The Senate and PRRD

 The recent appearance of former PRRD before the senate gave me some personal insights. Remember. These are my personal insights.

 First of all, once again, he has shown the lack of proper breeding and no sense of decorum. I wonder what kind of household he had growing up and what kind of family he had reared.  He constantly cursed and even with extreme pride.  Never mind. We have always known the kind of man he is.  Let us just say his conflicting pronouncements gave me a headache. 

To paraphrase the main theme of his statements, he said, sounding noble to his minions by the way they clapped and cheered, “I shall be held liable for all the killings. Do not blame it on the cops… If I am given another chance, I shall do these again.”  Was he true to his words? I have reason to believe that the former President’s pronouncements are not really that gallant. These pronouncements may even be ignoble.  When confronted by Sen Risa Hontiveros if his commitment extended to those innocent civilians who died from the police, his response can be attributed to either, he did not understand the question fully or that he thinks he has something up his sleeves.  He waivered saying something like “walang maniniwalang abugado dyan.”  So, he believes, just like Roque, that his smugness is coming from a technical standpoint.  Me lusot, ika nga. The Bill of Rights guarantee that no person shall be a witness against himself.  Therefore, his words cannot be used against him.  These have to be proven which might take a long time maybe until his death and then he shall go scot free.  Also, he is a septuagenarian, a mitigating circumstance in the Revised Penal Code of the country.  What that means is that he cannot suffer the full extent of the law.

On a deeper level, cops who followed his directives should be held responsible and cannot claim they were just following orders.  A subordinate should ONLY follow lawful orders.  To kill an accused without the benefit of a fair trial is wrong in any country, in any jurisdiction, unless it is a dictatorial form of government, perhaps.  Duterte knows this, as a matter of fact, he said no PMAer would have followed had he categorically said that.  However, there are a lot of footages that see him explicitly or impliedly mentioning this directive. This can even be felt with his pronouncements before the Senate. He probably thinks because he was the President, he was giving a lawful order because, in his way of thinking, that is his way.  Well, is he correct?  The death penalty is no longer being meted out to even heinous crimes by our laws.  So, even if any criminal who will be found guilty in a court of law, cannot be given the death penalty.  Duterte’s claim clearly is in violation of the principle of “innocence unless proven guilty.”  A principle lost on all his believers.  Even more problematic is his admission having told the police to plant evidence just to pin down a suspect. According to him, that was his way when he was still a prosecutor.   How horrible it will be for a parent if his/her child is suspected and planted evidence and be killed just so he will have no more “problems” with criminal elements. Such was the case when out of nowhere, the government would have a list of addicts and pushers and be accosted and killed as in the famous “tokhang” series.  Imagine if you had a quarrel with a neighbor or a Barangay captain and they included your child to that list?  What a nightmare that would have been, right?  True enough, it happened many times before. Imagine, no right to a fair trial. Duterte’s kind of justice. Kill and get rid of these criminals.  Futhermore, there are evidences now that point out that big time criminals are not touched because they are being favored. But that has yet to be proven. 

Well, he always said he is going to hell. There is a strong possibility he will.  Life is all about choices and he made a choice.  At least there is one thing we can agree on .

The Phenomenon

Duterte rose to power not by a single stroke of fate. He is the outcome of a series of incidents all tied up together resulting to his name being catapulted to fame and earning the admiration of a lot of people. Today, no amount of “bad” news can dissuade his followers and admirers in believing in him. Never mind the continued exposure of the police engaging in the extrajudicial killing of thousands just because he had “waged” war against drugs. Never mind that his spokesperson, Panelo, claims that the spate of killings can be attributed to mere collaterals of a war we have to fight.  Never mind that he had continuously lambasted God in a country he leads, reputedly to be the only predominantly Christian country in Asia.  Never mind the accusations that he has already signed a pact with the Chinese to whom, it has been alleged, we shall eventually surrender our patrimony.  Never mind the fact that he had not made true his promises during the campaign period for the Presidency that he so boldly claimed.  Never mind that the country and the Filipino people are the subject of comedy in some American TV show because of the “not-so Presidential” antics of Duterte and his minions. None of these matter to his followers. As a matter of fact, his popularity has not waned a fraction but remained steady if not rising to even higher grounds.  The dismal showing of the polls in the last election is a nightmare. Most of those who won, did, because they were anointed by the President.  This is what I call the Duterte phenomenon.

How did Duterte rise to fame like this?  It all started with the big talk on how Duterte has cleaned Davao of scumbags when he was elected mayor of the city. By his own admission, he had eradicated crime in the city by executing all evil doers there.  Thus, it has been claimed that Davao is the safest place in the country now.  I shall leave it at that.  

The 20 year rule of despotic President Marcos came to an end in 1986 when the people finally decided they have had enough.  In a three day, peaceful revolution, a multitude of people gathered around Camp Crame resulting to the ouster of this strongman, banishing him to Hawaii where he eventually met his death.  We saw the widow of Ninoy Aquino claiming the Presidency with the delight not only of the Filipinos but celebrated throughout the world. 

But history never takes a story to be constant or significantly forever.  There is a saying, whether we believe it or not, that history is told from the point of view of the victors. Thus, the events in history, even though they never change, shall be viewed differently in another given time.  This was, to me, the blunder of the Aquinos and Filipino historians.  The Aquinos had been complacent that the multitude that went out in EDSA shall forever be there.  For some reason or another, the EDSA revolution, as we always knew it, have not been told and retold to our young.  The events that led to it has not been taught in schools, especially to very young high school students.  These millenials gather information on the internet, specifically one liners on facebook. (Why bother reading long historical accounts when one can read history like it is being told by a gossip at the nearby barber shop as told by the barbers and hangers on?) Soon, history would take shape in a different form. The Marcoses are not only back but even holding very important offices in government.  There have been allegations that they have employed the services of trolls and writers who will shape the minds of the young and make Ferdinand Marcos the greatest President there ever was.  Great! Before Marcos, we were at the brink of being highly industrialized.  We had Jacinto and Ysmael Steel, ABS CBN of the Lopezes, etc.  Economy wise, we were way ahead of our Asian neighbors by a long mile. All these until Marcos seized these companies and we have become poorer and poorer ever since. But I digress.

Cory’s presidency would have made us a great nation.  Other countries looked at us with admiration at the time. Cory Aquino was to be given the Nobel Peace Prize. The political scenario at the time was not as great, though.  Other people, notably greedy ones, wanted the pie all to themselves.  Cory’s presidency was beleaguered with several coup d’etats thinking she was a weak president and it was the time to grab power from her.  Miraculously, probably with the blessings of God, she survived them all until her Presidency ended.   Fast forward to three more Presidents and her son, Noynoy, assumed the seat of the most powerful man in the country I believe he was the weak link.  His presidency was a big disappointment. During his time, his cabinet experienced a lot of controversies. The MRT, the biggest mass transport, met a lot of problems that the government cannot handle. The LTO began to decline with licenses, plate numbers, etc. not being able to deliver simple service to the people. The comical way the authorities handled that hostage taking at the Luneta became a tragedy simply because it was mishandled from start to finish. The Mamasapano tragedy was the worst. Several policemen had been slaughtered without help coming from the soldiers nearby just because the orders were not clear.  

To me, these were the events that led to Duterte’s Presidency.  The people think they have had enough incompetence in government and the time was ripe for a strongman to effect changes for the Filipino people. It is all very simple.  Duterte put on the table a very simple equation that the people can easily understand. An eye for an eye, a tooth for every tooth. You did something wrong, whether true or not, you shall die. Regardless of the outcome or the consequences, the people should see someone hang. This unlawful, injustice is lost to a people who wanted to see blood for vengeance no matter what the costs.

And so, in spite of the fact that after three years, Duterte has not yet made good his promises to rid the country of drugs, secure the country’s territories from adverse claimants, he remains to be idolized by his followers. His seemingly “kill first before asking questions” policy, with the extra judicial killings, which he actually is very proud of, resulted to the wanton disregard for the principles of due process being expunged in the journey of the Philippines as a sovereign, independent country. His simple equation is so easy to understand that even learned men surprisingly succumbed to it.  Who would now  understand about the principle that the courts would rather let the guilty go scot free than condemn an innocent to suffering, even death, hence the term, “guilty beyond reasonable doubt” for it is all lost to the President?  Who would understand now that addiction is a disease, a sickness that should be cured, not condemned to death? Nobody would believe that to get rid of addicts, we must stop the big time drug pushers for until now, none of the big time pushers, known as drug lords, have been put behind bars at the very least. Well, there is Leila de Lima but I think that she is more of a political detainee for having openly defied the powers that be. Addicts should be put to rehab for they are sick. We do not condemn to death a man sick of cancer, do we?  A very long, tedious process but the right thing to do. We now have a President whose understanding of God, religion and theology stopped when he was in Grade 4. In one of his speeches, he called God stupid for not doing anything as He was at the brink of death crucified on the cross. All these become palatable to a people who has undergone too much incompetence, greed for power and suffering.

The rains, no matter how strong it pours and how deep inundation it brings, shall stop, too. Duterte’s rise to power is relatively very fast. And he seems to be unstoppable now but the world has seen the downfall of even stronger men.  Idi Amin, Duvalier, Pol Pot and our very own, Marcos, met an ending they have never foreseen.  They all fell down and even harder than any man can endure.  The world works in very strange ways and maybe we are being taught a lesson for we never have learned after all these years. 

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Age of discernment?

There is a proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility from fifteen to twelve years old.  This proposal, known as Senate Bill 2026, is filed by no less than the present Senate President, Vicente Sotto III. This idea arose from the increasing cases of misdemeanors committed by minors. The move is set on the idea that lowering the age of criminal responsibility will deter minors from committing a crime.  The question is will it really solve the problem?

I will leave it to the experts who have the means to use and/or do extensive research on the various aspects – professionals who are more qualified  to argue for or against. Neither do I have the expertise nor the time to do an extensive one.  Yet, I do have, at this time, an opinion regarding the matter based on gut feeling and my, hitherto, sense of logic.

My position is that the issue at hand is the same as the age-old debate on capital punishment.  Will the re-imposition of capital punishment, for heinous crimes, at least, be a deterrent to committing a crime? My answer is in the negative. I believe that a person who commits a crime, especially heinous ones, never considers the result of his/her wrongful act.  A crime is committed willfully and without regard to whatever consequence shall befall the offender for such is committed only with the selfish purpose, whatever that may be, the offender has. I have yet to see a rapist, for example, stop his craving for sex simply because he knows that the punishment, if caught and proven guilty, is death.  No, his or her evil intentions should be fulfilled regardless of what the outcome of such a dastardly act shall be. The same thing is true with a criminal who will kill someone just so his purpose is served. More importantly, capital punishment is anti-poor.  Rich offenders can pay their way to freedom no matter what crime has been committed.  Only poor people who cannot defend themselves are incarcerated. Secondly, capital punishment is final. There is no more hope of reformation – the true idea behind putting an offender in jail. It is merely a vengeance to make the victim or the relatives feel good.

By the same token, lowering the age of criminal liability will not solve the current situation of minors committing a crime.  The issue is even more complex than we think it is.  Criminal responsibility is set because we believe that it is the age when a person has reached fully the age of discernment -meaning that said person has truly grasped the difference between right and wrong. What this age is is still unknown. There has been no standard and each country has set its own. This fact is simply because no study has been made that has proven what such an age actually is. Psychologists will argue endlessly the point and will never come up with a solid, acceptable answer.  Think about it! We incarcerate people who have done something wrong in the hope that they can be reformed.  That does not usually happen. On the contrary, people who are taken to jail even become callous and numb and more likely to be hardened by the experience. If such is the case with mature adults, this will be doubled in the case of minors who are more susceptible to his/her surroundings. Put a minor in jail and chances are he/she is more likely to become a grievous offender in the future. Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC) policy and research officer Jackielou Bagadiong says, To put children in jail would be like putting them in “school(s) of crime. She elaborates by saying,  If a child enters jail, one can be assured that when he or she comes out, she will have had a network of criminals that can assist him or her later on. 

One of the arguments given by those in favor of the bill is that lowering criminal responsibility will put an end to syndicates using children do their work for them. The problem with this argument is that the real offenders are the syndicates, not the children. Why should the children be punished when they are just being used unwittingly to commit a felony? Why not go after the real culprits and punish these usurpers of innocent children? Lowering the age will not deter the syndicates from using children for they do not care what happens to their pawns. What is worse is what will stop them from using even younger kids? When they do, we are not just back to square one but we will find ourselves in a deeper hell hole than we already are.

It is true that the government should look at ways for its people to have peaceful, contented lives. According to Thomas Hobbes, a government’s main function is to protect and provide. A government should ensure the safety and protection of its people from each other and from foreign foes. To do this, government as protector requires taxes to fund, train and equip an army and a police force; to build courts and jails; and to elect or appoint the officials to pass and implement the laws citizens must not break. It is very clear that government should protect its citizens.  This being the case, the government has the responsibility to take care of its minors.  It has to ensure that the minors receive total protection and assurance that they shall all be taken care of.  To do this, it is the duty of the government to strengthen the family as a very important unit. In the absence of such for an unfortunate child, the government should assign one for the child to ensure that he/she grows up a responsible, conscientious adult. Thus, the government should make laws to make sure that parents take full responsibility of their children as they should.  Keep them off the streets, nurture, educate and love them for they were the ones who brought their children to the world.  Education is the key.  If these children are given adequate, quality education, they would have sufficient knowledge to get by rather than fighting for their very existence in the streets.  Lowering crime responsibility is not the right response to the problem. It is merely a short cut for law makers.  What we should do is strengthen the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, the very law that addresses the problem of erring juveniles. Bagadiong states that with the JJWC, the child still has this liability … it would harm our future generation if we do that. I totally agree.

Pa-birthday?

Among the top news this week is the revelation that former president GMA authorized the PCSO to grant bishops with SUV's as a donation to help them in their mission to help the poor. It seems like the approval of the president was not done from her own volition but through the request of the beneficiaries. As one bishop asked for the donation as a gift for his birthday, after all, the car that he had was already seven years old and according to him was no longer in good condition (and I had my last car for 15 years and it still served its purpose). Naturally, the news has received flak from the people especially when the constitution has mandated that no amount of donation should be given to any religion or its representative unless such is assigned to the armed forces, or to any penal institution or government orphanage or leprosarium.

No public money or property shall be appropriated, applied, paid, or employed, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, sectarian institution, or system of religion, or of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher, or dignitary as such, except when such priest, preacher, minister, or dignitary is assigned to the armed forces, or to any penal institution, or government orphanage or leprosarium.

I will leave the law angle to my friend, Connie who is an expert in the field and has written all about it, rather, superbly in her own blog.

Suffice it to say that the bishops justify their action contending that the donation is not really for them but for the benefit of their flock - to facilitate reaching the far-flung barrios, maybe. They also contend that the Pnoy government is just trying to get back at them for their hard stand on the RH bill. The former statement got me to reflect. I have yet to see a bishop do real missionary work. There have only been a couple of times that I have seen an actual bishop in my lifetime and I have been schooled in a Catholic school and still teach in one. And in all these times, it has been in a church and only upon the invitation of the parish or diocese where they say mass and/or give confirmation. This led me to be a skeptic of their justification.

Besides, why an SUV in the first place? To give them the high stature their office represent? But what about the vow of poverty and simplicity? Sometimes, I get to thinking and I get disappointed. Wag na ngang mag-isip ulit.

Honor or horror?

Honor is very important. It must be to any person living in a civilized society. A person without honor is nothing. A person can be a billionaire and be nothing if he/she is devoid of honor. Honor is the credit of distinction given to a person whose life is governed by honesty, fairness and integrity. As such, honor can neither be bought nor sought from anyone. It is freely given to a person worthy of such admiration.

Honor is very important to the Japanese. To them, losing face is the penultimate opposite of honor. In ancient Japan, warriors called samurai lived by a certain code called Bushido, a stern code of ethics one of which was when one is disgraced or loses face, the only recourse was seppuku or what we popularly know as hara kiri, a ceremonial ritual of suicide by ripping the abdomen apart by means of a knife called tanto or a short Japanese sword known as the wakizashi. This is done for the firm belief that death is more honorable than a life in shame. Usually, when the deed is done, an assistant finishes the job by severing the head with the famous katana. While this practice was banned in 1868, there had been cases of seppuku in modern Japan. The last recorded seppuku was that committed by Yukio Mishima, a Japanese writer who wanted to regain the traditions of the past. Traces of this ancient belief still holds true to some devoted Japanese. There was a public official who, on a mere charge of being corrupt, committed the act.

Here in the Philippines, it is totally different. Many politicians have been charged of corruption with a great deal of evidences enough to prove guilt but manage to stay on. No less than GMA, the former president of the Philippines and members of her family have been riddled with corruption charges but still hanged on to power until her reign ended in 2010. She had been charged of having cheated during the elections to which she merely apologized and continued to rule the land. The ousted President Estrada had been found to be guilty of corruption and was even incarcerated but managed to get out by virtue of presidential pardon (maybe to set a precedent so that when her time comes, the present president will have no doubts as to his/her ability to grant such pardon, who knows?)and even ran for the highest position in the land once more.

Such kapalmuks (thick-skinned faced) characteristic is not lost to other government officials. During the SONA of PNoy, he unravelled how much the managers of the MWSS had arrogated themselves almost equal to 30 months pay and building houses on land which should have been used to plant trees. These managers impliedly gave credence to the accusation when they replied that they were willing to cut down on their fat bonuses! This was during a time of the dismal performance of the MWSS to solve the water shortage problem causing havoc in some areas of Metro Manila. Considering the time and place the alleged anomaly was said, they should have resigned immediately at the very least and/or returned what they have allegedly put into their pockets and have their houses demolished just to save face. But no, they were just willing to shave it off. The allegation of plagiarism in the Supreme Court is another noteworthy phenomenon that is enough to lose one's face. Not only did the verdict contained plagiarized items, the same was misused to argue against the very stance the plagiarized portions were written for. How can we teach the young about the evil of plagiarism when the highest court itself is guilty of the crime?

Then there is the office of the Ombudsman. Is spite of the very strong clamor for her to resign or be ousted in office, she continues to cling to her post like a komodo dragon hanging on for dear life. She has been accused on merely sitting on the cases filed against the Arroyos and considering that she was a classmate of the First Gentleman in college, puts a cloud on her inaction or sin of omission. She would declare lack of evidence putting finality on the charges of corruption. Why? I think it would have been more prudent for her to let the cases be heard in court for the sake of the people and, as ironic as it may seem, even in fairness to the Arroyos. If indeed, there had been no anomaly there, so be it. But for heaven’s sake, let the truth come out.

For delicadeza’s sake, she should have resigned from office to erase any and all doubts surrounding her person. Instead, she is hell bent to square it off with anyone who challenges her to date even when her so-called protectors are no longer in office and their allies in congress, the once strong Lakas-Kampi, has been reduced to be the minority.

Incidentally, speaking of the minority, they claim that the Truth commission formed by PNoy is unconstitutional for it is only Congress who can create such a commission. Granting that is true. I say to Congress, form one already!

Honor has been lost to most of these politicians and government officials a long time ago. I am just glad I am not one. I may barely have enough food on the table at times but the food we eat is sufficient to nourish my family and not cause us any ailment for we eat what we earned through hard work. There is honor in that.

Chameleon Angels

Sickening platitudes
cacophony of campaign jingles
float the air again
in a jungle
covered with huge pictures
of yellow, red, orange, green.

Promises of paradise
a litany of more jobs

lower taxes

medical assistance

food

shelter

thank you heaven
for these angels!

"Don't forget my name,"
the saintly statesman shouted.

Chameleons are better.
They only kill what they eat.

Politicians are parasites
feeding on our sweat
until we have no more to shed
but blood.

I wonder where
they got their butterfly wings
and halo. How do they hide
their horns and tail?

It's a game we play
with angels
from hell.

rolly

If man's justice fails, God will surely take over.

I condemn to the highest degree the massacre that happened in Maguindanao yesterday. It is an act of barbarism and utter cowardice that armed men, reportedly numbering to a hundred, would viciously attack unarmed people, rape the women and behead their helpless victims. These people are a disgrace to the Filipino, who albeit living in dire straits, has, since time immemorial, proved his tenacity to uphold his dignity through honest perseverance and hard work. Too bad, that living with him are goons of politicians who seem to live during the stone age when a woman can be had by pounding her head with a staff. There is no honor in getting what you want through sheer force. On the contrary, there is too much honor in even a lost battle but fought hard through intelligence, patience and perseverance.

What these barbarians did was an act of treachery to the Filipino and to the entire nation. They do not deserve to live in a civilized world where open minds and liberal ideas should prosper. May the wrath of the Lord bestow upon them and their tribes.

Erap(tion)

I will never understand how a lawyer works. It seems like no matter what the law says, lawyers will always find a way to get around it. This boils down to the best lawyer being the one to find the solution to the hardest problem at hand. The one who could be sleazy enough to take you out of the tightest situation. And we're only talking about fair being fair. No bribes or relatives or fraternity brothers working on the sides.

This thought has been sparked by the insistence of Erap to run for the highest position in the land once more. If an ordinary man was to read the law, it is plain and simple. He cannot run again for that office. However, his lawyers argue that the provision in the constitution does not apply to him as he was not able to finish his term, blah blah blah. Ironically, I believe that is the ultimate reason why he can't. If I remember my history correctly, the provision was made to prevent a bad president from staying in office and do more damage. This was done to prevent another Marcos from re-assuming office and using the powers of the same to remain for a very long time, which Marcos actually did using his constitutional mumbo jumbo.

I know as much that when the law is ambiguous and there is uncertainty as to its interpretation, we look back at the framers of said constitution and try to find the spirit behind the law. To me, the spirit behind the prohibition is for elected presidents not to run for office again, whether they did well or not, lest we are stuck with a very bad president. It never said anything about whether or not such term was completed. It says "elected". We only have to remember that the present constitution was made right after the ouster of strongman Marcos and that it was done in fear of history repeating itself. How could that be hard to understand?

Was Erap a bad president? Erap was ousted from office because the people believed he was not a good one. As a matter of fact, the court has decided, with finality, that he used public funds to enrich himself. He was incarcerated for plunder and was only given, for whatever reason it serves the present President, pardon. How can he run for office and aspire to be re-elected? He said to let the public be the judge thinking that the masa that supported him before will do so again. He must have a short memory but I remember it was the public who went out of the streets to oust him.

Strange huh?

Noynoy for president?

Since the time Noynoy expressed his intention to join the presidential race, allegedly after a deep soul-searching retreat in a religious institution his mother sought before she ran for office, the senator is now on cloud nine. Why not? His candidacy looks even brighter today after a contested survey named him as the person to beat in the 2010 elections. Actually, landing in the top spot does not come to me as a surprise considering the outcome of Cory’s funeral parade which was attended by millions of Filipinos. If we eradicate cheating, which is bound to happen in whatever form during the polls, from among the variables and granting that we are about to have the cleanest elections with the introduction of automated machines, the question to ask is will Noynoy be able to sustain the people’s interest in him considering that 2010 is still a long way and that Filipinos sometimes have a very short memory.

I believe Noynoy does not share the charisma his parents have. Neither does he have the flare of his father’s tongue and quick wit nor his mother’s halo. At least not the Noynoy I have known so far. While he does not come as someone who is bobo, he is short of being a complete nondescript to date. With his lisp and a good surname, he is continuously overshadowed by a sister whose flare is au naturel who insists in giving him a make-over like as if she was Carson Kressley of the Queer eye for the straight guy show. What he actually needs is Kris’ handlers and acting tutors. In all fairness, in both instances I saw her on the boobtube, (one during her expose of being a battered woman and her eulogy for Cory), her timing is impeccable, her stance and gestures on camera, superb.

Noynoy will need a lot of things to work on. Especially now that Archbishop Vidal, whose organization helped a lot with Cory's candidacy and will prove to be a very strong ally, is threatening to disown him after learning about his stand on childbirth control. I am not a political analyst. Of course, I can be way off. But that's not important. I have not made my choice yet as to who to vote for in 2010. I will have to wait until all the hats are thrown into the ring. If Noynoy's credentials are as good as they want to make me believe, then I shall be voting for him. I do not agree with the Administration's pronouncements that the coming elections will not be about good vs. evil. Of course, the administration players will not join a game where they are sure to lose. On the contrary, I believe it is about good against evil this time. Let's see which one shall prevail.

A lesson learned

As we mourn Cory's death, let us reflect and seriously think about what it means to us. If there's a lesson we all should learn about Cory Aquino's passing, it will be that a true leader is someone who has the people's blessing. Sure, one can use all the tricks in the book to be the top honcho but it does not necessarily mean success. And that is true even for someone with the noblest of intentions.

A true leader is made more by outside forces, circumstances that surround him/her. Cory is such. She never meant to be president. She never meant to be "the one" to oppose and stop the Marcos regime. She never meant to be the people's hero. And yet, all these happened. She was such by circumstance. Only a select few are chosen to lead like this. Cory was and she accepted it and did well.

We have seen political leaders who forced their way to office and how much the people hated them. More often than not, these self-anointed ones cling to power like their lives depended on it. And rightfully so. Their lives do depend on the powers they have arrogated to themselves. As Lord Acton said, power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. As their powers grow, they tend to be dictators who have almost godly powers who can not be touched by mere mortals. Eventually, they begin to rule using fear and intimidation. How many lives were lost so that they can remain in power? You can just imagine how they would be once these powers are taken from them. Dictators fall and when they do, they fall really hard. We saw how Nicolae Ceaucescu of Romania was shot after a two-hour session with a kangaroo court, we saw how Idi Amin fall to nowhere, or Haiti's Francois Duvalier, dying a well hated man. We need not go far. Our very own Ferdinand Marcos, bright as he was, is now regarded as one of the greatest thief in history.

Cory Aquino is a hero by circumstance. She happened to be in the right place at the right time. Who would have thought that Marcos would be forced to call for a snap election while being interviewed by Ted Koppel? She became president simply because of her marriage to Ninoy Aquino, who was felled by a lone bullet of an unknown assailant. As a widow, she had the people's sympathy. As a leader, she had the charisma to lead a nation against a strongman who has ruled for twenty years. She never had any experience to run a country. As a matter of fact, the common joke when she was in power was saying her name with gestures like "Corazon (spanish for heart) and pointing at the heart, then saying C (si, yes) Aqui (here) then pointing to one's brain, and completing it with no!" She was definitely not as bright a politician as Marcos was but she had the determination to continue her husband's fight. She did not even seek vengeance and merely allowed the wheels of justice take its turn. She had the will to govern the people towards peace and contentment. She survived three coup attempts and even emerged as victor.

I recall the time when she had to address the US congress. I could never have been as prouder seeing my president being hailed and given a standing ovation by the leaders of a powerful nation. A nation, who for almost fifty years, would rule us making them our superiors for a very long time. Her speech was interrupted several times by a deafening applause that lasted for several minutes, probably one of the longest this august men and women gave to anyone. Then US House Speaker Ted O'neil regarded the speech "as the finest speech he's heard in his thirty four years in Congress." I believe it simply because this was one speech delivered with sincerity and with a lot of heart. Just as wonderful was her last address to the nation when she bid everyone goodbye. She was even being told that the constitution's prohibition for re election did not apply to her since she did not come into power under the present one. However, she refused saying, "I had not been inaugurated under the present Constitution and it did not bind me in strict terms, but I had campaigned for it and therefore took upon myself the moral obligation to follow, if not its letter then its spirit, that a presidency must accomplish its goal within six years.” Such an inspiring anecdote in the life of a real hero.

To all political leaders and would-be president, heed the lesson history has taught us. If you want to be great, do what great men and women do - selfless devotion to the country and its people.

Computers counting the ballots?

So much has been said about the computerization of the coming elections in 2010, if there is going to be one, of course. Honesty does not seem to be one of our president's virtues. She has lied to us many times before.

Granting that there shall be one, so much has happened, most of which were speculations, since we began thinking about computerizing this very controversial democratic exercise.

Perhaps the main reason why we are adamant in adopting this kind of technology, in spite of its tremendous cost to the taxpayer, into our system is, we are running out of ideas on how to conduct an honest and fair election. From the time Marcos got re-elected sometime in the 1960’s, at least to my mind as that was my first election related experience (I was in grade school at the time), the phrase “whoever has the guns, goons and gold" (not necessarily in that order) wins the election. Since then, losers have cried "foul" and "rampant cheating" like an "amen" to close a prayer. Sadly, we have learned to accept this as part of the elections.

Is computerization the answer to our woes come election time? While I hate to be a doomsayer, I doubt it for the following reasons:

1. The players have not changed! We will have to travel a long, arduous road to change these politicians ways. Losers will still cry they have been cheated. Never mind the evidences. They will do so just the same. They will find enough reasons just to justify having lost in their bid to power and fame. And maybe rightfully so. What with all the money they have spent on their campaign. There should be at least an ROI, if not in office, at least a justification for losing face. So, the journey is until kingdom come.

2. Corollary to number 1, we are only minimizing cheating in the counting, not the entire elections per se. Remember that this activity starts with the campaign period until a candidate has been declared a winner. Just right now, while the campaign period has not even started, we see the moneyed politicians unabashedly using the media to glorify themselves. We see the names of government officials glaring in our face with projects they have undertaken. Never mind that they were obligated to serve. Never mind that it was our money that was used for the same.

3. Vote buying can still happen. In a country where there is hunger and despair, where there are people who are living in dire straits, selling their votes is easy money and will solve their problem at least for the day.

4. How will the system correct flying voters, or fictitious voters whose names were taken from tombstones? We have seen it before. People long dead voting. Have we shouted hallellujah, it's a miracle? Never. We simply shrugged our shoulders and maybe winced in pain.

5. How certain are we that these machines cannot be manipulated? These are man-made and even the highest type of program can be hacked. I remember the snap elections when the computer operators marched out of the PICC because they were being forced to cheat. If that happened before, it can happen again. At any rate, it just proves that computerization is no guarantee that it will eradicate cheating.

A democracy like ours is based on the freedom of its citizenry to choose its leaders. It is unfortunate that this exercise has been abused much to the detriment of the people. But still, let us keep our fingers crossed that our money is being spent on something that is useful for us. After all, we have already suffered for too long. Surely, there is no other direction left but forward. But how long can we wait? We deserve a break!

A new world order?

If we are to believe a Russian dean of diplomatic academy, Igor Panarin, a new world order might be in the offing. According to him, the United States that we know may not be what it is come autumn. The union will disintegrate into six different territories as a result of the financial crisis that plagued the US last year.

Through an interpreter, the soviet diplomat, who had forecasted the collapse since 1998, said that the six territories would compose of

California Republic (California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Idaho)which would be absorbed or fall under the influence of China, and the “Texas Republic” (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida) that would become part of or fall under Mexico’s influence...

Canada would get or influence the “Central North American Republic” (the Midwest plus Montana, Wyoming and Colorado), “Atlantic America” (the northeastern American seaboard plus Kentucky, Tennessee, and North and South Carolina) would end up with the European Union or the United Kingdom.

Alaska would revert back to Russia, and Japan and China would take over Hawaii.

The forecast is based mainly on the US's plunging economy which continue to plummet to this time. Should this happen, there will be a new world leader and I wonder where we, a nation whose econo-political stability has always been in question, will put us. For sure we can kiss our Kalayaan claim in the Spratley Islands goodbye for according to Panarin, China would take over the California Republic :-)

Personally, I still think that the breakup is a very far scenario. Panarin's prediction is based on the collapse of the USSR and has likened Obama to Russia's last leader Mikhail Gorbachev. There is a big difference, in my opinion. While the USSR shared with the US in terms of power, its ideologies are different, hence the mindset of their people. The USSR may have enjoyed the privilieges of being a world power but this may have only been with their political leaders. The US has shared it with their countrymen living the American dream of someday making it rich at the very least. I think that there's no way that any American would allow a foreign country take over its affairs knowing the potential of losing their own privileges. As Randy David said “While I could imagine California declaring independence, why would they allow themselves to be absorbed by China? Why would Californians think that their crisis would be solved by China?

But of course, we cannot deny the possibility of a US collapse. After all it is faced with a terrible blow and has not yet solved its problems to date and many things, including the impossible can still happen.

What a lot of crap!

February 25, 1986 was a milestone for Filipinos for on that day, the Marcos era ended. The day has never been brighter for every Filipino for that day signified that we, as a people, are truly free. That we won't take trash from anybody and that we are free to express our sentiments and can and will depose even a strongman like Marcos.

Another EDSA revolt and several coup attempts later and we are still in square one. The bright sun we have seen is once again covered by rain clouds, now darker than ever. It seems like we are not any better than we were twenty three years ago. We are still being treated like dirt by our leaders, most of them bagging what is supposedly the people's purse, into their own pockets. We are taken for fools by men and women who are power hungry and enveloped by greed.

PGMA is quoted in the papers last Sunday to have said, “The world embraced EDSA I in 1986. The world tolerated EDSA II in 2001. The world will not forgive an EDSA III, but it will instead condemn the Philippines as a country whose political system is hopelessly unstable.” I cannot completely agree. Condemn, the world may, but not because of a political system that is hopelessly unstable. It is because we cannot produce a leader worthy of the title. A leader who has the capacity to march us on to victory. A leader who can beat a culture of corruption that has plagued this land. A leader who will rally the people into submission for the constituents believe he/she has the solutions to our problems. If the Filipino people can be faulted for its unsavory plight, it would be because of his folly for not choosing wisely during elections. Or better yet, for not vigilant enough to preserve the sanctity of the ballot.

Will the world condemn us for asserting our rights? I don't think so. The world has looked up on us in 1986, we can gain its respect once more if we prove to the world that we will keep on trying until we've found the right guy for the job.

Bad for your health

Just a short observation and conclusion. It seems like the Senate hall and the senators are bad for one's health. Imagine, all those summoned to appear before it land in the hospital. I remember how Jocjoc Bolante was up and about, smiling at the international airport and suddenly, upon landing to the country, could hardly breathe. That goes true with the rest! And they all go to St. Luke's! Wow!

A presiden't's honeymoon only lasts for a short time

This is a follow-up of my entry on Obama's win last Tuesday. It seems that up until now, based on the news I've been watching on the boob tube, not only is America happy about Obama's success. We see footages of people celebrating in his father's country, Kenya, the UK, China and even in Obama, Japan which obviously shares his name.

The question to ask now is for how long will the jubilation last? Just a few days after that triumphant speech Obama gave, we see Wall Street on the brink of disaster once again. What this tells me is that no matter how charismatic a leader is, this too, shall fade away and soon, if the changes people expect do not come in what they perceive as the proper time. Proper time being interpreted by many as "soon" if not "now". Even Mr. Obama knows that the change he promises to bring may not come immediately. "it may not even be for a term," he said. But constituents do not share this view. They believe that with charisma comes enigma - that although it may be a puzzle, a charismatic leader would bring change for the better on their doorsteps right away.

We, as a people, have seen this before. We were ecstatic when we deposed the dictator, strongman Marcos after living in limbo for decades. We believed that Cory could do some magic. She could have. She had the magic wand a leader should possess. She did not only have the Filipinos support but the world's respect that even Jane Fonda was seen flashing the L sign while being a presentor at the Oscar's, and witnessed the folk singing group Peter, Paul and Mary coming over on their own to celebrate with us. She had the right timing and had the capacity to rally us forward. But the expectations changed and got worse as the term was about to expire. People began referring to her as "Corazon" pointing to the heart and then saying "C or Si" (yes) "Aqui" (here pointing to the brain, "NO". No sooner than she was in office when she foiled Enrile's and/or Laurel's "Operation (or was it Oplan)God save the Queen." Thereafter, she survived several more coup attempts from people who thought she was a weakling and from whom they can wrest power. Her reforms were met with skepticism from forces coming from all directions. Her bid at a nobel prize stomped on the ground, etc. Now, we are back to square one. We have the same ills that Marcos has left us with and with a vengeance. More poverty, corruption has tripled, allegations of election cheating that caused us at least Php 728M...and we are only onlookers at the present stalemate.

I will not be surprised if Mr. Obama loses his popularity. People do have short memories in spite of whatever talents one has. Even Christ was faced with turncoats in the end. What is certain is that evil has no race, no religion, no true color. It just is and will continue to be. It used to lurk in the shadows. It is now in the open wantonly wreaking havoc at our expense.

When America sneezes, the world catches a cold!

We are witnessing history as the US presidential elections unfold. Barack Obama is now the first African-American President. He will be facing a very rough road ahead as he leads a nation worried about economic crisis, two unfinished wars and global uncertainty. His election only signifies one thing - change! For instance, he won in areas never won by a Democrat for a very long time.

Obama scored an Electoral College landslide that redrew America's political map. He won states that reliably voted Republican in presidential elections, like Indiana and Virginia, which hadn't supported the Democratic candidate in 44 years. Ohio and Florida, key to Bush's twin victories, also went for Obama, as did Pennsylvania, which McCain had deemed crucial for his election hopes.

Furthermore, the majority seats in both houses which belonged to the Republicans will now be held by the Democrats. When Obama and running mate Joe Biden take their oath of office on Jan. 20, Democrats will control both the White House and Congress for the first time since 1994.

However, these details are no longer important to us, Filipinos. What we can look at his how the elections have been conducted, how the protagonists behaved during the campaign period till the end of the elections, how soon the winner is known.
The conduct of these presidentiables are admirable. They debated based on the issues, went to different forums where their opinions can be heard while our candidates try to outdo each other singing and dancing onstage.

We have learned to accept that when a candidate loses (even in the barangay elections) the losing candidate will automatically say he/she has been cheated. McCain, after several hours of counting, has already conceded defeat saying, The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly. Not only that, he also added:

This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and the special pride that must be theirs tonight," McCain said. "These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face."

We have always been said to follow America's lead. We have listened to its music, danced the way it did, watched its movies, and others. Why can't we follow the way they conduct their elections? I say, we copy the good things about them and trash those that are not good.

In the meantime, we hope that the changes the election of Mr. Obama will bring will be beneficial for us, too. For after all, when America sneezes, the world catches a cold.

We can all smell the rat!

I am on a four-day vacation. It used to be for a whole week but what can I do? The school administration does not think we all need a longer break. I had a lot of things I planned to do for these four days but as usual, I didn't know where or how to start. First there is that 26" X 36" blank canvas I purchased last Thursday hungry for paint. I have several modules to complete for school but then I am on an official educational hiatus so a moratorium on every school activity was in order. Then there were the meals I had to cook which were separate from the rest of the members of my family as I am now forbidden to eat meat. None of these were appealing until now, the last day of my vacation. So, what the heck, I'll just blog.

I had been following news on the PNP scandal. The other day, the title of the story read PNP gets refund, apology from 2 'euro generals'. Shouldn't they? However, I was of the impression that the money was still in Russia. Does this mean that apart from the confiscated money taken from retired Gen. de la Paz, the others received cash themselves? It must be. I don't expect these two shelving from their own pockets, do you?

There are many questions these people have to answer to us, taxpayers. Most of these questions have been already asked in the committee hearing headed by Sen. Santiago. Unfortunately, we have yet to hear the answers. So far, they have been giving lies upon lies to explain for the money. When Gen. de la Paz was still enroute to Manila, he gallantly said he would face all the accusations and provide an explanation for this escapade. But when the day of inquiry arrived, neither he nor his wife showed up. Instead, people who stayed in Manila like Mr. Puno, faced the committee, none of whom, seemingly knew where the money came from or who authorized it. I cannot help thinking that maybe dela Paz was given the gag order and was told not to go by those who played a big role in this caper. We see Mr. Puno and another general getting the brunt of the senator's anger, almost submitting like a meek lamb. But if I know better, I can almost see the entire plan. "Just let these senators do what they want to do. AFter all, they do not know any better."

We have seen the likes of Lozada who seemed to have first hand knowledge about the ZTE scam and yet, the forces that be are still scot free. I have this one nagging question that will remain unanswered: What could have happened to the supposed contingency fund money had not the Soviets inspector discovered it? Nobody knew, right? Would it have been returned to the treasury of the armed forces? Would the culprits, not necessarily the generals only, mind you, have kept it and deposited in Singapore?

What I know is that with the coming home of Mr. Joke Joke Bolante, this issue would be buried yet again just like its predecessors. Manila, nay, the country stinks with so many rats!

Some people just don't do their jobs right!

When Jesus Christ faced Pontius Pilate, the latter, thinking that he saw that Christ was not really a dangerous man, offered to the public the release of either Christ or Barabbas, who according to Matthew was a notorius criminal as part of a Passover custom. Much to Pilate's surprise and regret, the public chose Barabbas over Christ (I was about to say Jesus but I just found out that Barabbas' first name was also Jesus) thus making him a free man once again. What this simply means is that an executive's power to grant pardon to a criminal has been in practice since Roman times.

A week has passed and still talk about the release of condemned Claudio Teehankee, Jr. who was found guilty for the slaying of 16 year old Maureen Hultman and John Chapman is still hot news. Why not? It is as controversial and as dubious as can be. The circumstances of his release caught everyone by surprise. The victims' families were not consulted nor were they informed that the government was releasing their children's exterminator. True to form, the equally controversial Gonzales, defending the President, says: "(she) does not owe anyone any explanation or advance notice" practically implying that the power is absolute. She can give it at will. There lies the difference with Roman law. Pilate had to ask the people directly who they wanted to forgive. Teehankee's pardon was said to have undergone review by a committee. And yet, Gonzales was said to have admitted talking to brother Manuel saying "Three weeks ago bago umalis iyan (Manuel)...umalis sa Switzerland, dumaan sa office ko, hopefully sabi niya baka sakaling mapalaya ang kapatid niya (Three weeks ago, before leaving for Switzerland, Teehankee's brother went to my office and said hopefully I can facilitate his brother's release)." Does this in any way say that it was a committee who has recommended pardon?

I am not totally against presidential pardon. This is if the spirit of the power to give it is justified. After all, the point behind putting men behind bars is not really to avenge but to give him time to think about what he has done, suffer the consequences of his actions and repent. When these have been met, and the person, after a good showing of good behavior, can be given back his freedom. Why deprive him of his liberty until death? This brings to the question of the release of Teehankee. Has he shown repentance? Has he paid his dues to society? I don't think so. Being confined in prison with all the amenities of a luxurious life, or so it seems, is not penance. It is a long vacation. Teehankee was condemned to serve two life terms. He has only completed 14 years in prison living in a "rich man's kubol, "a special quarters built by ex-congressman Jalosjos... (that)features a queen-size bed, a refrigerator, a private bathroom with hot and cold water and, not least, a 42-inch LCD television set with cable service." Sheesh, I don't even have a queen-size bed!

AS De Quiros points out in his column, "the murder took place as a result of a "power trip"...the shooter wanting to prove to the world and himself he was in command, he was in charge, he was the man." Now, come to think about it, most of the prisoners in Muntinlupa live miserably in their hell holes. Teehankee did not. With his release, thanks to the president, he just affirmed this belief that he has done away with murder.

Much ado about nothing(?)

Finally, Rodolfo Lozada, has surfaced after a search for him since he arrived from Hong Kong last Tuesday. As you may know by now, he is supposed to testify on the NBN deal at the Senate, presumably to shed more light into the controversy. People had been worried for his life as the powers that be may have had him liquidated lest he spill out a testimony that will bring a lot of people down.

This morning, I received a text message from Doc Emer saying that Lozada has been found. As the text message was received at around 4:00 am, I have no way of checking the news on tv. It was later on, at around 5:00, after my morning routine, that the news came out that Lozada was in La Salle Greenhills.

So, what was the fuzz all about? He strengthened the case on former Comelec chair, Benjamin Abalos and stopped there. All he kmows about the FG Mike Arroyo are not first hand information - hence, hearsay. We all know that hearsay testimonies are not acceptable in court. With Lozada's emergence, we are still left in the dark. Too much ado over nothing, I might say.

A look at the blue sky

I also got hold of a statement issued by the Ateneo which was sent to me by Perry. Here it goes:

A Renewed Call to Political Reflection, Formation and Action for Genuine Democracy



A Statement on the Manila Peninsula incident



Many questions remain unanswered about the cause and significance of the events that transpired at the Manila Peninsula Hotel on November 29. But they are a stark reminder that we are very much in the middle of a serious political crisis that remains unresolved. What happened on that day show how fragile our hard-won democratic rights and institutions are: from the armed takeover of the hotel by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and their supporters, to the government's heavy-handed response and arrest of media personnel and unilateral imposition of a curfew. There are continuing and grave threats to our basic political freedoms and the constitutional order both from those who seek a forcible removal of the present government by provoking a military "withdrawal of support" and foisting a "transitional revolutionary government," and those who in the name of defending the "rule of law," violate it themselves in their equally militarist response and wanton disregard of civil liberties.

But if we believe in a non-violent and democratic resolution to the crisis, we cannot simply "move on" or stand idly by in a situation that can easily polarize. Instead, we are called to deeper political reflection, formation and action for genuine democracy. We do not support the actions of Trillanes , Lim, et.al., despite their being couched in the language of idealism and reformism. We do not condone this latest display of arrogant and self-righteous military adventurism, even if it were a spontaneous act of self-sacrifice to call for the ouster of the present government. We reject it most especially if it were a calculated move to exploit legitimate grievances within the armed forces to provoke a rupture in the institution and a seizure of political power by a faction or factions within the military. We believe inviting a military solution to the present crisis will only increase the potential for violence, repression and authoritarianism. It will not
also necessarily resolve the question of legitimacy and corruption that besets the Arroyo government.

We understand and share the frustration and anger of those who have denounced the moral bankruptcy of the Arroyo government. We had hoped that the sound rejection of a self-serving charter change in 2006 and the surge of citizen vigilance and volunteerism leading to largely credible elections this year would provide the degree of stability and political space that could pave the way for political and institutional reforms toward the 2010 presidential elections. Instead there are more signs of large-scale corruption, abuse of power, unprincipled transactional politics, lack of accountability and a culture of impunity, as seen in the unsolved extra-judicial killings, ZTE-NBN deal and bribery issue, Malacanang cash giveaways, Estrada pardon, and hints at renewed self-serving cha-cha.

We challenge the government and political leaders to respond to the crying need for justice, accountability, competence and integrity, including thorough-going reform in the armed forces, the Comelec and other government agencies which many sectors have sounded for sometime but have remained unheeded.

When Pugadlawin (Puwersa para sa Ganap na Demokrasya, Labang Wagas para sa Inang Bayan) was organized amidst the threat of both a military coup and martial law in February 2006, we said that in the face of looming political polarization, what was needed is a new force to reclaim and rebuild the political center. The challenge is to work for genuine democracy: to defend the hard-won victories over authoritarianism, and to deepen democracy beyond its often formal and elitist character towards greater popular participation and social justice.

We reiterate this call today:

1) to oppose initiatives that cater to narrow interests, curtail participation and endanger democracy ( e.g., coup attempts, government repression, self-serving cha-cha);

2) to build consensus around democratic processes and institutions as the way to resolve the political crisis and promote reform ( e.g., elections);

3) to forge a sociopolitical agenda that would galvanize citizen involvement, linking social and political transformation, local and national development. Our aim is to build democratic institutions and foster hope in political action.

We believe that the response to the crisis of hopelessness and disempowerment, especially among the youth, is to provide a framework for long-term change, a program of political formation and concrete options for political engagement. In 2005, amidst crisis and division, the CBCP called on the people, "to come and pray together, reason, decide and act together always to the end that the will of God prevail in the political."



We renew this call for communal reflection, formation and action in the context of the continuing political impasse and threats to democracy. We encourage our various communities to organize venues for reflection, analysis and discussion, whether in classrooms, school activities, and places of residence, work and worship, toward forming a well-discerned and informed response to the situation.

As citizens based in a Catholic educational institution, we have a particular responsibility to work for reflection, formation and action for ethical leadership, justice and democratization. As Pope Benedict XVI has said in Deus Caritas Est, while "the Church cannot and must not take upon herself the political battle to bring about the most just society possible…at the same time she cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice. She has to play her part through rational argument … to reawaken the spiritual energy, without which justice, which always demands sacrifice, cannot prevail and prosper" (n. 28). Moreover, he points to the mission of the lay faithful to "take part in public life…to configure social life correctly, respecting its legitimate autonomy and cooperating with other citizens according to their respective competences and fulfilling their own responsibility" (n. 29).

We all need to be personally accountable for the immense and seemingly insurmountable problems plaguing our country, especially the huge problems of poverty, corruption and violence. Solving our national crisis demands that we transcend our frustrations, disillusionment and cynicism, and summon our inner strengths as a people to become politically engaged. We are putting our hope and trust in the deep reserve of human dignity, goodness, energy and wisdom in our society that will allow us, with God's grace, to re-imagine and rebuild our national community.

Puwersa para sa Ganap na Demokrasya, Labang Wagas para sa Inang Bayan

(Pugadlawin)

Feast of St. Francis Xavier, 3 December 2007

Pugadlawin is a political advocacy group of youth and professionals based in but not limited to the Ateneo de Manila University. It is one of the prime movers of One Voice, Lente and VforCE. It is engaged in a program of political education and involvement anchored on a vision of political democracy and social justice.