Purely Politics: Addition, not subtraction

When I was in high school I heard an old, cunning politician in our province say that “politics is addition, not subtraction” in his effort to forge a unique coalition of opposing parties which is done only in our province- Isabela. Little did I know that it was a ploy to corner the lucrative election funds from every party. The saying came back to my mind as the Philippines gears this early for its midterm elections on May 2007. Names are being floated. Unity coalitions are being suggested by spinners. Reading the names on the opposition’s senatorial slate makes me quiver. It is a mix up of the Anti-Erap and Pro-Erap personalities in the events that led to Edsa Dos. I have admired most of these politicians as they have shown hope for a principled politics in the past. But I no longer have the same regard for them now. It makes me ponder that for most of our politicians, politics is personal survival rather than principled advocacy and public service. Those who seemed to be principled in the past now go down to the level of kissing the hands of a leader known to be a womanizer, gambler and accused of plunder just to obtain his endorsement which, sadly, is still being adhered to by constituents whom I hate to call "the uneducated voters". By doing so, those politicians trampled upon their own principles, if they have principles at all.

Philippine politics remains, predominantly, a politics of “addition, not subtraction” and it will remain as such if we unwittingly continue to support that system. Such is bad politics. It is a politics devoid of principles. We should shun this kind of politics if we want to see a better Philippines.

Failed People’s Initiative: What went wrong?

I have always cherished what my spiritual director in the minor seminary kept on telling me when I was a minor seminarian: “Start everything right.” He elaborated that in basketball, a player couldn’t make a high percentage lay up if he takes off with the wrong foot and that in farming, good harvest is a result of proper preparation of the soil by cleaning and putting some fertilizer. He went on saying that every good result is a product of a good start.

Such adage was proven in the case of the "People’s Initiative". It was doomed from the very beginning because it took off on the wrong foot (deliberately by self-serving politicians). “People’s Initiative” is a misnomer at its best as most of those signatures were merely attendance sheets signed by people who attended meetings in the barangays. I am privy of such practice specially in the provinces. When I was on the Anti-GMO (genetically modified organism) campaign in the Philippines, we found out that most of those purported petitions by farmers calling for the approval of field tests were attendance sheets on barangay meetings which were later attached to the petition paper the contents of which majority of the farmers said they couldn't comprehend.

I am in favor of charter change, but not in such self-serving manner. Did we ever hear GMA talk about charter change before the Garci Tapes surfaced? NO! It was just one of the best escape routes concocted by Malacanang’s spin doctors. It was a win-win formula suggested by FVR with the advice that GMA should resign before it is implemented. But GMA was not amenable to it and so she insisted on CHACHA with her till 2010.

The "People’s Initiative" to change the constitution failed because it started wrongly, the signatures were obtained wrongly and it was motivated wrongly. The first line of Justice Antonio Carpio’s opinion says it bluntly: “The Lambino group miserably failed to comply with the basic requirements of the Constitution for conducting a people’s initiative.”

THE ABSURDITY OF ESCUDERO

I find it absurd that Congressman Escudero proposed the giving of a 1 peso instead of 31.9 million budget to the MTRCB simply because the MTRCB rated the biopic of Erap with an X. It is a politically motivated move from a supposedly well educated politician. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that “Escudero said he recommended the lowest budget for MTRCB because the opposition strongly disagreed with the board’s decision to give an X rating to the Estrada documentary film, to which they insisted the MTRCB had no jurisdiction over.” If that were the case, then why not question the MTRCB’s authority at the Supreme Court? What might become of the Philippine Senate if people like Escudero will become one of its members? Erap- lovers like him are the very reason why the Anti-GMA movements did not and will never succeed.

The UST Tigers are UAAP Basketball Champs Again: A Real Cinderella Finish

When I was in the Philippines last June, I met Fr. Franklin Beltran, OP on a plane from Tuguegarao City to Manila. Fr. Franklin was the most basketball-active Dominican when I was a seminarian at the UST Central Seminary. He is the former sports coordinator of Letran during the time of Samboy Lim and he was the PE Director of UST during the high school days of Marlou Aquino and EJ Feihl. When I played as a Varsity of the Central Seminary (known as ECCLE in the intramurals), he was the manager of the College of Education Varsity. When, I asked him about the UST Tigers' chances on this year’s UAAP Basketball, he said “they will surprise everybody”.

And so, the Tigers have, indeed, surprised everybody. From the cellar of the first round eliminations (they were at the bottom because one after the other, the great players were either sick or injured) they rose to 3rd for the final four. They have already made Thomasians like me proud by securing the no. 3 spot. At the Final Four play-offs, all the more they surprised everybody by beating the favored UE Warriors which enjoyed a twice to beat privilege. Reaching the Finals was already quite an achievement for a team that was never expected by experts to be part of the final four casts.

Game 1 showed the inexperience of the young squad as they bungled a won game with that last one second defensive lapse as they lost 73-72. But in game two, they have proven that they are in the Finals not by sheer luck by clobbering the Blue Eagles 87-71. The game 3 overtime win has proven all pundits wrong. They bagged the Crown with a 76-74 win over the Blue Eagles. This UAAP Championship will be one for the books. It has all the elements of a classic that basketball fans will savor years and decades from now. It was a real Cinderella finish for a young team with a Rookie coach- Pido Jarencio who during his time as a Goldie (the tigers were Goldies at that time) was not able to bring the gold as a lonesome hero of the then UST Goldies in 1984 in a classic match with UE’s Allan Caidic for the 1984 UAAP Finals.

The win brought back the old glory we savored during the four-peat years from1993-1996. I was lucky to be at the UST Central Seminary in those years. I remember going from one Dominican priest to another to ask for most sought after UAAP Championship tickets in all of those years. There was even a time when I had to buy a ringside ticket from the driver of Dennis Espino. But it was Fr. Virgilio Ojoy, OP, the UST Secretary-General at that time, who pampered us with ringside tickets.

I can imagine the Thomasians having a grand victory party at the UST Grounds at this very moment. During the four-peat years, there were roasted calves and packed dinner in each victory celebration. As they celebrate, I am sure they are shouting these cheers over and over again till their voices become hoarse:

GO USTE
Go USTe! Go USTe! Go USTe!Go! Go! Go! Go! (4x)(2x clap) U(2x clap) S(2x clap) T(2x clap) UST Tigers! 1, 2, 3, 4(5x clap) U(5x clap) S(5x clap) T(5x clap) UST TIGERS!

BLACK GOLD BLACK WHITE
L - Black Gold, Black WhiteA - Black Gold, Black WhiteL - Black Gold, Black WhiteA - Black Gold, Black WhiteBlack Gold (clap 2x)Black White (clap 2x)Black Gold (clap), Black White (clap)Go Fight, Fight, FightGo Fight (clap 2x) and win (clap 2x) for U (clap) S(clap) T(clap 3x) FIGHT!

SANTO TOMAS SPELLING
L - Santo Tomas SpellingA - Santo Tomas SpellingL - Santo Tomas Spelling - Santo Tomas Spelling Ready 1, 2, 3 (clap)S-A-N-T-O T-O-M-A-S Santo Tomas Fight!

VIVA SANTO TOMAS
VIVA SANTO TOMAS!!
We are the Tigers the mighty, mighty TigersWe came to cheerAnd to win it with no fear (3x)We are the Tigers the mighty, mighty TigersWe came to cheer 1, 2, 3And to win it with no fear

P-P-O P-O-W-E-R the POWER the TIGER POWER Whooh!

And lastly they will be singing this Hymn with great pride:

UST HYMN
God of all nations

Merciful Lord of our restless being

Sweep with your golden lilies

This fountain of purest light

Trace with the sails of the galleons

The dream beyond our seeing

Touch with the flame of your kindness

The gloom of our darkest night

Keep us in beauty and truth and virtues impassioned embrace

Ever your valiant legions

Imbued with unending grace

Congratulations to coach Pido and the Tigers and also to the Tigresses for winning the women's championship too and to the Salinggawi Dance Troupe for winning the Cheering competion 5 times in a row.

Pope Benedict XVI: Wrongfully condemned and maligned

(Picture taken by GCU during the Consistory on March 2006)

I find it outrageous that most of our Muslim brothers condemn His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on account of a quotation he used in his lecture at the Aula Magna of the University of Regensburg on Tuesday (12 September 2006). The Pakistani Parliament condemned him. In India, he was likened to Hitler and Mussolini. Elsewhere, his effigy was burned. But, what did the Pope say exactly? He quoted from a book in which 14th-century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel II Paleologos and a Persian have a conversation about truths of Christianity and Islam. "'The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war,' Benedict said. 'He said, I quote, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." These were not the Pope’s words per se as he quoted them from an old book in an effort to venture upon the issue of understanding among religions as his lecture was on Faith and Reason. Does he deserve to be condemned for merely quoting that book?

They demand his apology. But, did they ever consider the context of his quotation? They who condemn him ought to read the Pope’s full lecture, otherwise they are pathetically reactionary and simply irrational. The complete text of his lecture can be read on the Vatican website: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060912_university-regensburg_en.html

REMEMBERRING 9/11: Man can be so cruel....

Five years ago today, I was watching CNN at about 8:50 P.M. Philippine time, when a newsflash showed that a “small” plane hit one of the buildings of the World Trade Center. They thought at first that it was indeed a small plane that hit. Then came the other plane hitting the other building. At that point, I thought of informing Bishop Utleg because at that time I was living with him at his Residence. I knocked at his door and told him that both buildings of the World Trade Center have been hit by terrorists. We prayed at the private chapel adjacent to his room.

Pondering upon that day of infamy, I realized how man can be so cruel to his fellowmen. Innocent people were killed. People of different races were in that building. It made me think how fragile life can be. Life is made fragile by people who seem to live only in order to hurt. When will such debauchery stop? When will the extremists realize that there is no such god that mandates the killing of innocent people?

G.C. UANAN
11 September 2006

"Nonna and Nonno, I think we are Good People"

I was invited to eat dinner at the house of an Italian couple here in Franklin Lakes, NJ last Sunday evening. It was a typical Italian dinner: tomato with mozzarella, salami di Milano, roasted pepper and olives for aperitifs, pasta for prima piatto and breaded chicken breast with salad for secunda piatto, apple pie with gelato, cappuccino and sambucha for antipasto. With us was their 12 year old granddaughter. After the antipasto, the wife packed some of the food and brought it to their neighbor who is a an 80 year old widow. When the wife returned, the granddaughter said "Nonna and Nonno (grandma and grandpa) I think we are good people because we share what we have with a neighbor". I was mesmerized. I remembered what my late father used to tell me- "Share your blessing with those who need it." The girl saw the goodness and kindness of her grandparents. I told her how lucky she is to have them as her grandparents and it's up to her and her cousins to continue that legacy- being good people. I hope that parents and grandparents all over the world would instill good value to their children and grandchildren through their example and not just through words.

G.C. UANAN
30 October 2006