Life's quote 1

"Hard as we try we cannot really change another person's life. We cannot force somebody to be what we wanted them to be; it's not your life, so just give advice, counsel and suggestions but don't force anybody to be what you want them to be. If you know someone who you want to have a changed way of life, pray and entrust that person to God. Hard it may be, know that with God nothing is impossible!"-ACSP

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Where have all the flowers gone?

This is a familiar tune. According to Wikipedia.com, Peter Seeger wrote the first three lines of the song in 1955. Joe Hickerson added the additional verses in 1960. Later, the song “Where Have all the Flowers Gone” has earned political undertones because of its indictment against wars.

           The flowers of the Visayas are gone. Strong winds and raging floods plucked them from the Visayan soil. No longer could young girls pick them up. They are gone. The good land that nourished them has become a desolate zombie land for those who are left breathing after the storm. And with the flowers gone, graveyards become a better sight than the open space which the tempest left behind.

       

Dead bodies are everywhere. Of course, the dead cannot bury the dead and so, they all lay bare in the streets. Breathing people walk but the paralysis that afflicted them is more than the rigor mortis in the faces of those who have died. Thus, nobody cares anymore to wash and bury their dead.

Statistics? The dead do not make them as only the living could make the count. Observers hinted that there are more than ten thousands while the government claimed that dead bodies are a couple of thousand only. But if the count is only about a thousand or two, then, why could not the government bury the dead with dispatch?  

Where have all the young girls gone?

Young girls are missing. Make no mistake about it. Small women who survived are not young girls—at least, not anymore. Despair and hopelessness had robbed them of their innocence. They have aged in days. They could no longer dream of flowers and fairy tales. They no longer hope for fine boys to make them feel special. They could only think of food and water and of the dead in their families.

There they are—hungry and helpless—waiting for the sun to come and dry their tears. There they are—breathing, yet so dead in hope and smile. In their minds, they see a world that stands still in the middle of a void.

The typhoon has passed but the tragedy continues.

Calamity seems nothing compared to the blackness that ensued when the calm took over. Hopelessness is so pervasive that the victims felt that living seems less preferable to extinction. Help is so slow that people are driven to reckless despair and insanity. And authority is so absent that people thought that everything is free for the taking.

Indeed, the days that followed proved that people could weather any storm but not the incompetence of the officials that rule over them. They suffer because of their doing. The typhoon may have come from the remotest part of the world but the disaster that continues to destroy people’s lives has risen up from their collective will. This is the pestilence that kills the flower in the hearts of the young. This is the disease that dissipates the hope in the minds of the hopefuls. This is the disaster that people perpetrate despite of their power to end it. This is the tragedy upon us all. When will we ever learn?    

What are we in power for?

“What are we in power for?” The statement was attributed to late Senator Jose Avelino who was reported to have said this in a caucus of the Liberal Party in 1949 after President Elpidio Quirino ordered his investigation for graft and corruption. His statement had become the banner story of several dailies and hence, Avelino suffered from its unintended consequences. The rhetorical question that he had asked had become the destructive spell that led to the downfall of his political career.

What are we in power for? This question provides the answer which we have been dying to hear but which no right thinking government officials would ever give.

Just recently, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) admitted to have used the savings of certain government agencies to augment the shortfall in the pork barrel allocations of some legislators, an action which the DBM dubbed as the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). A senator’s disclosure had linked the DAP to the “procured” conviction of the former Chief Justice by the Senate Impeachment Court in 2012. The legality of the DAP is now before the Supreme Court. Soon, we will know whether the DBM is correct that the DAP has constitutional bearing.

Meanwhile, officials of the Social Security System (SSS) had appropriated more than a million hundred pesos for their bonuses. According to the Executive Officer of the SSS, the grant is justifiable since the SSS needs to compensate its officials well if it is to compete with the private sector in the hiring of qualified professionals. The justification finds support in the statement of a Malacanang official that the grant of such huge bonuses is legally permissible.

   

In similar fashion, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) was reported to have paid its officials and employees P1.45 billion in various bonuses in 2012 and P1.245 billion in 2011. Philhealth officials claimed that there was nothing wrong with these since everyone in the quasi-public corporation received a bonus.

While it may be admitted that these disbursements are all above board, their propriety remains highly questionable. Indeed, there might be no legal impediment for such disbursements. Law could not have set a ceiling as to how much could be given as incentives for exemplary performance of duties. Seldom does the law deal in details. Oftentimes, the law sets the parameter but not the millimetre of one’s permissible conduct.   

            The issue therefore is not one of legality but of moral propriety. The formulation that a legally permissible course of action is not necessarily morally justifiable is still the acceptable norm today. No amount of semantics may change it. No person, however genius, can twist it.

            Let us put the situations mentioned above to the test of propriety. Could the officials concerned allocate such huge amount of money for purposes other than what seem to be for the public good? Yes, they certainly could do so. The next question of course is a question of judgement: Given that they could do it legally, should they actually do it? The records are unmistakeable. They decided in favour of the proposition. Nobody registered any objection to such decision; it must have been unanimously agreed upon.

            The most difficult part of this test of propriety is finding an explanation which is more plausible that the ones advanced by the said officials. This is extreme difficult. Even if we should disregard the consequences of their action, we would still fail in finding justification for them. Their action is unjustifiable. No right thinking person can accept what these officials have been saying.

             All told, it would be preferable if those officials have been true to themselves by admitting the spirit that had animated them during their deliberation. It would be more acceptable to hear that they did so because they believed that they have the power to make such a decision than to cater to the argument that they decided to do so for the good of the agency that they are managing. An honest crook seems more preferable than a dishonest one. After all, they say that honesty is a virtue. 

What would you do with a million cash?

"Let's make believe that all of a sudden, you had a million dollars, what's the first thing you would buy and why would you buy it?"

The year was 1973. Ms. Margie Moran, the Philippines’ most beautiful woman, had stunned the audience with her clear-cut answer that earned for her the Miss Universe title: "A house and lot because it's the most expensive thing and I can't afford it. If I had a million bucks, I'd buy a house a lot and live by myself, and other people, of course." (Source:  <http://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/49315/top-10-unforgettable-beauty-pageant-answers/3>)

What would you buy with a million cash?

            Fictional and historical characters did something good with the millions that they have.

Edmond Dantes of Alexander Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo bought his way up to avenge himself and put powerful men to justiee. Jean Valjean of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables used a bishop’s million worth of mercy to redeem his soul from perdition and to save others from damnation. Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist during World War II, used his millions to rescue 1,200 Jews from concentration and death camps. Alfred Nobel, realizing that he and his brother had become, “The merchant of death” after inventing the dynamite, left all his fortune to honor extraordinary men and women for their outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and for work in peace. 

These men had spent their millions for something greater than themselves. They gave the world an invaluable lesson: a million bucks comes with great responsibilities.

            So, what would you buy if you have a million pesos?

            How about food and water? In our time, more than two-thirds of the population is wallowing in deprivation and poverty. Jobs might be available, but most of these are temporary and unstable. Food is slowing becoming a rare commodity. Meanwhile, the water sources of the world continue to dry up and muddle. Scientists have predicted that the next war will be fought over food and potable water. The world is sure to faee a great humanitarian crisis over the lack of food and water. And not even a million pesos can guarantee a long term access to food and water.

            How about real estates? Well, Ms. Margie Moran is right. Real estates are getting more and more expensive. It seems that the Earth itself is shrinking as time passes by. Truth to tell, people are making so many babies without praying to God to give them additional world to inhabit and populate. Indeed, ownership is becoming a fast fading concept. A new approach to homelessness and land insecurity is needed to resolve people’s conerns for permanent and dignified habitat. And even with a million bucks, one cannot simply feel that sense of security which traditional goes with land ownership. You will need more than a million pesos to live a secured and dignified life.   

            How about education? Intelligence, (and especially common sense), is becoming rare nowadays. Education has a price of course. Schools need to invest in state of the art facilities and hire good teachers to be competitive. And with college and post-graduate degrees becoming imperative, people of substance need to earn more so that they can go to good universities. However, while diplomas may be quantifiable, intelligence and good sense are simply beyond any percuniary estimation. They are priceless. As such, a million pesos will not make you more intelligent than anyone who was born with a good brain and the ability to use it well.

            How about public position? Oh yes, with a million pesos you will have a fighting chance to be elected councilor in a third or second class muncipality in the Philippines. Political power comes with a price. The more money you invest, the more power you acquire. This is how our electoral democracy works. Unfortunately, a million pesos is insignificant compared to the tens and hundreds of millions or billions that ogres and vultures in high places are playing with.

            So what would you buy with a million pesos?

Hmm, show me a million bucks and I’ll figure it out for you.  

Special Message for L4A Batch 2010-2011

Posted: Apr 28, '11 4:26 AM RCMCORNER.Multiply.com for everyone

There are two things that I do not like doing. First, attending parties, and second, writing my speech. Since I was told that that I should do at least one of these tonight, I am constrained to write a simple message to you. My predicament prevented my presence in your gathering tonight. Anyway, may this make up for my absence.

            This is the nth time that I was invited to attend a celebration for graduating BSLM students. In several instances in the past, I always had a convenient excuse not to be around. Well, last year, a chronic back pain provided an excuse. But today, it is different. I have to be around at the place where I am now—it’s both duty and privilege.

When you get older, you’ll find that many things should be taken seriously.  I say older because you are still young despite the looks in the faces of some of your seatmates.  Rejoice because you are still young. You still have the magic in your eyes and the wonder in your heart. As you go older, you’ll find out that life is more of a challenge, a process of becoming.

            

The four years that you have spent taking up the BS Legal Management program are incomparable with any event in your life. After you received your diploma, and when you’d look back, you could sense that those four-difficult year feels like one day—a day of excitement, intolerance, disappointment, uncertainty, and fear.   You could not bring back time of course. Time flies, and we, with it. You have to settle with remembering those great days of your life. 

            You would remember some of your teachers with respect. Some would be remembered for their rudeness or bigotry. Some will be recalled for their stupidity while others will be remembered as mere copy cats. And of course, there would those who are not worth remembering at all.

            Despite all the heartaches and headaches, you could proudly tell others that the institution which gave you your diploma is the best of schools. Indeed, that college in Mataas na Lupa,  Lipa City is the best school in Mataas na Lupa, Lipa City. That is your Alma Mater; you have no other option but to be proud of it.

Of course, I would remember you. I could recall each one of you; there’s no doubt about it. How could I forget you when you are the only class who made a biography in a legal writing course? Well, not everyone had been extended the privilege of taking up the legal writing class under me.  

            On top of this, I know that you could not forget me. I know how difficult it has been for you.  Attending a Statutory Construction class at 7:30am and standing for at least an hour during recitation s are experiences that you would not always have in your life.  Having a hot headed teacher is always terrifying. A demanding teacher is always hated.  I know that you have felt this, especially during your early days under me.  I know that it has been difficult for you. I am aware that if you have been given a chance, you would ask for a teacher who is lenient, and who would always impress and patronize you. But that’s not how life should be. Life is challenge. It is a process. It is a becoming.  It is a struggle, sometimes with pain and with tears, but always with joy.  You have experienced life in my class. You have felt it. And I hope that you would remember those days when you have felt that you’re still alive.

            Few days after tonight, I’ll no longer be your teacher. Well, insofar as I am concerned, you were just one of the students that have crossed my path. You are special just as all other students had been special. For a time, we might have shared the same road and have traveled together— this did not make you extra-specials however.   I have treated you the way mortals are to be treated.  And you are mortals, not demigods.

            Now, you have to travel alone.  Along the way, you will meet some other persons who can enrich your life.  Stick with them. Learn from them good things as good things do not grow out of speculation but from experience and examples.  Experience life and feel it as a precious gift. Take risks. Never be afraid.

            In your dealings with anyone, especially with your friends, bear this in mind: DO NOT BREAK A PERSON’S TRUST. You cannot bring back a broken trust. You can never mend it. Strive hard to make your words your bond.  Be credible always.  Do not use anyone or allow others to use you for their ambition. Be ambitious if you must but be fair always. Stand up even if it will cost you dearly. Stand up even if you have to risk things that are precious to you.  And remember, always remember: With good looks comes great responsibility!

March 28, 2011, Lipa City.

What are we in power for?

“What are we in power for?” The statement was attributed to late Senator Jose Avelino who was reported to have said this in a caucus of the Liberal Party in 1949 after President Elpidio Quirino ordered his investigation for graft and corruption. His statement had become the banner story of several dailies and hence, Avelino suffered from its unintended consequences. The rhetorical question that he had asked had become the destructive spell that led to the downfall of his political career.

What are we in power for? This question provides the answer which we have been dying to hear but which no right thinking government officials would ever give.

Just recently, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) admitted to have used the savings of certain government agencies to augment the shortfall in the pork barrel allocations of some legislators, an action which the DBM dubbed as the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). A senator’s disclosure had linked the DAP to the “procured” conviction of the former Chief Justice by the Senate Impeachment Court in 2012. The legality of the DAP is now before the Supreme Court. Soon, we will know whether the DBM is correct that the DAP has constitutional bearing.

Meanwhile, officials of the Social Security System (SSS) had appropriated more than a million hundred pesos for their bonuses. According to the Executive Officer of the SSS, the grant is justifiable since the SSS needs to compensate its officials well if it is to compete with the private sector in the hiring of qualified professionals. The justification finds support in the statement of a Malacanang official that the grant of such huge bonuses is legally permissible.

   

In similar fashion, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) was reported to have paid its officials and employees P1.45 billion in various bonuses in 2012 and P1.245 billion in 2011. Philhealth officials claimed that there was nothing wrong with these since everyone in the quasi-public corporation received a bonus.

While it may be admitted that these disbursements are all above board, their propriety remains highly questionable. Indeed, there might be no legal impediment for such disbursements. Law could not have set a ceiling as to how much could be given as incentives for exemplary performance of duties. Seldom does the law deal in details. Oftentimes, the law sets the parameter but not the millimetre of one’s permissible conduct.    

            The issue therefore is not one of legality but of moral propriety. The formulation that a legally permissible course of action is not necessarily morally justifiable is still the acceptable norm today. No amount of semantics may change it. No person, however genius, can twist it.

  

          Let us put the situations mentioned above to the test of propriety. Could the officials concerned allocate such huge amount of money for purposes other than what seem to be for the public good? Yes, they certainly could do so. The next question of course is a question of judgement: Given that they could do it legally, should they actually do it? The records are unmistakeable. They decided in favour of the proposition. Nobody registered any objection to such decision; it must have been unanimously agreed upon.

            The most difficult part of this test of propriety is finding an explanation which is more plausible that the ones advanced by the said officials. This is extreme difficult. Even if we should disregard the consequences of their action, we would still fail in finding justification for them. Their action is unjustifiable. No right thinking person can accept what these officials have been saying.

             All told, it would be preferable if those officials have been true to themselves by admitting the spirit that had animated them during their deliberation. It would be more acceptable to hear that they did so because they believed that they have the power to make such a decision than to cater to the argument that they decided to do so for the good of the agency that they are managing. An honest crook seems more preferable than a dishonest one. After all, they say that honesty is a virtue. 

Where'd all the good people go?

Oh, you are going to love Jack Johnson’s Good People Lyrics. It fits our situation today. It puts music to the question that we have been asking for quite a time: Where’d all the good people go?

Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s revelation that he and the other senators who convicted former Chief Justice Renato Corona received an additional P50 million pesos pork barrel says it all. Proof of bribery is not necessary. There is no accusation in the revelation. The only thing essential is the fact that millions of money had changed hands after that crucial decision which altered the history of the Philippine judiciary.

Of course the disclosure was made after Senator Estrada was tagged in the pork-barrel scam. Indeed, the pork-barrel scam has dragged politicians out in the open. Like the mythical Pandora’s Box, the Napoles Affair is letting out undisclosed ills afflicting politicians in high places. It has rocked the Palace and the Chambers of High Politicians. Finger-pointing has started. Former allies and secret enemies have started to trade accusations. The mess is spilling the blood of the good and the not-so good in high places.

With accusations and mudslinging filling the air, it has become inevitable to ask: Where’d all the good people go?

Well, there are still good people in the government. They inhabit the modest positions, and even high ones. Sure thing is: good people are there but their presence could hardly be felt during these times.

Recent events make us wonder whether the existing political system encourages people to stay good or to cater to their evil side. Is our brand of democracy consistent with the idea that public power should be entrusted to good people because of their inherent capability for goodness?  

Societies prefer liberal democracy on the belief that it gives people opportunities to maximize the good things that they can do. But what happens when the system designed to maximize this capacity for goodness becomes an impetus for evil deeds and corruption?

The word “democracy” did not come from the masses. Philosophers described the concept but it was politicians who gave birth to the term. There could be no debate on this. Labelling ideas is a prerogative which politicians enjoy since time immemorial. Philosophers may explain facts and phenomena but the power of labels always belong to politicians who craft public policies. Democracy, especially in its liberal form, has come down in history as the most politician-friendly political system.

There was once a notion that the best of people are needed to make a dysfunctional government work. This belief seems inapplicable to our case. Repeated failures at governance show that no human talent can unmake the mess that our dysfunctional liberal democracy has created. Worse, our dysfunctional liberal democratic system has given rise to a terrible monster—a bureaucracy that eats up the good in people and exhausts the energy and idealism of the young.

Because of this, good people have developed an aversion towards politics and governance. Philippine politics is so bad that it turns good people to evil. It has become a sure road to perdition. It continues to scare good people away. Critics have even labelled the government as the biggest criminal syndicate in history. We should not wonder then if one day, fiction writers would dub the ruling political administration as a minion from hell. This would hurt of course but truly, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.  

So where’d all the good people go?

Well, there are still many of them around us. However, to see more of them in politics and governance, there is a need to change the system which seduces people to turn to the dark side.  

Special Message for L4A Batch 2010-2011

Special Message for L4A Batch 2010-2011

Posted: Apr 28, '11 4:26 AM RCMCORNER.Multiply.com for everyone

There are two things that I do not like doing. First, attending parties, and second, writing my speech. Since I was told that that I should do at least one of these tonight, I am constrained to write a simple message to you. My predicament prevented my presence in your gathering tonight. Anyway, I hope that this will make up for my absence.

            This is the nth time that I was invited to attend a celebration for graduating BSLM students. In several instances in the past, I always had a convenient excuse not to be around. Well, last year, a chronic back pain provided the excuse. But today, it is different. I have to be around at the place where I am now—it’s both duty and privilege.

When you get old, you’ll find out that many things should be taken seriously.  I say older because you are still young despite the looks in the faces of some of your seatmates.  Rejoice because you are still young. You still have the magic in your eyes and the wonder in your heart. As you go older, you’ll find out that life is more of a challenge, a process of becoming.

            The four years that you have spent taking up the BS Legal Management program are incomparable with any event in your life. After you received your diploma, and when you try to look back, you could sense that those four difficult years seem like one day only—a day of excitement, intolerance, disappointment, uncertainty, and fear.   You could not bring back time of course. Time flies, and we, with it. You have to settle with remembering those great days of your life.

            You would remember some of your teachers with respect. Some would be remembered for their rudeness or bigotry. Some would be recalled for their stupidity while others would be remembered as mere copycats. And of course, there would be those who are not worth remembering at all.

            Despite all the heartaches and headaches, you could proudly tell others that the institution which gave you your diploma is the best of schools. Indeed, that college in Mataas na Lupa,  Lipa City is the best school in Mataas na Lupa, Lipa City. That is your Alma Mater; you have no other option but to be proud of it.

Of course, I would remember you. I could recall each one of you; there’s no doubt about it. How could I forget you when you are the only class who made a biography in a legal writing course? Well, not everyone had been extended the privilege of taking up the legal writing course under me.

  

            On top of this, I know that you could not forget me. I know how difficult it has been for you.  Attending a Statutory Construction class at 7:30am and standing for at least an hour during recitations are experiences that you would not always have in your life.  Having a hot headed teacher is always terrifying. A demanding teacher is always hated.  I know that you have felt this, especially during your early days under me.  I know that it has been difficult for you. I know that if you had been given a chance, you would ask for a teacher who is lenient and who would impress and patronize you. But that’s not how life should be. Life is challenge. It is a process. It is a becoming.  It is a struggle, sometimes with pain and with tears but always with joy.  You have experienced life in my class. You have felt it. And I hope that you would remember those days when you have felt that you’re still alive.

            Few days after tonight, I will no longer be your teacher. Well, insofar as I am concerned, you were just one of the students that have crossed my path. You are special just as all other students had been special. For a time, we might have shared the same road and have walked together— this did not make you extra-special however.   I have treated you the way mortals are to be treated.  And you are mortals, not demigods.

            Now, you have to travel alone.  Along the way, you will meet some other persons who can enrich your life.  Stick with them. Learn from them good things as good things do not grow out of speculation but from experience and examples.  Experience life and feel it as a precious gift. Take risks. Never be afraid.

            In your dealings with anyone, especially with your friends, bear this in mind: DO NOT BREAK A PERSON’S TRUST. You cannot bring back a broken trust. You can never mend it. Strive hard to make your word your bond.  Be credible always.  Do not use anyone or allow others to use you for their ambition. Be ambitious if you must but be fair always. Stand up even if it will cost you dearly. Stand up even if you have to risk things that are precious to you.  And remember, always remember: With good looks comes great responsibility!

March 28, 2011, Lipa City.

What would you buy with a million cash?

"Let's make believe that all of a sudden, you had a million dollars, what's the first thing you would buy and why would you buy it?"

The year was 1973. Ms. Margie Moran, the Philippines’ most beautiful woman, had stunned the audience with her clear-cut answer that earned for her the Miss Universe title: "A house and lot because it's the most expensive thing and I can't afford it. If I had a million bucks, I'd buy a house a lot and live by myself, and other people, of course." (Source:  <http://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/49315/top-10-unforgettable-beauty-pageant-answers/3>)

What would you buy with a million cash?

            Fictional and historical characters did something good with the millions that they have.

Edmond Dantes of Alexander Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo bought his way up to avenge himself and put powerful men to justiee. Jean Valjean of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables used a bishop’s million worth of mercy to redeem his soul from perdition and to save others from damnation. Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist during World War II, used his millions to rescue 1,200 Jews from concentration and death camps. Alfred Nobel, realizing that he and his brother had become, “The merchant of death” after inventing the dynamite, left all his fortune to honor extraordinary men and women for their outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and for work in peace. 

These men had spent their millions for something greater than themselves. They gave the world an invaluable lesson: a million bucks comes with great responsibilities.

            So, what would you buy if you have a million pesos?

            How about food and water? In our time, more than two-thirds of the population is wallowing in deprivation and poverty. Jobs might be available, but most of these are temporary and unstable. Food is slowing becoming a rare commodity. Meanwhile, the water sources of the world continue to dry up and muddle. Scientists have predicted that the next war will be fought over food and potable water. The world is sure to faee a great humanitarian crisis over the lack of food and water. And not even a million pesos can guarantee a long term access to food and water.

            How about real estates? Well, Ms. Margie Moran is right. Real estates are getting more and more expensive. It seems that the Earth itself is shrinking as time passes by. Truth to tell, people are making so many babies without praying to God to give them additional world to inhabit and populate. Indeed, ownership is becoming a fast fading concept. A new approach to homelessness and land insecurity is needed to resolve people’s conerns for permanent and dignified habitat. And even with a million bucks, one cannot simply feel that sense of security which traditional goes with land ownership. You will need more than a million pesos to live a secured and dignified life.   

            How about education? Intelligence, (and especially common sense), is becoming rare nowadays. Education has a price of course. Schools need to invest in state of the art facilities and hire good teachers to be competitive. And with college and post-graduate degrees becoming imperative, people of substance need to earn more so that they can go to good universities. However, while diplomas may be quantifiable, intelligence and good sense are simply beyond any percuniary estimation. They are priceless. As such, a million pesos will not make you more intelligent than anyone who was born with a good brain and the ability to use it well.

            How about public position? Oh yes, with a million pesos you will have a fighting chance to be elected councilor in a third or second class muncipality in the Philippines. Political power comes with a price. The more money you invest, the more power you acquire. This is how our electoral democracy works. Unfortunately, a million pesos is insignificant compared to the tens and hundreds of millions or billions that ogres and vultures in high places are playing with.

            So what would you buy with a million pesos?

Hmm, show me a million bucks and I’ll figure it out for you.  

Sonnet 24

Mine eye hath play'd the painter and hath stell'd
Thy beauty's form in table of my heart;
My body is the frame wherein 'tis held,
And perspective it is the painter's art.
For through the painter must you see his skill,
To find where your true image pictured lies;
Which in my bosom's shop is hanging still,
That hath his windows glazed with thine eyes.
Now see what good turns eyes for eyes have done:
Mine eyes have drawn thy shape, and thine for me
Are windows to my breast, where-through the sun
Delights to peep, to gaze therein on thee;
   Yet eyes this cunning want to grace their art;
   They draw but what they see, know not the heart.

Deal or No Deal

Mr. Wikipedia gives us the background of the question as follows:” Deal or No Deal is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch Miljoenenjacht (Hunt for Millions) produced by Dutch producer Endemol. It is played with up to 26 cases (or, in some versions, boxes) with certain sums of money. The player chooses a case or a box to knock an amount of money off the board” [see <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal_or_No_Deal>].

The turn of events in the pork barrel scam leads us to the question of whether there has been a deal between the primary suspect in the crime and the Aquino administration. Why is the Aquino administration giving special treatment to Mrs. Janet Lim-Napoles, alleged culprit in the P10-Billion pork barrel scam?

The administration has been unusually soft towards her compare to the manner by which it has treated others who were accused of corruption scandals in the past. The public was stunned when she suddenly showed up in the Palace after the President has offered P10 million reward for her capture. Public suspicion was triggered when President Aquino received her personally and conveyed her to the PNP Chief using the presidential car. And to the minds of the public, Mrs. Napoles continues to enjoy unusual privileges from the administration even after her incarceration.

Of course, she should be treated the way any innocent woman should be treated. After all, she has not been indicted for any crime related to the pork barrel scam. As of this writing, the Department of Justice is still determining the nature and numbers of criminal charges that it will file against her, and all her co-conspirators, benefactors and beneficiaries. Witnesses are still being summoned; documents are still being examined. Whistleblowers are still whistling to tell the tales of the stolen billions.

In legal parlance, Mrs. Napoles is as innocent as anyone of us. Even assuming that government would later indict her for Plunder or Malversation of Public Funds or any other crime, she still have to be treated with compassion— the compassion we extend to anybody who is facing criminal charges in court. “Accusation is not synonymous with guilt,” said the applicable legal precept. Unless her guilt is proven by proof beyond reasonable doubt, she is still a free woman.

So, do not worry at all. Stay cool. Whatever special treatment she is receiving now will not affect the court’s capability for an impartial justice. This is how the system goes, theoretically of course. In the meantime, let the public continue speculating whether there was, or there would be, any deal between her and the administration.

The Napoles Affair showcases the game that politicians are playing. Curtly, the contest is not about who’s who or which suitcase or box will bring out the biggest cut. The game has been, and shall always be, about money and power. All the suitcases, all the boxes and all the bayongs contain the same things—money and power. To join in the game, politicians have to kill one another, literally if needed be. This is the most popular game show in town where survivors are sure to have it all as indeed, even in the brink of bankruptcy, the “banker” is expected to offer a deal that can save them from ending up empty-handed.

In one extreme, the unusual privileges accorded to her may be interpreted as an indicium of an unhappy alliance between Mrs. Napoles and her custodians. Unfortunately for them, such partnership never will be justified in the eyes of the public. The public is watching with interest. It is critical and will not be fooled easily. It is seeking justice. Anything less will not do. It is seeking the truth. No other thing will ever be acceptable.

Deal or No deal? Your guess is as good as mine. 

Whodunnit?

Agatha Christie’s short stories revolved on this question. Sherlock Holmes would ask Dr. Watson this question before discussing with him the clues about a mysterious murder. A US television network challenges its audience to guess who among the casts would turn out to be the mysterious killer in a series which appropriated the question as its title: Whodunnit?  Who’s the mysterious killer?

For more than three days, heavy rains have shattered many lives in Metro Manila and its nearby provinces. Nature has unleashed its wrath. Perpetual unpreparedness left many people without homes and properties. Helplessness is everywhere. Hope becomes elusive. Everyone had looked up to heaven for relief but the sun did show itself ‘till it’s late.

Water is everywhere. People are wondering where all the water have come from. Some have stopped singing and promised not to do so ever again. Others consulted Mr. Google for answer and eventually found out what scientists have said about climate change—“this must be it,” they said. A few others had put the blame to a missing pork lady while the simple mind had considered the tragedy simply as the wrath of a typhoon.

Flood had conquered all. It had displaced many people and had stopped students from going to school. It had destroyed the crops and wasted capitals and investments. It had ruined people’s lives again. 

The question of who should be responsible for losses due to calamities is becoming inevitable. Calamities and the sufferings that they bring have been recurring. The losses seem to get bigger as our unpreparedness seems to get worse as time passes by.

In law, natural calamities and disasters are considered as an Act of God. Nobody bears responsibility for losses incurred due to an Act of God. Nevertheless, this principle comes with a known exception.  The Act of God doctrine does not apply if there is negligence on the part of anyone—whether before, during or after the natural calamity—which facilitates or aggravates the injuries or damages suffered by victims. Responsibility for compensation falls on any person who serves as the proximate cause of the damages and injuries sustained.

           

            Anyone who had aggravated the inJuries and lossess suffered by the people, whether by official or private omission, should be held accountable. This is where the question lies:   whodunnit?

Government planners pinpointed to the squatters whose shanties and garbage continue to block the flood ways. It’s their fault; thus, they should bear their own loss. They had done it!

On the other hand, the poor blamed the government for doing nothing to avert the disaster or to at least cushion its impact. Politicians should be blamed for not putting their feet where their mouth is. They are remiss of their jobs. They had done it!

Meanwhile, some experts put the blame on past and present generations for wasting and destroying the environment. Shame! People have acted like masters over things that they do not own. People had done it!  

Indeed, fingerpointing is difficult since anybody who would accuse anyone risks being blamed for the same conduct also. It leaves us with more questions and lesser clues on whodunnit.

Where do we go from here?

Madonna put the question with a style when she sang the song “You Must Love Me” in the musical play Evita. Evita, a popular actress, was married to Alberto Peron, Argentina’s former President.  She was deeply loved by the people. She was full of contradiction but the masses kept on believing that she had never lied to them as she had continued to embody their hopes and aspirations until her death. Her beauty dispelled all doubts about her fitness to be Argentina’s First Lady.

            Philippine statistics are full of contradiction like Evita. And like her, statistics do not lie. They may be cold but they reveal to us the truth about our present state.  

            According to government statistics, at least 27.9% of the population are below the poverty line during the first semester of 2012 (NSCB). The SWS Survey reported in May 2013 that the hunger incidence rose from 22.7% to 25.5% among the self-rated poor during the period of December 2012 to March 2013. Moreover, the survey firm rated adult joblessness at 25.4%, or at 11.1 million people, in the first quarter of 2013. Poverty and hunger are getting worst while people’s jobs are vanishing like mist. 

            The National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB) reported that there were at least 597 crimes committed per day in 2012. The Senate of the Philippines found that the crime volume was at 217,812 (translated to the crime rate of 227 per 100,000 people nationwide) in during same year (available at ). And just recently, a pro-gun website claimed that as per its record, there were 2,324 violent crime incidents (involving 1189 injuries and 1862 fatalities) during the last gun ban period (available at ). Meanwhile, speculations that the summary executions of notorious criminals under police custody were procured to prevent them from talking have dominated the headlines.

            In 2013, the Philippine government had contributed more than $125 million “to the pool of money disbursed by the International Monetary Fund to help address the financial crisis confronting economies in Europe” (available at <http://business.inquirer.net/45725/philippines-contributed-125m-to-imf-as-of-end-%E2%80%9911>). Ironically, the Bureau of Treasury said that the Philippine debt had risen to P5.364 trillion as of May 2013 (available at ). This means that the government had given away more than a hundred million dollars to help Europe’s First World countries despite the Philippines huge indebtedness with foreign and local creditors.

            Three years ago the campaign line “Walang mahirap kung walang corrupt” catapulted the son of a former President to the highest position in the country. Now, surveys are showing that there is prevailing notion that corruption in public institutions had waned. Despite of this, however, the lives of the poor remain unchanged. And while the government claims that the economy is getting better, the number of poor families continues to increase. 

            Where do we go from here? 

What's in a name?

Democracy is not about numbers only. Before it was branded as “the tyranny of numbers”, it was believed to be a formative social dynamics— a system which is based on values.

Equality is a basic premise of democracy.

Equality enunciates that every person has a voice in public discourses. The “one man-one vote” equation symbolizes this principle. Every vote counts and weighs as much as any other vote.

Consequently, no name enjoys undue preference in a democracy. The market place of ideas is conceived to avoid the grant of special privileges for any person, group or interest. In this sense, democracy is impersonal; it cares not for what a name stands for. All persons, regardless of their beliefs, color, ethnic or racial origin, gender, economic interest or political status, are all the same with respect to rights and obligations. Names are inconsequential because they cannot make any dent in public processes.  

However, this is hardly true in societies where special privileges for certain groups are not uncommon. In a highly divided society, names signify more than what their nominal letters could convey. Names acquire a context and content because of the inequities prevalent in existing societal systems. A person’s name symbolizes the social and political powers that he or she exerts in private and public spheres. In turn, politics becomes a game only for big names, people who control much of the economic, political and social forces of the society.

So what’s in a name in the Philippine context?

Since Philippine democracy is dysfunctional, it is always dominated by dynastico-personalist politicians—power-holders whose aims and strategies are not consistent with the common good. In this light, a name may signify decay or greatness depending on the manner by which a person conducts himself or herself in public and private spheres. 

A person’s name signifies decay when it contributes to the decline of the civilization and the prevalence of deprivation and poverty. On the other hand, it is synanymous to greatness when its holder does good things, whether big or small, which help society to move towards greater freedom and prosperity.

A name may mean the continuing control of a political clan over public power and the society’s resources. It may also signify the subordination of public interest to the interests of few families. It may stand for the dysfunctional social and political systems that exclude people from the right to participate in the charting of their own destinies. This is the content that certain names may have acquired in the context of the Philippine society today.

On the other hand, a person’s name may represent the resurgence of greatness. It may spark the restlessness of many and trigger the movement for hope. It may refer to the champion of people’s dreams and serves as inspiration for them to dream some more.

Certain incidents may catapult a person’s name to greatness, and thus, represents the triumph of good over evil. For instance, a heroic death can make a certain name popular and help others associated to it rise to power. Sometimes, altruistic gestures may give a person’s name some claim to the memories of younger people. An idol’s name, revered for the great feats that its holder may have accomplished, would ring for decades before a reckless generation consigns it to oblivion. These are only few instances when people become worthy of the names that they have inherited from their forebears.

The answer is obvious but difficult to say. We all know what it is but don’t want to say it for fear of its consequences. And so, the question remains: what’s in a name?