Judgment

Butch Bagabuyo

 “In fair weather prepare for foul.” – Thomas Fuller

AS the Roman Catholics in the Philippines started early dawn today our traditional “simbang gabi,” we are urged to renew our usual nine-day novena cum Holy Mass in preparation for this year of mercy, as proclaimed by our more-than-superock star Pope Francis. Hopefully, we begin and end this liturgical year of mercy the way of our Pope Francis.

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“I know of no way of judging the future but by the past.”– Patrick Henry

Now that the two divisions of the Comelec have decided to disqualify Sen. Grace Poe Llamanzares from the presidential race, Sen. Chiz Escudero and their lawyers are asking the Comelec not to drop the name of their candidate from the ballots for the 2016 national and local elections which plea is clearly illegal as far as the Comelec is concerned. As soon as the Comelec en banc confirms the near-unanimous verdict of the two divisions, the Comelec is left with no other choice but to drop the name of Senator Grace from the list of candidates for the presidency. What the Supreme Court could do is to issue a Status Quo Ante order after the name of the candidate is removed from the list but not before the Comelec does its mandate; otherwise, it would be courting impeachment for gross violation of the Constitution.

Candidly, the prayer made by senator Chiz and Co. on the newspapers, radio and TV remind me of that true story which goes: “In the famous Un-American Activities trial of the Rosenberg’s of 1952, they said to the court, ‘Give us justice. That’s all we ask for. That’s what we are after.’ The court said, ‘No, what you’re after is mercy. But, this court can’t give mercy –only justice. And, what you’ve got is justice.’

With the present legal predicament hounding the candidacy of Senator Grace, I would not be surprised if her camp would be emptied of viable “senatoriables” by February 2016 when the national elections campaign begin. And the sad reality in Philippine politics is that the purse of our businessmen go with the perceived frontrunners and they become scarce to the other wannabes friendship and blood ties notwithstanding. And this sad and pathetic reality in our politics is among the more important reasons for a charter change to a federal-parliamentary system but not a presidential cum asymmetrical relationship with an autonomous region which relationship is clearly a legal fantasy created by PNoy’s mercenary office of the peace process.

Truly, Mindanaoans have willingly supported the constitutionally approved Armm (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.) Hence, for all intents and purposes, our peace-loving Muslim brothers, sisters and LGBTs have not been neglected unlike the Lumads in our paradise-like islands of Mindanao-Sulu-Palawan-Tawi-Tawi. And I would like to believe that our country is not prepared to be sold to Malaysia or any other imperialists. Undoubtedly, Mindanao does not and would never agree to become subjects of armed rebels who have no respect for our laws ever since. The MILF-BIFF conjoined twins do not respect our present laws by voluntarily surrendering their armed men who are charged with the murder of our peace officers; ergo, neither would Mindanaoans allow ourselves to be bullied by the assassins of our brave 44 SAF commandos who willingly offered their lives and the future of their own families in defense of our sovereignty.

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“Journalism has already come to be the first power in the land.” – Samuel Bowles

As a candidate, PNoy assured our countrymen that he would work for the passage of the proposed FOI (Freedom of Information) law. And we cheered him because our public officials have committed graft and corruption because their nefarious activities were hidden from us. When the country gave him an overwhelming victory via the PCOS, we did not mind so much because he assured us of a “Daang Matuwid.”

However, we began to suspect PNoy as no more than a trapo when the infamous Maguindanao massacre of lawyers and media men, women and LGBTs remain unsolved to this day. Then instead of listening to the growing clamor against his allies in the government, our President brazenly became megalomaniac.

President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III chose to be a Pinocchio and defied the pleas of the Catholics, and instead he passed the misnomer RH (Responsible Health) Law upon the urgings of the multi-nationals. By so doing, PNoy flooded our country with pills at the expense of the hard-earned money of our laboring Pinoys. So instead of providing the victims of the Yolanda and other calamities with the food and other necessities coming from the donations by well-meaning countries all over the world, his DSWD squandered the donations.

The glaring fact that all our former presidents especially PNoy are so afraid of being transparent to the sovereign is more than enough reason for us to demand and secure Charter change from the present all-too-powerful president to a federal-parliamentary system. At the rate things are going on, there is clear and present danger that PNoy would become the next occupant of the Veterans Memorial Hospital. However, if our man from Mindanao makes it to the presidency, PNoy would most likely end up in a house arrest. However, I can only pray that before he steps down from office, a woman would find the heart to be his wife and become an instant former first lady. Can you just imagine how lonely and death-threatening a house arrest would be to one who may have been afflicted with some kind of neurosis in public service only?

But what is more pitiful if not, spiteful, is a transition City Mayor who wrote his own demise in politics and public service even before his term ended. It is not fantasy nor wishful thinking for Kagay-anons to witness the early disqualification of dismissed Mayor Oscar S. Moreno from public office.

Trust me, a cursory reading of his counter-affidavit filed with the ombudsman in the Ajinomoto case clearly proves beyond any doubt that he is not only a liar but one who is ignorant of the Local Government Code of 1991, as amended, and the Ombudsman law, not to mention its own rules of procedure as well as the revised Rules of Court.