court (SC) for relief against moves by the Office of the President (OP) to remove them from office.

Regarding Jalandoni’s situation, he apparently usurped the functions of Assistant Ombudsman Jose de Jesus when he “approved the recommendation to dismiss Antonio Baltazar's complaint against Energy Regulatory Commission chairman Rodolfo Albano Jr. and Manila Electric Co. president Jesus Francisco for graft and corruption due to a lack of probable cause.” (quoted from GMA7 website) Apparently, since Jalandoni is Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon, he shouldn’t have had any participation in the issue, and yet he did. As a result, a complaint was filed against him at the Office of the President. Jalandoni, apparently wishing to spare his boss from further controversy, opted to resign instead of facing the charges.

As for Gonzalez and Barreras-Sulit, they have separate issues with the SC. Gonzalez is asking for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop his removal from office over his alleged involvement in the Manila hostage tragedy last year. Gonzalez is arguing that the Constitution states that only the Ombudsman has the authority to remove or sanction him (as implied in Article XI, Section 12). However, Section 8, subparagraph 2 of Republic Act (RA) 6770, the law creating the Office of the Ombudsman, states "A Deputy, or the Special Prosecutor, may be removed from office by the President for any of the grounds provided for the removal of the Ombudsman, and after due process." What Gonzalez wants is for the SC to rule that part of Section 8 as unconstitutional.

How the SC will rule on this issue will be interesting, since there are apparently valid points to ponder. Does RA 6770 supersede Article XI, Section 12 of the Constitution, or does it simply implement how the Office of the Ombudsman operates? It will also be interesting to see how the SC vote will go, as it has been perceived in the past that, in matters regarding former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her allies, a number of them tend to vote in a clear bloc. I, for one, am looking forward to reading the SC decision on this matter.

Barreras-Sulit, on the other hand, is fighting the possible disciplinary action readied against her for her role in the plea bargain agreement with former AFP comptroller Carlos Garcia. According to the terms of the agreement, Garcia was to return P135 million, out of an alleged P300 million, in exchange for his freedom. The agreement has been widely seen as a cop-out, despite public perception of the strength of the case against Garcia.

Gutierrez, on her part, maintains that she is not at war with the President, although her actions speak more loudly than her words.

While I applaud the President's efforts to root out corruption in the government, he has to make sure that he is applying the law evenly, since it has been perceived by some that Gonzalez, as well as the late hostage taker's brother Gregorio, is being made a scapegoat for the bungled hostage rescue attempt, while Undersecretary Rico Puno, whose responsibility was apparently control of the police, has remained untouched by any charges. Unless the President can show that the law is being equally applied, his current moves against the Ombudsman's Office will be seen as a mere vendetta or getting back at the former administration.

On the blogosphere:

Here's an interesting take on the Gonzalez issue.

Marcos' Burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani: The Continuing Story

2011-04-12T17:01:00.005+08:00

I wonder what the motivation was for 216 House Representatives (the list can be found here; happily, my own district representative, Quezon City 2nd District Rep. Winston Castelo is not one of the signees.) to sign a resolution calling for the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. While it's clear what former Marcos Cabinet member and Sorsogon Rep. Salvador Escudero III's motives are, the fact that 216 representatives, from almost every party, including, ironically, members of the Liberal Party, whose older members, such as former Senate President Jovito Salonga and the late Senator Ninoy Aquino, were targets of Marcos oppression.

The resolution is a grave insult to those whose lives were destroyed by the martial law regime of the Marcoses, and, as Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Amando Doronila puts it, a repudiation of the EDSA mandate. In another column, Doronila scores what he sees as the rehabilitation of the Marcoses, despite the fact that the Marcoses have never shown any contrition about their excesses and crimes during the 21 years that they plundered the country and brutally suppressed any opposition to their rule.

The late dictator's son, Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr., even added insult to injury by claiming that, if his family were not ousted, his father's plans would've made our country "another Singapore". That he decided to say this close to the silver anniversary of the EDSA I People Power Revolution displays his lack of humility or contrition.

The Catholic Educators Association of the Philippines (CEAP) issued a statement last Saturday our Araw ng Kagitingan, criticizing the House for the resolution, reminding the public of the crimes of the dictatorship and calling for vigilance against the current attempts to revise history, particularly the exposed fake war stories of the late dictator.

It doesn't help that the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released a poll result which showed that Filipinos are split almost down the middle on the issue. This only goes to show how forgetful we are as a people, and how we don't learn from past mistakes.

If it is possible for the Marcoses to rehabilitate their image, we, as a people, only have ourselves to blame, since we have failed to take to heart the lessons of EDSA I.

"Willing Willie" Issue: A Last Word (For Now)

2011-04-12T14:08:00.005+08:00

It's been an interesting two weeks following the controversy about Willie Revillame and Jan-Jan, and it's finally come to fruition, with Revillame announcing that he and his show, "Willing Willie", will be going off the air for two weeks. At the same time, the controversy has raised the issue of children performers on noontime shows, as well as the quality of these shows.

It's clear that all networks, not only TV5, have to be conscious of how they treat people on shows such as "Willing Willie" and "Eat Bulaga". Whether it be exploiting a six-year old like Jan-Jan, or having women dressed in skimpy outfits dancing for no particular reason except to titillate the viewers, networks have a social responsibility to remember that images such as these have a negative effect on their audiences. Such images send the subconscious message that they are perfectly all right, and, thus, poor Filipinos aspire to be such, since they believe that acting in such a manner will help them rise from poverty.

Artist Monique Wilson hits the nail on the head, as she challenged the networks to come up with more intelligent programming, and not "dumb down" the audience. In a story in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Wilson also criticizes the networks for sensationalizing and spinning the news.

The problem is that the networks, by now, have so brainwashed their audiences that Filipinos have become used to the mendicancy perpetrated by the insipid shows, and have become so influenced by what they view on TV that reeducating them will be a difficult task. This is why we have to continue to hammer away at the networks, and force them to be more discerning about the quality of the shows they produce, instead of putting their profit margins ahead of everything else.

* * *

As for Revillame, after all these years, it's apparent that he has not learned anything from his experiences. For example, in his 25-minute rant (Video here) signalling the end of "Willing Willie" for two weeks, he attempts to milk sympathy for himself as he narrates how he went to each and every one of the 71 or so wakes of those who were killed in the "Wowowee" stampede at the ULTRA in 2006. Never mind the fact that it was he and his show who were responsible for the deaths, having promised all sorts of prizes that would practically have been given away.

In the same rant, he blasts artists such as Lea Salonga, Monique Wilson and Jim Paredes for having criticized him on Twitter, and asks them what they've done for the Filipinos. Never mind the fact that it was Salonga and Wilson who helped pave the way for international recognition of Filipino talent, and it was Paredes who, with the APO Hiking Society, helped spearhead the removal of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. In fact, if it wasn't for the removal of Marcos via People Power, free speech rants such as that of Revillame last Friday wouldn't have been possible.

Revillame also appears to be believe that the whole situation was orchestrated, allegedly by his former employer ABS-CBN. A quick read through Facebook would tell him that the outrage being expressed is coming from all corners, and not from ABS-CBN.

What Revillame overlooks is that his shows have encouraged Filipinos to look for the quick fix in making money, instead of encouraging them to be industrious. He appears to think that, by giving away loads of money for nothing, he is helping his beneficiaries. What he overlooks is that he is actually acting the part of the traditional patron, who holds his followers in thrall with his promise of easy cash. However, life doesn't work that way; the values of hard work and industry are forgotten. In short, Revillame is actually contributing to the continued eroding of our country and its culture.

I, for one, will not miss Revillame and his idiocy. However, I am sure that, as in the past, he will find a way to regain his pulpit, and continue to spread his gospel of Filipino mendicancy.

* * *

The Internet has been abuzz with all sorts of stories regarding the Revillame controversy. A sample of some of them are below:

In the Philippine Star, Yoly Villanueva-Ong analyzes how a personality such as Revillame came to be.

Celebrities mentioned by Revillame in his rant react.

Marichu Villanueva and Ramon Tulfo defend Revillame, and question why he is being singled out, considering other networks also have questionable content.

Raul Pangalanan and Conrado de Quiros discuss the downside of ad boycotts.

TV5's legal team responds to the accusations against the network and Revillame. In doing so, though, TV5 negates its original apology regarding the issue.

Facing Death

2011-04-07T16:14:00.004+08:00

I remember seeing sportscaster Nick Charles on CNN's Sports Late Night, where, paired with Fred Hickman, he would give a quick recap of the various American sports stories of the day. Charles and Hickman would also add commentaries of their own about the news, and it was very entertaining how they would play off each other. The show would be capped off with their choice of "Play of the Day", and, more often than not, it was a doozy.

After CNN shifted to world sports, Charles and Hickman ended their partnership, and I lost track of both of them, as getting to watch the sports news on CNN wasn't as entertaining as when the two of them covered it.

I came across Nick Charles again this morning, and sadly learned that he was in the final stages of terminal cancer.

What impressed me is that, like the late Randy Pausch, the deliverer and author of "The Last Lecture", Charles has decided to face his impending death with acceptance and an upbeat frame of mind. Instead of being morose and depressed about his situation, Charles has made a conscious decision to accept the inevitable and make the most of the time left to him.

Like Pausch, Charles is preparing his 5-year old daughter for when he is no longer around, and has made videos for her to be able to remember her father.

Reading the CNN article brought tears to my eyes, and I can only hope and pray that, if I'm faced with the same situation, I'll be able to meet it with the same equanimity that Randy Pausch and Nick Charles have.

Webcomics - A Quick Look

2011-04-06T08:45:00.004+08:00

It's only recently that I discovered just how many webcomics there are out there, and there are a lot. I didn't realize that there were that many people working on the art form. (For quick information on webcomics, you can check out the Wikipedia entry.)

Below is a list of the webcomics I regularly follow, in no particular order; I've also included the update schedule, if it was given.

The (*) indicates a webcomic that contains adult content (contains some nudity); while there are some instances of nudity and sex, it is, for the most part, tastefully done, and rarely is it gratuitious (except for Least I Could Do, since it is a comic strip about an adolescent-minded, sex-crazy man.).

1. PvP by Scott Kurtz (gaming in general, updates M-F)
2. Sinfest by Tatsuya Ishida (fantasy, updates daily) *
3. Looking for Group by Ryan Sohmer and Lars De Souza (fantasy, updates M/Th)
4. Least I Could Do by Ryan Sohmer and Lars De Souza (contemorary, updates daily) *
5. The Gutters by Ryan Sohmer and assorted artists (superheroes, updates M/W/F)
5. Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley (gaming, updates M/W/F)
6. Evil, Inc. by Brad Guigar (superheroes, updates M-S)
7. Questionable Content by Jeph Jacques (contemporary, M-F) *
8. Sheldon by Dave Kellett (humor, updates M-S)
9. Girl Genius by Phil and Kaja Foglio (fantasy, updates M/W/F)
10. Weregeek by Alina Pete (gaming, updates M/W/F)
11. The Abominable Charles Christopher by Karl Kerschl (fantasy, updates W)
12. Catena by De Bray and Tracy Bailey (humor, updates M)
13. Drive by Dave Kellett (sci-fi, updates S)
14. Pictures of You by Gordon Twist (contemporary, updates M/W/F) *
15. Goblins by Tarol Hunt (fantasy, updates T/F)
16. Shadowgirls by David Rodriguez and Dave Reynolds (horror, currently on hiatus; updates M/W/F)
17. The Zombie Hunters by Jenny Romanchuk (horror, updates M)
18. Dead Winter by S. Dave Shabet (horror, updates twice a week) *
19. Piled High and Deeper by Jorge Cham (academic, currently irregular updates)

For more webcomics, you can check out this list; however, it is by no means complete.

The Jan-Jan Controversy: Mang Inasal Suspends Ad Placements on "Willing Willie"

2011-04-05T09:05:00.004+08:00

The controversy surrounding TV host Willie Revillame over the alleged child abuse incident has taken an interesting turn.

Last week, Revillame took time on his show to blast those who criticized his making fun of a 6-year old boy performing a sexy dance. In the 10-minute rant, he accused critics of judging him unfairly, and, in response to a call for advertisers to boycott his show, made veiled threats that those who do would not be patronized by his fans. He also hit those artists who reacted to the incident on their Twitter accounts, challenging them to help the poor as he supposedly has.

Well, we'll now get to see how effective Revillame's threats are, as Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) has suspended its ads on Revillame's show "Willing Willie", where the controversial incident took place. According to an announcement made by the JFC Corporate Media, "Mang Inasal will be holding off ad placements from ‘Willing Willie’ this week." Mang Inasal is a restaurant chain managed by JFC, which also owns Jollibee, Greenwich, Chowking and Red Ribbon. In the same news report, JFC media representative Pauline Lao also clarified that the other restaurant chains did not have any ad placements on Revillame's show.

Now, we'll get to see whether fans will actively boycott Mang Inasal, and whether it will have a significant impact on the chain's sales.