 |
 |
| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| How Now, Holy Cows?
By Antonio C. Abaya Written Dec. 19, 2006 For the Standard Today, December 21 issue Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was correct in calling last Sunday�s �prayer rally� a big flop. Less than 50,000 people showed up at the Luneta, instead of the 500,000 promised or threatened by the organizers, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). What happened? Lesson No. 1 seems to be: Do not give pre-event estimates on how many will attend that event. Just say, �We leave it to the Holy Spirit to enlighten as many Filipinos as It deems necessary to bring about needed changes in Philippine society.� If the ensuing crowd breaks all attendance records, then it is the Will of God. But if the crowd is anemically thin, then it is also the Will of God. No one is thus embarrassed. Lesson No. 2 seems to be that few people these days are interested in showing up at �prayer rallies� without the necessary political component, which the CBCP studiously avoided. No banners, no streamers, no political figures on the stage, no confrontational statements from anyone �.also means no crowds. I was surprised that Mike Velarde, who was the first religious leader to publicly voice out his stinging disapproval of Jose de Venecia�s Con-Ass maneuvre, and the first to call on his numerous followers to a Luneta gathering, was not allowed to say even a few sentences on the stage. Neither was Evangelist Eddie Villanueva, who had drawn more than a million warm bodies to the Luneta during the 2004 electoral campaign, nor anyone from the Iglesia ni Kristo, whose famously bloc-voting members are alternately feared and courted by all politicians. Did the Catholic Bishops deliberately set out to hog the whole show, perhaps to project themselves as a potent political force? If they did, the thin crowd showed that they aren�t. It was a lesson in humility, no less telling than the resounding public rebuke suffered by President Arroyo, Speaker de Venecia and their salivating trapos over their shameless Con-Ass maneuver. The most significant statement from the Catholic bishops last Sunday was that they were in favor of a different form of ChaCha. Character Change, not Charter Change. Everyone will agree with that. But how do you translate that into reality? Senator Santiago has seized on it to pounce on the bishops, saying that calling for Character Change was an admission that they had failed to provide moral guidance to Filipinos. �They have failed all these centuries�in changing the character of Filipino Catholics. They should beat their breasts and ask for forgiveness�..� A little harsh, perhaps. But with more than a grain of truth in it. Only the other week, in my article titled Post Office Thievery (Dec. 09), I had written that �organized religions have long been marginalized by secularism, at least in the Christian world. While they still retain some influence in matters affecting rituals and dogma, they have lost gravitas in the matter of ethical behavior�..Only a moral revolution under a morally upright leader, it seems, is capable of righting this monumental wrong.� But how does a society - demoralized by a pervasive culture of cheating, lying and stealing - come up with morally upright leaders to lead a moral revolution? Nandy Pacheco organized his Kapatiran Party two years ago, precisely with the intention of searching for these morally upright leaders. I do not know what progress, if any, he has achieved in that quest. More significantly, because he has the organizational means to make it happen, Jaro ( Iloilo ) Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, current president of the CBCP, called for �a new breed of leaders.� (Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 06, 2006 ), which I supported in my article titled �New Breed of Leaders� ( May 11, 2006 ). Wrote he in his blog, as summarized and excerpted in the Inquirer: �The problem is a concatenation of corruption that goes down to the barangay level, up and down and up, infecting the whole body politic like a contagious cancer. It deprives the poor of permanent shelter, health benefits, dignified employment and above all, sufficient food.. �Lagdameo was trying to rally the country behind a �new social order���.and a �national roadmap� focused on �sowing the seeds of hope through moral values.� The roadmap asks all �drivers of change � meaning family, school, business enterprises, government units and all other sectors of society � what they could do for the common good of the national community. �A crucial first step would be to gather a �critical mass of like-minded and good-willed nationalists with a passion and obsession for good governance and prophetic leadership� from which a �new breed of statespersons� would be born. �This critical mass will be the training ground of other nationalists who will lead our country with the values of honesty and justice, truth and integrity, credibility and accountability, transparency and stewardship.� Agreed. But that was nine months ago. What have Archbishop Lagdameo and the CBCP done since, to gather this �critical mass,� this new breed of leaders, who will lead this country and �sow the seeds of hope through moral values�? Presumably, the CBCP did not and do not intend this new breed of leaders to come from among their ranks. No one wants a theocracy here. Even if some of them were to harbor a secret fantasy about having such a theocracy, the anemic turnout at the Luneta last Sunday suggests that few Filipinos will cheer for a government run by bishops. This new breed of leaders will have to come from the lay and civilian population. But how can this new breed of leaders emerge, given that Philippine media is focused, almost exclusively, on trapos, coup-plotters and communists, the very people whom the bishops � or at least the bulk of them � do not want leading this country? As if to mock the bishops for their failed �prayer rally�, President Arroyo announced that she, too, was in favor of Character Change. But in another breath, she also declared that Charter Change remains a goal that she will pursue �with urgency and fervor.� Emboldened by the failure of the bishops� �prayer rally,� President Arroyo and her �railroad engineers� are this early already organizing a second expedition in their ChaCha Choo Choo train, apparently confident that, this time, they can overcome any and all opposition that will stand in their way. This despite the warning from no less than Presidential Spokesman Mike Defensor that such an effort may create the tipping point that will �push President Arroyo into the ravine.� Is Defensor the next to be eased out of the Cabinet, after Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, for publicly disagreeing with the Gospel according to Gloria? Chief ChaCha ideologue Jose Abueva reasons that their initial efforts did not prosper because of the unpopularity of President Arroyo. He can take that one step further. An unpopular president, who wants and aims to remain in power beyond 2010 by any and all means, unwittingly creates the conditions for civil strife. But perhaps she reckons that she will be able to get away with it because those who oppose her do not have anyone to rally around. Unlike in 1986, when Cory, the widow of the beloved Ninoy, provided that center of gravity for those who opposed Marcos. This should be the mission of the Catholic bishops in 2007, to give prominence to and support for that �new breed of leaders� around whom the non-trapo and non-communist opposition can rally, and desist from trying to be that rallying focus themselves, which they have neither the calling, the background nor the constitutional mandate for. There is no more time for Character Change to sweep through the entire population, or even only among the political class. The bishops will have to make do with living, adult Filipinos whose characters have already been formed and do not need radical changing. And the bishops will just have to use their discernment to see who among these have the right stuff to provide the moral leadership that this country needs for a moral revolution. ***** A PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR TO ALL. Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles since 2001 in www.tapatt.org OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |
| Reactions to �How Now, Holy Cows?�
Dear Mr. Abaya, In your recent column, 'How Now, Holy Cow,?' you posed a million-dollar question, "How does a society - demoralized by a pervasive culture of cheating, lying and stealing - come up with morally upright leaders to lead a moral revolution?" I dare venture to reply that it begins with the sanctification of the family, the basic unit of society. And concomitantly, it falls upon the shoulders of the Church and the zeal of holy clergy and religious the daunting task of making this a reality. A family steeped in virtue and the spirit of the Gospels is wont to foster and produce holy priests, doctors, businessmen, public leaders, lawyers, soldiers, etc. And holy priests in turn form holy families through what I call a virtuous cycle. And when I say holy priests, I mean priests with impeccable spiritual lives as detailed in Dom Chautard's book on the interior life, The Soul of the Apostolate. Let us go beyond basic Catholic catechism and make religion more relevant in our lives. Let us teach our children to appreciate the beauty and marvels of Christian Civilization. Perhaps if we do this, they'd appreciate the meaning of our traditional devotions, the Holy Rosary, the Angelus, prayers before and after meals, etc. Perchance should we be successful, they'd refrain from making half-baked sign of the crosses, genuflections, and understand that they SHOULD kneel during consecration in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed and so on and so forth. As the clich� goes, you can't teach old dogs new tricks. So I believe it would take another Pentecost to convert the current breed of leaders (whether religious, government, business, military, etc.) in Philippine society. I couldn't agree anyway better with Plinio Correa de Oliveira, a renowned Brazilian Catholic thinker, who wrote the following excerpts from his article on the corruption in society: http://www.tfp.org/TFPForum/PCO/when_society_is_corrupt.htm "To delve into the most obscure nooks and crannies of the problem, a complete solution lies in finding apostles like those described by Abbot Jean-Batiste Chautard in his famous work, The Soul of the Apostolate. They must be endowed with real interior life, desirous above all to see the accomplishment of God's will and designs on earth as it is in heaven. They must be apostles who draw others with their example, move people with their word, and strive to make the laws of the state in accordance to those of God, thus changing people's behavior. In short, the action of these authentic apostles can really touch souls. If these correspond to grace, they will convert. And to convert, contemporary man must be docile to the recommendation of Our Lady to mankind at Fatima in 1917: they must pray and do penance." http://www.tfp.org/crusade/crusade_mag_vol_75.pdf Dr. Jose Maria P. Alcasid, [email protected], Dec. 21, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Less than 10% came to the prayer rally!! The greatest lesson here is that God did not heed the calls of the Bishops to test God; they should not claim God was with them for that exercise. They should learn from that, no excuses of low turn out of participants. Another lesson is the Bishops must leave politics to politicians. They preached Character Change. Where did most of our leaders finish their high schools, college, etc? Catholic schools right? What character values did Catholic schools teach to our leaders then? Shame on these holy cows, Tony. I just cannot accept that these Bishops and other religious groups interfere with the State affairs under the guise of moral values. They do not respect the constitution they claim to protect. Do they follow the separation of Church and the State in the constitution, with their stupid behaviors? I do not think so. Mabuhay Ka, Tony! Rey Corpuz, [email protected], Dec 21, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Great article! Merry Christmas. Fabio Scarpello, [email protected], Bali, Indonesia. Dec. 22, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Is this a call for the hero of Miguel de Cervantes? I have a somewhat different mindset. Filipinos have been waiting for economic takeoff for so long. It seems Gloria is the leader who has the educational background, the intelligence, the energy and stamina, and the political will to carry this through. The point is to overcome all opposition to what most Filipinos consider as one of their highest aspirations. If this is what Gloria has in mind, a ticket to immortality for the leader who produced the economic miracle for the Philippines , then I would take the chance. It's quite unimaginable to wait for another more suitable messiah. The calls of the religious sectors, the opposition, civil society, and the left are being drowned, I think, by a new hope. It can be calculated that 45% of the population or about 7.5 to 8.0 million families are receiving on the average pesos 98,000 per year per family from overseas remittances. People are busy looking for jobs abroad. Why would the middle and lower middle classes join the rallies to unseat Gloria? We play with the cards we are dealt with and not wish for a royal flush from God on the first deal. Tony Anciano, [email protected], Dec. 22, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi, Tony. Maybe you should have also asked yourself the ff questions: 1. Where is the 70% that SWS keeps on saying are against the Cha-cha, which of course many people like you believe as gospel faith? (Where did I ever write that I believed that 70% of the public were against the ChaCha? You are making accusations without any basis in fact. It is people like you who believe as gospel faith what you want to believe. Don�t include me in your category. ACA) 2. Is it possible that SWS had been fooling the reading public all the while? In the first place, did the SWS bother to ask those who were interviewed if they had read the constitution or secondly, whether they do care about what kind of a constitution we have, before even asking them whether they are against any change in the constitution? As far as I am concerned, the belief that 70% of the voting population (on the basis of the SWS random survey) is against Cha-cha is a myth. And this was proven by the fact that only about 200 appeared in the Makati rally last Friday and only about a maximum of 50,000 showed in the Sunday rally. I have been involved in doing surveys before and I know for a fact how easy it is to manipulate the results of surveys. Let the constitutional assembly (you mean, constituent assembly. ACA) propose the amendments and let the people, not the survey, not the Supreme Court, not the media, and certainly not the Senate, be the final arbiter! Bobby Tordesillas, [email protected], Dec. 22, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Well, this country is in serious shit, Tony. Fact that people question CBCP's authority on "morality" is a major concern. May God bless his soul, but I think Cardinal Sin did a bad job in the image of the Catholic in Philippine history. He was the one who immersed the Church into "Dirty Politics" by endorsing whoever comes to his office. Given na that we have a bad pedigree of leaders, wag na lang sali. Continue sending. Michael Delgado, [email protected], Dec. 22, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Senator Miriam Defensor was right on the money. The sanctimonious clergy has failed dismally in providing a moral compass to generations of Filipinos. They are also to blame for their reactionary stand against Population issues and that's why our population has ballooned to 86 million, and thereby exacerbating poverty. If they want to meddle in politics, they should also be taxed accordingly. Sincerely, Auggie Surtida, [email protected], Tigbauan, Iloilo, Dec. 22, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, So much was desired regarding FREEDOM for the people that attended. The restrictions imposed by the government on who and what could be said or done is reminiscent of Martial Law and/or CLOSED SOCIETY. As the song of Irving Berlin goes (1944 Leyte ) 'Heavens help the Philippines ' Keep her safe from harm In the city and in the farm. Keep her always free, Keep her always free. Is the Philippines today under GMA an OPEN or CLOSED SOCIETY? Abrazos, Jaime Calero, [email protected], Sydney, Australia, Dec. 22, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Once upon a time, there was a priest and a businessman who traveled together in a bus. They talked about many things and quite naturally the conversation touched on the state of morality of the country and the failure of the Catholic Church to "change the character of Filipino Catholics, after all these centuries", why so much corruption and immorality in the government and the society as a whole, blah blah blah. Like some of the bloggers in this forum, the businessman confronted the pirest: "Father, why did the church failed miserably in teaching morality to the Filipino?". "In contrast" the businessman bragged, "I manage my company by selling the best soap brand in the country, we deliver what we promise and my company is one of the most admired company in the country today". As if on cue, the bus stopped and they both saw so many street children playing on the dirty gutter, awash with grime and mud on their bodies and faces. So the priest asked the businessman: "If you're company is so successful selling soap, then why are these street children and so many poor people still dirty?". The businessman quickly replied, "Of course, these people live like pigs and they don't use my soap to wash themselves!" To which the priest said "Then you have answered your own question about Filipino morality!" To those who have made a career in blaming the Catholic Church for the moral failure of this country, the question for you is this: If you are so pretty damn righteous and successful in what you are doing, how come there are as many scalawags among your ranks as there are in government? Aren't you now blaming your preachers for not teaching you not to lie, cheat or bully others?. Ike Eslao, [email protected], Dec. 23, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I do not feel I have the right to get involved in Philippine politics since I am just a guest here and have no voting rights but I would like to know, out of curiosity, what is the objection to a parliamentary system similar to systems in Western Europe. ? (The objection is not to the parliamentary system per se, but to the persons proposing the change, and the manner in which the advocacy is being maneuvered. As things stand, the shift to parliamentary is seen as allowing President Arroyo to remain in power beyond 2010 when her presidential term ends; allowing Speaker Jose de Venecia to serve as interim prime minister from 2007 to 2010, knowing that he has no chance of being elected president; and allowing the present congressmen to become the interim parliament, with the self-serving proviso that they had built into their proposal of having no term limits for themselves. It�s all about staying in power indefinitely, legally and constitutionally. (If these persons had disqualified themselves from serving in the proposed parliament, there would probably be much less objections to the shift. ACA) The Filipinos appear to me to be remarkably aware that corruption exists here, being able to identify the problem is the first step towards fixing it surely? Filipinos should give themselves a pat on the back for this at least. (And you have not heard of corruption in the parliamentary systems of Japan, India, Thailand and Malaysia? ACA) Which is perhaps more than can be said of many Americans who are blissfully unaware of the massive corruption that is taking place in their country. Where the corporate industrial complex funds and controls the politicians of both political parties. Where the supreme court can be stacked with political cronies able to anoint the Presidential candidate with less popular votes than his opponent. Best of luck in your endeavours Regards, Doug John, [email protected], Dec. 23, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww This may sound Quixotic, but it might be worth the try. Let us not think of character change in everyone. Why not focus on individual character change, starting with oneself. For example, if you are a bus rider, get on and off the bus only at the designated places. Do this over time, everyday and you would have changed a behavior that required you to say NO to yourself when you wanted to get on or off the bus at a more convenient place for you. This is a beginning of character change. Another example would be for vehicular drivers. If all drivers stayed in their respective lanes instead of doing a slalom style of driving, we would have achieved some sense of order in the streets. And this is all because the drivers willed to change their driving habits. This means more self-discipline, another beginning for character change. This is my 2-cents worth of an idea for achieving character change. It may take a long time but when do we begin? Millet Castro, [email protected], Dec. 23, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww My personal opinion on this? I think that a change in our Government is really necessary because we have been in this kind of government for so long and no improvement is happening. But the real question is How? and What kind of government would improve the lives of our fellow Filipinos. The Change should focus on these things and not because they want to be in power forever. The people who want this change are the very same people now who have not done any improvement on our people's lives. Their life continues to deteriorate and no light or chance to improve is in the offing. The people who are opposed to it are the ones who will lose power because of the Change and not because they are after the welfare of the people, so this will not work and our people will continue to suffer more. What we need are leaders who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of our people. Leaders who will work for the economy to improve, create decent paying jobs to our people, work on cultivating the richness of our country, make the country investor friendly and encourage small businesses, import farm machineries to improve food production, expound on more exports than imports, make the country self sufficient in major needs, and most of all have a HEART...............Thank you, Fred Santos, [email protected], Dec. 23, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Once again, Mr. Abaya, I share your sentiments. During People Power I, we had a beacon of hope--Cory Aquino. At present, we have no one to pin our hopes of social, economic, and political improvement upon. Majority of us Filipinos are dissatisfied with the current administration, but we do not see anyone noble and honest enough to propel us to march and join "prayer rallies" or any kind of picketing. Yes, we want GMA and her minions out of Malaca�an. Yes, we are tired of the trapos and their unending desire to empty the public coffers. We are also exhausted from the endless rallies that do not bring about the change we want to see. Why? All because we cannot find that one honest person who is a true public servant. So this holiday season, you can guess what my Christmas wish is...get us that person and WE will do the rest. Merry Christmas to you and your family, Mr. Abaya. Freda Veluz, [email protected], Dec. 24, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hello Tony, Character change is one of those motherhood phrases some people trot out when confronted with something intractable; other phrases are "Eliminate insurgency! Fight poverty! Down with capitalism! etc." all of which are not backed with solid actions and are therefore nonsensical. Character change? Tell this to the bishops! Whatever happened to the reported peccadillos of some bishops and priests, not only in this country but in others as well? Didn't the International Court just recently convict a Catholic member of clergy for his (or her?) role in the Rwanda massacre? We are in a mess and all that the good bishops have to offer is that phrase "Character change." Maybe they should give some details on how this can be done in a country where corruption permeates down to the most remote barangays and sitios, and any two-bit government office. Now everyone is clamoring for a "new breed of leaders." Forget it! With our political system which gives premium to popularity, no such breed will emerge. I once read an article by rabid anti-Gloria columnist Conrad de Quiros of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and for once, I agreed with his implication that we are unable to produce good presidents. What we produce are leaders whom we immediately dislike after they assume office and this dislike is manifested by coup attempts, impeachment proceedings, EDSAs, rallies, etc with the good bishops playing nursemaid to all these activities. And know what? Those most vehement in opposing sitting presidents themselves are then elected or appointed to high offices, such as the Senate, mayoralties of major cities, the House of Representatives, Cabinet, and others. Oppose a president and get yourself a nice office! I believe one of the most realistic ways to hasten our development and minimize poverty is to control our population growth rate, which is among the world's highest. One way of doing this is through family planning, something which the bishops, who view sex as a means for procreation and not much else, are vehemently opposed to. Family planning was the vogue during Juan Flavier's time as Health Secretary. Nowadays it�s as dead as the dodo. Congratulations, your Holinesses! In this season of hope, I should not be bad-mouthing our guardians of morals. The truth is, I have the highest respect for individuals who sacrifice a lot for service to mankind, like the members of the clergy. I know a lot of them and find them to be sincere, decent, God-fearing persons who will extend a helping hand to saints and sinners alike. I would therefore like to extend to them and to their loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year! The same goes for you, Tony, and your loved ones, and to your readers. Herminigildo Gutierrez, [email protected], Dec. 24, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi! Tony The state of morality in this country is clearly a failure of evangelization. What, we may ask, are the bishops doing about it? Nothing! They continue with their merry ways in their comfortable palaces. A delegation of community leaders has recently sought an audience with Bishop Fernando Capalla here in Davao City . They've wanted to ask for his support against the aerial spraying of toxic chemicals in banana plantations that are drifting to their communities and endangering their health. The bishop has flatly told them that he can't do anything at this time because a banana plantation has just donated land to the archdiocese. This is a capsule of what is wrong with the Catholic hierarchy in this country. They've clearly lost their sense of mission. They've become holy cows as you've correctly put it. So much for bishops. Regards, Gico Dayanghirang, [email protected], Davao City , Dec. 28, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I agree not only with Sen. Miriam Santiago that the Church has failed in giving proper or much moral guidance to its Catholic followers. I am a Catholic, but if have to be honest, the INK has more both physical and spiritual control over their followers. One more thing is that they discouraged their followers to join politics, and they take into serious considerations their role only during political exercises like elections. INK imposes strict discipline among misguided and immoral members. they firmly believe what the Bible teaches about Church separation from the State. Talking from experience, if ever one of the INK members assumes office, whether elected or appointed, many are honest, and do not commit illicit or immoral activities. Maybe Catholic leaders should reconsider first guiding Catholic followers appropriately and more of savin-soul activities rather than involving Catholic leaders (bishop, priest and nuns, lalong gumugulo) to patch up human or priestly inefficiencies in dirty politics. For sure, one who fights in "mud' always becomes dirty at the end of the fight. Maybe they should clean their ranks first, because some have been also charged with certain cases of immorality and church collection embezzlements. Now how will their followers trust them? Rodolfo Cada, [email protected], Jan. 05, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Judge Pozon and the Subic Rape Case Sir; I have casually followed the Subic rape case with interest. I have encountered allegations that Judge Benjamin Pozon made decisions, including the conviction,, from a perspective that is "left wing", that he is a CPP sympathizer and that he blocked the admission of forensic evidence that may have had a bearing on guilt. I have not been able to find corroboration for these allegations nor have I been able to find a biography on the judge. Any suggestions? That aside, what I have read about the trial leaves me stunned. As an American I am accustomed to assuming that major rights of the defendant would be forcefully upheld by the court as a matter of law. Now, obviously the law is different in the Philippines , but.... I personally know one major corporate investor which was looking at setting up a crane factory in the Subic area that would have created at least 300 skilled labor jobs, which has decided to go to Thailand because of this trial. You see, the board of directors are all Marines. They in turn are extending an effort to persuade other potential investors to avoid the Philippines . Not because of the conviction of LCpl. Smith, per se. but rather because of the perception that the courts in the Philippines are so corrupt that any investment is too high a risk. Whether they are or not is functionally moot... the perception has been created. I was personally disappointed by the company�s decision as I fervently support any economic measures that would improve the lot of the people. John Long, [email protected], Seattle Washington , Dec. 31, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Unreal the Estradas I heard through the grapevine that JV is now driving a Ferrari Marenello and a BMW M5. A Ferrrari is normally around USD200,000, normally driven by tycoons globally or drug lords or unsavory types. The nerve of these people. I am watching these people still bitching that the election was stolen from them. Has this guy struck gold? Or is he another financial genius? I come from a business family with a fifty year history. From the ground up to where we are now. It's just unfuckingunbelievalble whether the election was stolen or not. These assholes (the Estradas should just shut their trap) should humbly admit that they plundered the economy. Macoy amassed his wealth over some time. But this run-down movie star amassed billions in, what?, a couple of years. I have a business administration degree from a US university, with three minors. I haven't come across any subject teaching me how to make a billion in the shortest time possible. But the nerve of this family!They still try to maintain their integrity by whatever means. The chairman of Enron (he died about two months ago. ACA) is facing some time in jail, along with some of his officers, for overstating their financial statements. Only in the Philippines , I guess. These guys should be shot in Luneta. Teodoro Tagle Jr., [email protected], Jan. 04, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww The Execution of Saddam Hussein and Imelda Marcos To the Filipino people and all who care, It seems ironic that in Iraq , Saddam Hussein was captured, tried, judged guilty, allowed one appeal and executed in a short span of time, while murderers, thieves, economic saboteurs in other countries enjoy long lives on death row, in jail, or worse, allowed to thumb their noses at the judicial system. In our country...in the Philippines , we have attorneys who use every ploy and legal maneuver in the book to prolong the lives and/or freedom of convicted criminals sentenced to death, life or years of imprisonment. We have a system of appeal after appeal for those who have committed heinous crimes to the point that our justice system is laughable. Perhaps we should take an example from Iraq and allow our convicted felons to enjoy the same swift application of justice. In 2001, Imelda Marcos was arrested and charged with corruption and amassing wealth illegally, during her husband's regime. She was convicted of some of the charges and sentenced to nine to twelve years in prison. This conviction was later overturned. How in heaven's name the conviction was overturned is anybody's guess. She still faces many corruption-related charges. Unfortunately, the wheels of justice grind ever so slowly in our country , where the wealthy and the powerful reign absolute and supreme, even for those who have lost power like Imelda. A newspaper columnist once wrote: Imelda is often batty, occasionally inspiring and disarmingly charming. She lives in a dream world. She claims to be a penniless widow, while clicking a button for servants in a Manila penthouse cluttered with masterpieces by Picasso, Michelangelo, Gauguin, priceless antique statues of Buddha and gold, gold, gold. She is unrepentant about the millions she spent on a 21-year shopping spree. "Yes, I bought those things for my country, only the best," she says with a defiant air. "It is shallow people who think beauty is frivolous or excessive. If you are bringing beauty and gold, you are enriching the country. Rice feeds the body, books feed the mind, beauty feeds the soul. It is one thing I can really be proud of and stand tall in the world." If the Philippine government is unable to make charges against her stick, I am certain it will be much easier to put her away in an institution staffed not by jail warden and corrections officers but one that is surrounded by psychiatrists and psychologists. It might be worthwhile if we allowed the events leading to Saddam's execution to teach us, the Filipino people, an equally valuable lesson. The entire series of events was thorough, swift, fair and final. Saddam was given his legal day before the Iraqi bar of justice with one final appeal; his lawyers had every opportunity to fully defend their client's legal rights. If our justice system was on a par with that was recently demonstrated in Iraq , Imelda Marcos and powerful, corrupt and abusive individuals like her might have a greater fear of the death sentence applied in a similar swift, fair and final manner. Perhaps with real fear for quick application of the law and the corresponding penalties, there would be fewer propensities for graft and corruption, abuse of power that we read about every day. Bunny Arville, [email protected], Las Vegas , Nevada , Jan 05, 2007 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |