On the Guilty Verdict on ERAP

As one of the convenors of the ERAP Resign Movement in Isabela Province in 2000, the guilty verdict on ERAP came to me as a triumph of justice and the Philippine Judicial System. As anticipated, there were different reactions to the verdict. I was particularly dismayed to hear Senator Villar say that he is disappointed because he hoped for ERAP’s acquittal. When asked by media people why was he for ERAP’s acquittal while as a matter of fact he was instrumental for the transmission of the impeachment case of ERAP from the House of Representatives to the Senate in 2000, he said that the impeachment was “not meant to convict but only to clarify certain matters”. Coming from a Senator and a senate president at that, such ignorance of the law is deplorable. Article XI section 2 of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines states: “The President, the Vice President, the Members of the Supreme Court, the Members of the Constitutional Commissions, and the Ombudsman may be removed from office, on impeachment for, and conviction of, culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public trust. All other public officers and employees may be removed from office, as provided by law, but not by impeachment.” Based on this, the impeachment proceeding is certainly not a mere “clarification of certain matters”. Obviously, Senator Villar said those words only to appease the Estradas and earn their support/endorsement in the 2010 Presidential Election. Should he be elected President in 2010, their wishes will be his command.

From among the topnotch lawyers of ERAP it was only Estelito Mendoza who gave a logical reaction based on the verdict and based on law. Others, most notably Rene Saguisag, were fallacious. He showed a book to prove that all special courts like that of the special Sandiganbayan Court that tried ERAP were created to convict the accused. It was like saying that they (ERAP’s lawyers) knew from the very beginning that he will be convicted as guilty. If that was the case, then why did they still argue in the said court for six long years? They also continued to pound on the credibility of Chavit Singson. I think that Chavit Singson was right when he said that ERAP’s lawyers are to blame because instead of presenting evidences to prove ERAP’s innocence, they used media propaganda to counter the prosecutors’ various witnesses and voluminous documentary evidences.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada and some of his father’s lawyers have questioned the conviction on the basis of Jueteng Payola and the kick back on the Bell Corporation stocks sold to to GSIS and SSS. They said that these are not government money as if to impute that the plunder case is confined to public funds. I am a Canon Lawyer not a civil lawyer. But, one does not have to be a civil lawyer to be able to understand the following Provisions of Section 1, d no. 2 of the Republic Act No. 7080 (An act Defining and Penalizing the Crime of Plunder) which states: “By receiving, directly or indirectly, any commission, gift, share, percentage, kickbacks or any other form of pecuniary benefit from any person and/or entity in connection with any government contract or project or by reason of the office or position of the public officer concerned;”

Others have also reacted and said that there are more government officials (GMA included) who should be charged with plunder. To them, I say, gather evidences and file cases. If there is something good that should come out from the guilty verdict on ERAP aside from the triumph of our judicial system, it should be that it stands as a warning to those who hold power and use it to enrich themselves because no matter how powerful they are, the long arms of law will eventually catch them. Our justice system should now be consistent in punishing the guilty no matter how powerful he/she is and no matter how unpopular the decision may be. Dura lex, sed lex.

An Inspiration from Former President Nixon

In his final speech to the White House staff before he resigned, Former President Nixon said:
"Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself."

In the midst of my most recent debacle with some unscrupulous individuals, these words have inspired me aside from the Bible and from my friends' support and comforting words. Indeed, there is no need for me to be discouraged and be continously distraught for in so doing, those people will only win and it will only lead me towards self-destruction.

Taming the Tongue

When I was a little boy my grandmother spiced up our conversation with wise sayings like "Keep your tongue between your teeth" and "Think twice before you speak once." The Scottish people would put it this way: "Keep your tongue a prisoner and your body will go free" and "A long tongue shortens friendships." My mother would also tell us, "Remember, one day you'll answer to God for every word you say."

The Bible mentions many kinds of tongues:
a flattering tongue (Psalm 5:9)
a proud tongue (Psalm 12:3; 73:9)
a lying tongue (Psalm 109:2; Prov. 6:17)
a deceitful tongue (Psalm 120:2)
a perverted tongue (Prov. 10:31; 17:20)
a soothing tongue (Prov. 15:4)
a healing tongue (Prov. 12:18)
a destructive tongue (Prov. 17:4)
a mischievous and wicked tongue (Psalm 10:7)
a soft tongue (Prov. 25:15)
a backbiting tongue (Prov. 25:23)

St. James also talks about the tongue. He says it's a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. He calls the tongue a fire, the very world of iniquity. James says it is untamable, a restless evil full of deadly poison, used both to bless God and to curse men. But James also told us that a man who doesn't stumble in what he says is a perfect(James 3:2-10) man.

I wonder how startled James would be today to find out how much man has "conquered." We've put men into big, fancy tin cans, and shot them off into space. We've sent men into submarines without coming up to the surface for months. Man has had the moon under his feet and he's left his footprints on the ocean floor as well. We've also put some fantastic canisters up into the sky, bouncing our voices off these satellites to countries around the world. Look at how we've harnessed the wind with giant windmills, and made the rivers and waterfalls drive our turbines. What incredible power man has over his world! And yet, he has still not conquered his own tongue.

In James 3: 6 the tongue is called "a sword." This sword has certainly damaged, bruised, wounded, and killed more people than all the swords in all the wars since history began. You've seen it many times. That newly married couple - so lovey-dovey for days and days on end. But one day the fellow lost his temper and slashed into the heart and affections of his wife with uncontrollable anger and with words he might regret forever. But it was said. The damage was done. How often we need to remember that old saying: We cannot call back the arrow we've shot into the air, the water under the bridge, or the spoken word, the bag full of feathers we threw into the air.

And they finally met…

Monsignor Francisco U. Uanan (on the Right) and Fr. Reynaldo Adalid, OP (on the Left) are two priests I hold with high esteem. The former is my Uncle while the latter is my Spiritual Director in Rome. They were classmates at the UST Faculty of Sacred Theology when they were seminarians. My uncle stayed at the UST Central Seminary while Fr. Rey, a Dominican Priest, stayed at the Sto. Domingo Convent. My Uncle is visiting from the Philippines and Fr. Rey Adalid, OP is currently assigned as a summer parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Staten Island, NY. It is providential that my uncle was able to visit me in my summer parish here in Jersey City, NJ- about 15 minutes drive to Fr. Rey’s summer parish. They finally met last Tuesday (July 24th). Prior to this meeting, they only saw each other on pictures and they were very eager to see each other after 43 years!

The meeting was dramatic. They were very happy and exuberant in seeing each other. They hugged and they laughed so loud. They reminisced their good old days in UST, remembering the old Spanish Friars and their other classmates. They told me that it was harder during their time in UST than during my time because their lessons were taught in Latin and that they had to speak Spanish when they talk to their Spanish Friar Professors.

I have learned a lot from both of them. They are my idols. They have so many things in common. I will cherish the wisdom they have inculcated in my mind as well as the good example they have shown.

Let the elected Governor and Vice-Governor of Isabela be Proclaimed!

It is disgusting that the winning Vice-Governor and Governor of Isabela Province were not yet proclaimed until now. Based on this statement of Fr. Antonio Ancheta (Chairperson of PPCRV-NAMFREL-NASSA ISABELA), the people came to vote and their votes were counted. Hence, it is clear that there are winners and there are losers and there is no failure of election contrary to what is claimed by the losing candidate (please mouse click on this document to make it legible):

A lesson for Pacquiao and other celebrity electoral candidates: Running for Public Office is not a Popularity Contest

If there is something positive in the recent Philippine Election (which I branded as Jurassic in my recent entry), it is the semblance of maturity among the electorate: majority of movie stars and other celebrity candidates were clobbered. One of those celebrities is Manny Pacquiao.

As one of the millions of fans of Manny Pacquiao, the boxing champ, I am happy that he didn’t get elected. For, how in the world can he effectively fulfill his duties as a congressman while being a topnotch boxer at the same time had he won? Reports said that he is disappointed and depressed over his lost. He now resorts to blaming even his political leaders- he complains that his money was pocketed by his supposed leaders. We cannot blame him for such actuation for he might have spent a fortune in his campaign. It is the kind of reaction we see from every neophyte politician who lose at the first try. The people around him made him believe that he is invincible.

One important thing which Manny didn’t put into consideration is the vaunted political machinery of his opponent who is a descendant of a political family that has reigned in their province for generations. His camp did not exert efforts to employ strategies to counter such. He relied solely on his popularity. He should have anticipated that the crowds that gathered in his rallies are not actual votes. It was his celebrity status and the movie stars he brought in his rallies that attracted the crowds, not his platform which didn’t have any remarkable difference from his opponent’s. Come Election Day, the crowds did not necessarily translate into votes. But, why oh why? The answer lies in the fact that in our political system (which I abhor), if a local candidate does not have the backing of the Barangay Captains, there is slim chance for one to get elected. When I was still a seminarian serving in the villages during summer, I have witnessed how powerful the Barangay Captains are, especially in the far-flung villages. Their voice is like God’s to their constituents. Their constituents become captive votes to the candidates they campaign for.

Manny became blind and deaf because of his sheer belief that his popularity can deliver the votes. Even the other candidates (Lito Lapid, Kit Atienza, etc.) whom he endorsed did not win. Worse, his candidacy gave the impression that he was just persuaded by Malacanang, with the intention of thwarting the candidacy of a known critic. It was already too late when he came back to his senses. I hope that this setback gave him profound lessons in life.

The Jurassic Philippine Electoral System

I could only watch (on TV and internet) with pity at how last Monday’s Philippine election was conducted. Nothing has changed in our electoral process since the first time I exercised my right to vote 20 years ago. People complained of the same problems: names of voters are not on the voter’s list while dead peoples’ names are still on the list. After the voting, the snail-paced manual counting began and the usual problems occurred- ballot box snatching, deliberate brown-outs for cheating purpose and ballot box and Election Returns switching in some areas. No wonder why one of the foreign observers remarked that our elections are "worse, compared to Afghanistan." I pity the teachers who serve during elections- two teachers were killed in an arson on a school in Batangas while fulfilling their duties; most of the teachers are victims of intimidation from opposing sides; they themselves bring the ballot boxes, most of the time on public transport (the COMELEC always fail to provide transportation fro them) to the place where the votes are to be canvassed after the counting in the precinct level. These things can be avoided if the elections were automated. It is pathetic that those election automated machines are rotting at the storage room of COMELEC because there was anomaly in their purchase.

Months before the elections, during the elections and the days after the elections, the most barbaric indication of our Jurassic system occurred- killings, there were killings everywhere. Yet, the police have the guts of proclaiming that this year’s election is peaceful.

I have been to US and Italy during their elections and I wondered in awe as the results were known the following day and there were no killings and other glitches. When will the Philippines automate its elections? When will the election related violence stop?