De Lima cannot gripe against ‘rubber stamp Congress’

Batas Mauricio

I REALLY don’t know if detained Sen. Leila de Lima has any right at all to complain that the present lawmakers comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate are “rubber stamps” who blindly obey President Duterte, ever eager and raring to give him an extended term, even way before its expiration five years from now.

Was not de Lima the secretary of justice at the time when Benigno Aquino III, the president she served with fierce loyalty from 2010 to 2016, led lawmakers by their noses, in much the same way that carabaos or other domesticated animals are led by ropes tied around their necks, to vote like just one flock to oust former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, using hundreds of millions of pork barrel funds to do so?

Yes, if there are lawmakers who can be called “rubber stamps”, it should be the docile lawmaker-followers of Benigno Aquino III in the past Congress. Because of that, de Lima really has no right to complain on this issue. As Jesus, our God and Savior who is God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, once said, only those who have no sin can cast the proverbial accusatory stone.

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If policemen who arrested a person on account of a crime wanted to elicit an admission from him, they have an obligation to write down the supposed admission, in a language known and understood by the arrested person, in the presence of his counsel or in the presence of other people, if that admission is to be given any validity at all.

The people required by Republic Act 7438 to be present when an arrested person is to make a confession of the crime when no lawyer assisted him are the following: his or her parents, or even just one of them; his elder siblings; his spouse; the mayor of the city or town; the judge of the place; district school supervisor; or the priest, pastor, or minister of his sect, of his own choice.

Any admission made without any lawyer assisting the suspect can be recognized or considered valid only if the arrested person will prepare a written statement in the presence of at least one of the people that we have mentioned here.

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To those who are for or against federalism, Charter change, or term extension even for President Duterte, we should not forget the truth that there is no leader or administrator in the whole world that God did not establish.

Each and every leader or administrator, whether good or bad, had been established by God Himself, according to His will and His power. What the citizenry should do is to fully trust in God, praying always for those whom He instituted as leaders. That will certainly bring about the beneficial change we aspire for, whether we believe or not.

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Indeed, why are many of our government and business leaders corrupt and prone to graft?

There is only one reason for this: it is because most of these leaders no longer have the fear and love of God in their hearts, enabling them to do even the most despicable thievery, in public yet, of funds and properties rightly belonging to the people.

Because these leaders do not fear and do not love God, they have convinced themselves that they can get away even with the most murderous act. And so they abuse, they steal and they plunder.

And they even kill. Because their hearts have been darkened by a lack of fear in God, they go about their evil ways thinking that they are not going to be punished.

But this is foolish thinking. God will surely bring every deed into judgment, whether done in public or in secret, whether good or bad, as the Bible, in its Ecclesiastes 12:14, confirms.

And God is there somewhere, no matter how the unbelievers may deny His existence, watching those who are doing good and those who are compiling eternal punishment for themselves even now.

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Standards for good leaders: first, he is someone in whom the Spirit of God dwells. Second, he is able and knowledgeable of the job he is aspiring for, hating dishonest gain, having fear and love of God, and willing to be the slaves — literally and figuratively — of the people and their constituents.

E-mail: batasmauricio@yahoo.com