- Advertisement -

Batas Mauricio .

IF the offer to be an undercard for the fight of boxing champion Jeff Horn is an insult, why then did Top Rank’s Bob Arum offer it to you, Sen. Manny Pacquiao?

- Advertisement -

Could it be that, from the point of view of Arum, a hard-nosed and veteran boxing promoter of international fame, fighting in an undercard is already the best offer that can be made to you, Sen. Manny, at this stage of your career as a boxing world champion?

For us, your fans, even when you were a just boxing start-up who was unable to pay his rents in an “entesuwelo” (prompting the late Ompong Nazario, your former promoter/manager then to call me to talk to your landlord), what we ask you to do, Mr. Senator, is for you to stop fighting now since you have already earned billions anyway, and instead focus on your political career so our forecast that you will become president of this country someday will already come true, God willing!

***

Okay, let me be clear here with my synonyms or antonyms: they were really “pushers”, as it were, and I refer to former President Noynoy Aquino, former Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch Abad, and former Health Secretary Janet Garin, when they pushed (there, that is the word) for the purchase of the Dengvaxia vaccine at a staggering cost of P3.4 billion on April 4, 2016.

No matter how we look at this, the purchase by these three, with the cooperation of others from the Department of Health, Department of Budget, and the Office of the President, of the vaccine fell within the 45-day election ban for government projects, as mandated by Section 261 (o) and (v) of the Omnibus Election Code. They were indeed “pushers” — pushing for violation of existing laws, for their personal and party interests.

***

Really, Sen. Antonio Trillanes continues to baffle, manifesting the need for him, perhaps, to already undergo a cleansing process using coconut oil to clear the mind (which, in my Ilocano native tongue from Tarlac, is often referred to as “agpagulgol”). The reason is simple: he is again ordering justices of the Supreme Court not to oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Aranal Sereno via means other than impeachment.

Since when can a lawmaker meddle or interfere with the workings of the Supreme Court? Somebody should tell these lawmakers that the Supreme Court is independent of the legislative department, and cannot be taking orders from them, especially if they are unschooled in the law. Pronouncements like this constitutes a sorry waste of taxpayers’ money.

***

With due respect to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) which is bewailing what it said was the “shortcut route” in the removal of Sereno, all lawyers know that when a sufficient number of Supreme Court justices say something about anything under the sun, what they say automatically becomes a part of the law of the land, whether lawyers agree to what they said or not.

Under the 1987 Constitution, the Supreme Court is the final authority on what is to be considered legal or not, including, but not limited to, how to remove anyone of them from the tribunal.

***

In a society where “fair trial” and “justice” are more honored in breach rather than in fulfilment, being given an assurance of “fair trial” and “justice,” Senate President Aquilino Koko Pimentel III, is like being mocked and assured that “mob justice” is the one going to prevail.

This kind of an assurance actually sends chills, rather than peace of mind. Please remember, Mr. Senate President, that true “fair trial” and true “justice” are in reality spiritual orders which every Christian believer, like you, perhaps, should follow.

Consider these: “‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly…” (Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 16:19, 20). May God be glorified in what you and your political allies intend to do, Koko!

***

Along the same lines, I wish to ask those who have been saying that Sereno has shown symptoms of mental disturbance: Is she the only one who is displaying symptoms of mental disturbance?

Is it not a fact, as shown by findings by experts that came out in 2017, one in five Filipinos have mental problems – which means that, if there are 100 million of us right now, some 20 million are afflicted with madness?

***

Once more, I am requesting those who are projecting themselves as press freedom advocates, stop your pretense! You have been very vocal with your complaints about supposed curtailment of this freedom by the Duterte government, yet, you yourselves appear to not to want press freedom.

Why am I saying this? Because you are unwilling to work to remove libel laws in the Philippines. You want to uphold press freedom? Remove the current libel laws in the Philippines, which penalize stinging commentaries and thoughtful remarks.

Libel laws represent the one single biggest threat to press freedom, and our country even recognizes that by signing an international agreement against libel … but, of course, many in the Philippines do not like removing our libel laws because they also would want to use it to silence their enemies.

Disclaimer

Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.

- Advertisement -