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Tag Archives: Noynoy Aquino
Decline in morals
We have, in fact, two kinds of morality side by side; one which we preach but do not practice, and another which we practice but seldom preach.
—Bertrand Russell—
Last October, the whole world was shocked when a surveillance video in Foshan, China caught a van recklessly and mercilessly running over a two-year-old girl. And for a harrowing ten minutes or so, several passersby didn’t bother to help the severely injured toddler. She died in a hospital a few days later.
A few days before the above incident, Apple Inc. co-founder and chairman Steve Jobs passed away after a long bout with pancreatic cancer. The internet community all over the world wept and heaped tons of praise and eulogy to this pioneer of the personal computer revolution. Many of these people didn’t even know who he really was until after he died. But for many, many years, the whole world has been cognizant of the famine and hunger that is going on for decades in various parts of the African continent.
On 29 October 2011, local Philippine showbiz was rattled with the murder of young character actor Ram Revilla. What made this more sensational was that Ram was no ordinary actor — he was the son of former Senator Ramón Revilla, himself a legend in Philippine Cinema. Ram is also the half-brother of current Senator Ramón “Bong” Revilla, Jr. But what shocked the nation even more was when the motive behind the killings was exposed: Ram was killed because of sibling rivalry. Results of the investigation revealed that at least three of Ram’s siblings (RJ, Ramona, and Gail) were involved. And all this bloodbath because they were fighting over the monthly allowance they were receiving from their ailing father.
Ram and his siblings RJ and Ramona. Both his siblings were accused of masterminding his murder.
The police were adamant and mighty confident with the results of their investigation: Ram was indeed ordered to be killed by his siblings.
Two days later, international singing sensation Charice Pempengco’s father was stabbed to death in San Pedro, La Laguna. The YouTube sensation’s dad was estranged from her since she was three years old. She then went on to become one of the greatest singers discovered from the internet. But at the height of her fame, not once did she try to visit her dad. And just when the father died did she pay him a visit: but already a lifeless shell inside a coffin. She then went on to tell the local press how she loved her dad so much, singing here and there in every interview, hoping that her hymns would be heard by her dad. And last November, she paid the ultimate tribute to him in Mandalay Bay. For all intents and purposes, it was mere gimmick, perhaps wittingly or unwittingly from her part. But the result remains the same: to garner sympathy to add up to her stardom’s poignancy, reminiscent of many other attention-starved celebrities who came before her.
And speaking of celebrities, we have another revelation on moral issues, this time from the not-so-moral Mo Twister:
This confession (if true) reveals a dirty truth behind the local mass media and how they wants to portray their up-and-coming starlets: seductive yet virginal at all costs. And contractually, they should remain that way. Otherwise, their careers would have to join the breadlines. For Rhian Ramos’ part, as per Mo Twister, their baby’s life had to go to in exchange for the mother’s blossoming TV/film career.
In local politics, President Noynoy Aquino‘s relentless pursuit for his predecessor‘s alleged crimes as well as the current Supreme Court Justice’s “crown” is a classic example of misplaced priorities. Running after them for their past (and current) crimes is OK. But that shouldn’t be the number one priority, something that seems to be the obvious in the current administration’s activities. And so the million-dollar-question is: will this pursuit even uplift our economy?
In the video below, Noynoy made no qualms in attacking Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona for his being a midnight appointee (which is true anyway) as well as other iniquities done in collaboration with allies in the legislature. However, these attacks were not done in a proper forum.
Indeed, the other is thick-faced. But the other one is rude.
And do we even have to mention the rude one’s clamor for the passing of the RH Bill, the controversial bill that has divided our nation?
Finally, Lady Gaga’s music video, a post-apocalyptic orgy entitled “Judas” —released just in time for the Holy Week—, needs no further description:
The sacrilegious video, by the way, was directed by a self-professed “Christian”. And Lady Gaga fans all over the world even enjoyed this visual-aural “art” without minding the profanities nor the religious sensitivities of many people involved.
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These are but some of the moral issues that hit the headlines last year. We have asked for too much liberty. Now that we are enjoying an excess of liberalization, are the above examples the price that we have to pay?
What does 2012 has in store for us?
Nothing. It is us who fill up the events of an empty calendar year. Our destiny is ours to make. And it is up to us if we allow or disallow morality to guide our actions.
Spread this to all mankind!
Coca-Cola still deserves an applause (The OFW Project)
Watch this tearjerker of a video which has become another viral sensation (100% guaranteed to make your hearts bleed with gut-wrenching joy):
If we did not allow the US WASPs to take hold of our patrimony (let alone our economy), we would never have experienced such a diaspora that has left millions of Filipino families in emotional anguish. Yes, our beloved OFWs, the so-called mga bagong bayani, did so much in saving our economy for the last few decades. But how many lives did this kind of setup “destroy”? Many parents have become strangers to their own children.
At any rate, Coca-Cola still deserves a huge round of applause for bringing back, even if for just the holiday season, these three OFWs (Joe Marie Ballón, Leonie Villanueva, and Joey Doble) who have been away from our country for so many years. It can be said that Coca-Cola is merely playing with our emotions in order for us to buy their products even more. However, it is good to see that they are putting their profits into good use. That is the correct way to use money/profits: to spread happiness.
In the meantime, what is our current president doing to spread joy to those who, for many years, have been tirelessly injecting fuel into the nation’s dried-up coffers even before he learned how to puff a nasty nicotine stick? Instead of prioritizing our beloved OFWs, his priorities are dead set on achieving “justice“, a classic case of misguided priorities. And I haven’t even mentioned his zeal for the speedy passing of the RH Bill into law.
¡Maraming salamat, Coca-Cola! Where will happiness strike next?
Maybe you guys better visit Malacañang and give those baróng-clad peeps over there some mean “Coke bath” a la Stone Cold Steve Austin. Now that would be a happy scene for all of us!
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You may also want to see the happiness Coca-Cola shared to Mariquina residents:
Spread this to all mankind!
No pag-asa in Barrio Bagong Pag-Asa
Last 16 September, while me and Yeyette were inside an MRT coach with a friend of ours, it slowed down and stopped for a few seconds right in front of one of the largest shanty towns we have ever seen…
A sea of shanties in Barrio Bagong Pag-Asa, Ciudad de Quezon.
Yeyette immediately told me to take a photo of it so that I can feature it one day in either FILIPINO eSCRIBBLES or ALAS FILIPINAS. The photo above was like a premonition, for exactly a week later, violence erupted…
We all know that these squatters have no right at all to live on a property that is not theirs in the first place. Also, it was reported that the government had already prepared a relocation site for them. But it is in faraway Montalbán, Morong (now Rizal province). No wonder why a majority of them refused to let go of their illegal homes (3,000 families accepted to relocate there as against 6,000). They have lived there for many years, and many of them have already adapted to a hand-to-mouth existence within the unfriendly streets of the asphalt jungle, something that would be difficult to replicate in Montalbán.
The demolition was put to a halt. P-Noy Aquino, who was at the US during that time, intervened and ordered to put a stop to it. But a temporary restraining order, even if it is from the highest office in the land, will always be that — temporal.
During his first overseas trip as president, P-noy received some $434 million “grant” from the US government to “help” our country alleviate poverty and fight corruption. Even less than a sixteenth of that amount can help stop the stalemate going on right now in Barrio Bagong Pag-Asa. But I doubt that even a trickle of that “grant” will be directed to it, for the verdict is final: the Quezon City Business District should soon stand on that disputed 340-hectare property.
For the elite-backed government, the urban poor will always be expendables. Useless eaters even (except during election season). I see no hope for these poor city dwellers…
On second thought, there’s Matthew 5:3.
Spread this to all mankind!
Last Monday’s Manila Hostage Crisis was a possible act/effect of injustice
Anger may be foolish and absurd, and one may be irritated when in the wrong; but a man never feels outraged unless in some respect he is at bottom right. –Victor Hugo–
In 1872, a secular priest who was about to be executed in the killing fields called Bagumbayan was literally crying out for justice against a mutiny which he did not instigate. One hundred thirty-eight years later, last Monday to be precise, in the very same place which we now call Rizal Park, another man, apparently another victim of injustice, was provoked to do the unthinkable, the inhumane, the insane. Unlike the secular priest, who took no lives with him and peacefully accepted his fate during the final minutes of his life, this man we speak of disrespected the lives of others out of sheer desperation. And in the aftermath, several Hong Kong nationals who visited our country for a vacation met a tragic end…
Mendoza (man on the steps of the bus) speaking to a negotiator. Many times he was seen at the entrance of the bus, in the line of fire, an easy target. But why, why, why wasn't he shot?
Yesterday, President Noynoy Aquino issued Proclamation No. 23 as a consequence of last Monday’s hostage-taking incident in the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila. Eight Chinese tourists from Hong Kong were mercilessly executed while others were injured. The hostage taker himself, a deranged cop who lost his job, was killed rather belatedly.
Now that the smoke has been cleared, reports over what had transpired are also getting much clearer, as well as its damning effects: once more, public perception and trust over our police force worsened; our tourism industry is now in jeopardy, and; our country has garnered international embarassment.
The principal cause
The criminal who instigated all this polemic bloodbath was, ironically, a former high-ranking, highly decorated commissioned cop from Náic, Cavite whose name will forever be damned in the history of Philippine international relations.
Former Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza’s resumé is indeed a handsome one. With a degree in BS Criminology from the Philippine College of Criminology, he entered the police force through the defunct Integrated National Police in 1981 as a patrolman. When he was a 31-year-old officer in 1986, during the height of the EDSA Revolution, he and his men caught a van which was carrying 13 crates of filthy lucre which an exiting Ferdinand Marcos was purportedly trying to stash out of the country. This merited Mendoza a Ten Outstanding Policemen of the Philippines award from the Jaycees International later that year.
Aside from the TOPP prize, Mendoza received more than 10 other awards and commendations from the Philippine National Police (PNP) throughout his outstanding career, including multiple citations of the Medalya ng Papuri (PNP Medal of Commendation), the PNP Badge of Honor, the Medalya ng Kasanayan (PNP Efficiency Medal), Medalya ng Kagalingan (PNP Merit Medal), and the Medalya ng Paglilingkod (PNP Service Medal), as well as a Letter of Commendation.
A decade after entering the police force, he was absorbed into the PNP with the rank of Senior Police Officer 3 with “Manila’s finest”, the Western Police District (WPD, now known as the Manila Police District). In 2002, he was promoted to Inspector. And after only three years, he was made Senior Inspector as well as chief of the Mobile Patrol Unit.
But all these admirable accomplishments –very rare nowadays among policemen– vanished into thin air when, early this year, the Office of the Ombudsman expelled him and four of his colleagues from the police force. Worse, they were stripped of their retirement benefits (Mendoza was supposed to retire next year) and were barred from holding any position in government service.
This punishment stemmed from a case filed against him by a certain Christian Kálaw (interestingly, Kálaw is also the name of the street where the Manila Police District is based), a chef of the Mandarin Hotel. According to police records, Mendoza and the other policemen who were dismissed along with him accosted the chef for illegal parking, driving without license, and use of illegal drugs two summers ago in Malate, Manila. They accused Kálaw of being a drug user and tried to extort P3,000 from him. The records also showed that, at the headquarters of the Mobile Patrol Unit of the Manila Police District where the police brought Kálaw, the former manhandled the latter by forcing him to swallow a sachet full of crystal meth (commonly known as shabú in the Philippines). Furthermore, they tried to extort an additional P20,000 from the poor chef.
Several days later, administrative charges were filed against Mendoza and his men. Two months after the incident, there were plans of assigning Mendoza to faraway Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanáo but it never happened because he served a 90-day suspension instead. In August of that year, the Manila Prosecutors Office Eighth Division also dismissed the case after Kálaw failed to appear during the preliminary proceedings of the case. Two months after that, the PNP Internal Affairs Service recommended the dismissal of the case after Kálaw again failed to attend the dismissal proceedings. Regardless of the case’s dismissal and the 90-day suspension, Mendoza and his cohorts were all terminated from the police force.
Up to his very last breath two days ago, Mendoza denied the crime he reportedly committed against the Mandarin chef.
Metaphysics of the crime
This blogpost is not intended to defend Mendoza’s vile actions. It only seeks to understand why this shameful massacre occurred, and how it can be avoided in the future.
As we have observed by perusing Mendoza’s background as a police officer, it is safe to assume that he was a good cop, a clean one. That by turning over the stash of cash which he and his men confiscated from a Marcos van two decades ago, as well as his steady climb to his industry’s higher echelon, speaks of his dedication to his job. Notwithstanding all the accomplishments he garnered during his career, the probability of getting those awards through “police politics” is now immaterial, almost improbable even. The message here is clear: he got those awards because he was a straight cop. But the fruits (i.e., his retirement benefits) of his labors were all taken away from him by this one single incident over illegal parking, manhandling, and extortion. Was he even proven guilty? He cried foul, pointing at the unjust way he was expelled from service. He claimed that there was no due process over his expulsion. He even attempted to appeal his case, but nothing was heard about it.
Could it be true?
Let us examine further: Mendoza was the principal efficient cause of last Monday’s bus carnage in Rizal Park. But what was the final cause (or motivation) behind his seemingly “senseless” act? Speaking through the mass media (which also grossly erred in this hostage drama), he said that all he wanted was to get his job back, as well as his retirement benefits.
Mendoza was an angry old man. But looking through this anger and disorder, one can sense a bit of “logic” cloaked behind it. For if he was indeed guilty of this crime committed against Kálaw, he would not have held hostage innocent tourists enjoying the candy-wrapper-and-cigarrette-butt-strewn streets of Manila the way his co-accused remained silent (besides, Mendoza claimed that it was them who did it, not him — could that be a reason why they “did not lose their senses”?). The usual impulse for those whose arms are caught inside the cookie jar is to wallow in shame and guilt and silence. Mendoza didn’t. Out of desperation, he used “collateral damage” in crying out for justice in a country which seemed to have lack of it. Ask P-Noy himself.
It is easy to blame Mendoza for what had happened, for the happy lives he took, for the international shame he brought to P-Noy’s infant presidency. But what good will it do us? Besides, he’s about to join the earthworms. What should be reviewed now is if his claim of lack of due process on his case was true? Somehow, FILIPINO eSCRIBBLES is inclined to believe that he was a victim of injustice. And in a country lacking the caressing arms of Lady Justice, what would an embattled policeman do? Or more appropriately, what did it do to his sanity?
On national TV, he shamelessly asked for his job back. Looking through Mendoza’s nearly-insane behavior, what did his desperate demand tell us? This is beyond “cacapalán ng muqhâ“. Something is amiss.
He was a victim of injustice.
Although he used twisted means, what he desired was good (getting his old job back). In philosophy, only the good can motivate an agent. Only the good can act as a final cause. But in this bloody hostage-taking, the agent (Mendoza) thought something to be good (taking hostage of the ill-fated Hong Kong nationals) which was really evil. In this case, Mendoza was the efficient cause of the evil indirectly.
Injustice for all
What then should be considered as the per accidens of Mendoza’s murdering of the tourists?
Some people blame the mass media for its lack of sensitivity. It was known that the hostage taker had access to radio and that the tourist bus also had a TV monitor. He was thus able to see and hear what was happening around him. And when he learned that his brother was apprehended by the police for earlier entering the bus without coordinating with them, Mendoza lost what little was left of his sanity. So he started firing at his frightened and defenseless victims. But blaming the media won’t do any good. It will never budge. Ever. For mass media practitioners, bad news is good news. And good news reaps good ratings and more commercial success.
The police? Partly. Besides, it is ancient news among astute observers that our police force is generally a bunch of inutile and useless eaters, sworn to protect primarily (aside from themselves) the rich and their bank accounts. Twelve hours? C’mon.
Arnaldo shared to me of a similar incident which happened in Singapore. A hostage taker was shot point blank by a police officer posing as a negotiator. Clever move. No hostage was killed. Other than that, there was a news blackout. Thus, Singapore did not face international embarassment.
Lessons to be learned: never negotiate fairly with a hostage taker; it is not necessarily a bad idea to block media coverage, especially when lives are at stake; it is high time to strenuously train the police force over hostage-taking situations…
I am going off on a tangent here. So let us go back to the main question: what is the per accidens of all this madness?
Injustice. Injustice is what instigated Mendoza’s criminal act. Indirectly, injustice is what is causing P-Noy too much headache now. Indirectly, injustice is what angered the international community towards the police force’s failure to save the hostages (perhaps not even Venus Raj’s admirable “major, major mistake” could help ease the heat that we are receiving from foreign nations, particularly Hong Kong). Injustice is the last cause of all this because its very opposite was what the efficient cause (Mendoza) tried to accomplish, therefore producing its bloody effect.
Injustice drives weak men, the helpless, the voiceless, to do the the unthinkable, the inhumane, the insane. Injustice is what drove those militant farmers to Mendiola in 1987, only to meet a tragic fate. How much more casualties, indignation, and insanity can we take due to the absence of injustice?
President P-Noy should be exhorted to combat not just corruption, but injustice.
Spread this to all mankind!
Selling PAGCOR to get rid of the deficit is probably a good deal for the country
I think this Noynoy guy is doing a good job so far.
After delivering his inaugural speech in Tagalog, a language that is now generally understood throughout the archipelago, he immediately issued Executive Order No. 1 to investigate the previous administration’s corruption whose legacy of deceit, poverty, and greed was carried over to the present one. Noynoy then brazenly fired GMA’s midnight apointees as well as an inefficient PAGASA chief. He also made true to his promise about solving the decades-old impasse in his family’s controversial Hacienda Luisita (although many farmers still disagree with him).
Now here is an opportunity for P-Noy to finally get rid of that irritating budget deficit that has been harassing our economy for countless years:
$10B offered for Pagcor
Tycoon Ramón Ang bids for gambling firmWith President Benigno Aquino III facing cash problems, San Miguel Corp. vice chair Ramón S. Ang is proposing the privatization of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to raise as much as $10 billion and transform the country into a tiger economy.
Should Mr. Aquino listen to his suggestion, Ang said in a recent interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer that he himself planned to make a bid to acquire Pagcor with Malaysia’s “big boys.”
Ang was referring to Robert Kuok, the richest man in Southeast Asia with a net worth of $10 billion; Ananda Krishnan, second wealthiest in the region with a net worth of $7.4 billion; and Francis Yeoh, who runs YTL, one of Malaysia’s biggest conglomerates.
“They’re all my friends and they are interested in Pagcor,” said Ang, whose first investment outside the Philippines was in Malaysia in partnership with former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1998.
“San Miguel is not interested in going into gambling and I am going in this on my own. I do not intend to hold on this for long,” he said.
In his first State of the Nation Address, Mr. Aquino revealed his strategy of public-private partnerships and selling or leasing government assets to raise money for the government grappling with a deficit likely to hit P350 billion this year.
Last month, Mr. Aquino announced that he was open to privatizing Pagcor after assessing its assets and existing contracts.
Spectacular deal
“The sale of Pagcor fits in well with the President’s agenda. We are not asking him for anything but be true to his campaign promise of ensuring a level playing field for all businessmen,” Ang said.
“Why wait for six years to have $10 billion when he can have $10 billion in just six months? His government does not have to sell anything else and he will make the country a tiger economy immediately. Isn’t this a spectacular deal?”
Ang said that Pagcor would be worth at least P450 billion based on its 2009 gross income of P29.78 billion and the minimum 15 times premium value investors were willing to pay for a monopoly gambling business like Pagcor.
“It could go as high as 17 times premium compared to an average gambling firm which fetches an average premium of 10 times,” he said.
Indeed, if Noynoy decides to sell PAGCOR, then that will place our country on a much higher economic level in Southeast Asia. Never mind if this is all paquitang-guilas (an act of showing-off) on the part of Noynoy for his first 100 days in office. Never mind if Ramón Ang is his uncle Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco’s most trusted man. As long as selling PAGCOR will benefit the economy, then P-Noy should strike while the iron is hot.
You may read the rest of the story here.
Spread this to all mankind!
Noynoy’s proclamation: a brief observation
Senator Benigno Simeón “Noynoy” II Aquino y Cojuangco was proclaimed as the 15th president of the Philippines yesterday at the Batasang Pambansâ. In the same historic event, former Macati City Mayor Jejomar Binay was declared as Noynoy’s Vice President. Earlier during that day, Joseph “Erap” Estrada finally conceded (through the lips of his son Jinggoy who was reelected into the Philippine Senate).
But wait… I thought I saw Charo Santos de Concio in the crowd! She was seated with the Aquino sisters (accompanied by Boy Abunda) who were all dressed in black. That “special appearance” finally puts to rest the allegations that ABS-CBN was favoring a presidential candidate during the recently concluded 2010 Philippine National Elections.
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The crowd was in a frenzy. Some were still holding the “Laban” hand sign. There were cheers of “Noynoy! Noynoy!” and “Cory! Cory!” Some even cheered “Noy-Bi! Noy-Bi!”
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It took some time before Noynoy was escorted into the podium. Media reporters dashed onto him in a mad scramble. In a mad and futile scramble as always.
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Juan Ponce Enrile was in a pensive mood all the time. But when Jejomar went up the podium, his face beamed with delight! Meanwhile, his congressional counterpart, Próspero Nograles, was furiously banging the gavel whenever he had the chance.
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After the proclamation was the press conference. Vice President Binay didn’t join Noynoy in that event. Not a surprise. But what was surprising was the way Noynoy handled the interview. He always had a quick and ready answer to all the questions the media threw at him. He was, however, a bit irked with a reporter from Radio Veritas. That reporter questioned Noynoy’s stand against the controversial RH Bill to which Noynoy had a quick retort: that he had already explained his stand on the issue numerous times during his campaign sorties. But he still patiently enumerated his plans about the reproductive health issue.
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With regards to the status of the nation’s coffers, Noynoy said that he will be very transparent about it. As much as possible, he said that he will update the nation of our true economic state no matter what. It appears that he will not “paint a rosy picture of our economy”.
Shades of Erap.
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He was asked many times about what his plans are during his first 100 days. Even the last reporter who asked him –a Japanese lady from the NHK media network– threw in the same question. A visibly irked Noynoy, who was still all smiles, finally refused to answer it and said that he will just have one of his staff give the Japanese reporter an English translation of what he said just a few minutes back. The Japanese reporter didn’t give up. So Noynoy cleverly told her that he’s not a jukebox that can be made to repeat itself by someone ¡Ang taray!.
Shades of Tita Glo.
The torch was passed to clamorous cheers in a blaze of yellow as Congress Wednesday proclaimed Sen. Benigno Aquino III the country’s next president and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay vice president.
It brought a festive end to eight days of contentious canvassing following the country’s first nationwide automated elections.
Wild applause and loud cheering filled the session hall of the Batasang Pambansâ in Quezon City as Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Speaker Próspero Nograles raised the hands of the country’s next leaders.
Aquino was declared winner at exactly 4 p.m., paving the way for a peaceful transition of power as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is set to step down on June 30 after nine years in office. Binay was proclaimed at 3:56 p.m.
The winners’ families joined them at the podium, but Aquino’s girlfriend Shalani Soledad remained seated in the VIP gallery.
Ex-President Joseph Estrada, ousted in a popular uprising in 2001 and later convicted and imprisoned in 2007 on plunder charges only to be pardoned weeks later, accepted his political defeat.
“I join our people in extending unqualified support to the new President with both hope and prayers he will serve our country faithfully and will perform his duties honorably without fear or favor,” Estrada said in a statement read by his son Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada.
No objections were heard at the joint session as the floor leaders moved for the proclamation, and the affirmative rulings sent the Aquino and Binay supporters into a frenzy of chanting.
Binay’s supporters were more vocal, loudly chanting “Binay, Binay” at every chance they got.
The side of the gallery filled with Aquino’s supporters, who formed a sea of bright yellow, also chanted “Noynoy” and “Aquino” at various intervals, but their shouts were sometimes drowned out by the Binay supporters.
At one point, the Binay side of the gallery chanted “Noy-Bi,” but the Aquino side did not join it. Aquino’s running mate, Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, was not present at the proclamation.
The cheering got so loud that Enrile had to remind the gallery to maintain order and to sit down.
Aside from their supporters in the gallery, Aquino and Binay did not lack for backers on the floor. Lawmakers from various political parties lined up on the aisle where they would walk, waiting to offer their congratulations. Inquirer.net
Spread this to all mankind!
Justo Lukbán — “sanitary” politician
Although it is true that I already have a strong aversion towards democracy, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I dislike all those who work within that political system. Technically, democracy was brought here by the invading White Anglo-Saxon Protestants a.k.a. the North American invaders. The leaders of the much revered Malolos Congress were pioneers of democracy or republicanism. But that doesn’t equate them to becoming corrupt individuals. Yes, democracy failed from the very start. Many scrupulous persons were swallowed by political perversion brought about by democracy’s defects. However, if we are to compare the players of today’s democracy to yesterday’s, Noynoy Aquino, Erap Estrada, Manny Villar, et al., would have paled in comparison to their predecessors who lived during pre-war Philippines, a fabled time when our country still knew how to respect herself.
Thus this blogpost is my commendation to one of that epoch’s incorruptibles: Justo Lukbán of Labo, Camarines Norte. It is his birth anniversary today. Lukbán (originally spelled Lucbán during earlier times when there was still no prejudice against Fil-hispanic orthography) was a former politician during a time when democracy was, in a way, less corrupt. He lived during a time when the Spanish language was still the country’s lingua franca, a time when the “gentleman of the old school” reigned supreme, when our Filipina maidens were still pure and virginal, when Christianity in the Philippines was still one and strong, a time when Philippine literature was in its época de oro or fase de plenitud, when most Filipinos were hombres renacentistas, an era when our country had reached the pinnacle of glory. If only Filipinos of today were like Señor Lukbán and his astounding contemporaries…
Below is a brief biographical sketch of this eminent politician written by Héctor K. Villaroel (from the 1965 book Eminent Filipinos which was published by the National Historical Commission, a precursor of today’s National Historical Institute which was recently renamed the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on 12 May 2010).
JUSTO LUKBÁN
(1863-1927)Justo Lukbán, a member of the Malolos Congress in the days of the Philippine Revolution, was born in Labo, Camarines Norte, on May 28, 1863, to Agustín Lukbán and Andrea Rillos.
He obtained his early education in a private school conducted by Hugo Ilagan and studied at San Juan de Letrán from 1873, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1880. He enrolled in medicine at the University of Santo Tomás afterwards; and in 1884, while still a medical student, he was appointed Ayudante Director of the institution’s School of Medicine. He graduated in 1888 and soon opened his own private clinic in Manila.
When the revolution broke out, he joined his brother, General Vicente Lukbán, and was elected delegate of Ambos Camarines to the Malolos Congress. Authorized to collect money for the cause of the revolution, he turned in ₱20,200 for the Revolutionary Government.
During the American Regime, he was appointed district health officer of Ambos Camarines. When complete peace and order was re-established, and political parties were permitted to be organized, he was one of those who actively initiated the formation of the Nacionalista Party in 1906. Meanwhile, he became editor of La Independencia.
In 1909, he was delegate of the first district of Manila to the National Assembly; he was re-elected in 1910. Later elected as Mayor of Manila, he created a controversy by banishing to Mindanáo all women of ill repute. At the instance of Governor-General Leonard Wood, he was appointed President of the Board of Appeals.
He died on September 2, 1927 of heart disease.
Labo, Camarines Norte, the hometown of illustrious statesman Justo Lukbán.
Spread this to all mankind!
A call for the preservation and defense of Spanish in the Philippines
A CALL FOR THE PRESERVATION AND DEFENSE OF SPANISH IN THE PHILIPPINES
Señor Guillermo Gómez Rivera
Dear Friends,
We all know by now that the Spanish language is another tool of development, especially economic development, with the advent of call centers serving the Spanish speakers of the USA and elsewhere in the world. We also know that our country has everything to gain and nothing to lose if we move for the preservation of Spanish through its teaching in our school system.
Those among us who are culture, history, sports (football especially), science, and art buffs also know that Spanish is strongly pertinent in all these fields of human endeavor, and even if we may know English well it is also good to know another language like Spanish.
I would not remind you, of course, that as Filipinos, Spanish is a substantive part of our national culture and national identity.
Let us then remind Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, Jr. about the need to teach and promote Spanish, for Filipino economic and cultural progress.
Let us of course remind Noynoy that Spanish is the principal language of his own paternal grandfather, El Senador Benigno Aquino, the first, a CLOSE associate of Fil-Hispanista Claro M. Recto, wrote and spoke in perfect Spanish AND EVEN MOVED to preserve this language during his time.
Let us remind Noynoy that Spanish is the principal language of legislative deliberation on the part of his own maternal grandfather, El Representante Don José Cojuangco, and of his other maternal grandfather, Don Juan Sumulong, who were brilliant writers and speakers of only Spanish in the course of their respective political careers in this country.
In the Cojuangco ancestral tombs, the lápidas are even written in Spanish. All these show that the families whence he, Noynoy, came used, spoke and wrote in Spanish and if this practice has stopped in the new generations of his own family and clan, it is due to circumstances beyond his control. But that Spanish has its importance today for the rising generations of Filipinos seeking for world opportunities is something that cannot bedenied for even inside the USA, Spanish is a widespread language.
I will then request each one of you to write him about Spanish in any of the points given above. For all you know, he, Noynoy, might even be grateful to you.
Join our movement for the restoration of Spanish in RP as one of our tools of development.
Saludos. Your friend,
Spread this to all mankind!
Philippine elections: a failure even from the very beginning
The controversial convention at Barrio Tejeros. Many historians acknowledge that the first election in Philippine history was held here.
Significantly, our country’s first president, Emilio Aguinaldo, was not elected by the Filipino people. He was elected by his Katipunan comrades and fellow Freemasons in Tejeros, San Francisco de Malabón (now General Mariano Trías), Cavite, a controversial historical event which is now known as the Tejeros Convention. That first election was exercised not to choose a leader to lead a nation but to lead the rebellion against Spain because during that time, the revolucionarios were divided into two factions: the Mágdalo, led by Aguinaldo and his cousin Baldomero Aguinaldo, and; the Magdiwang, led by Mariano Álvarez.
To pacify and unite the warring factions, which already have their own respective local governments in most of Cavite and other neighboring provinces (those that they captured from the Spanish government), Álvarez invited Katipunan supremo Andrés Bonifacio to mediate in a convention that was supposed to discuss military matters against Spain. But in the end, an election was held to decide who should lead the rebellion once and for all. This happened on 22 March 1897.
The closed-door election among these high-ranking Katipuneros/Freemasons resulted in the presidency of Mágdalo’s Emilio Aguinaldo (who was absent during that time). The convention chose Magdiwang’s Mariano Trías as Aguinaldo’s Vice-President. Meanwhile, Bonifacio was chosen as the Director of the Interior.
Alas, a certain Daniel Tirona questioned the results of the election. He argued that a lawyer should rightfully hold the position of Director of the Interior, even going as far as suggesting another person for the post. Naturally, this insulted Bonifacio. If not for intervening hands, Bonifacio would have shot Tirona. The angry supremo subsequently nullified the result of the proceedings before walking out from it, declaring that he is still the undisputed leader of the Katipunan from which both factions originated. This of course didn’t sit well with the other officials. The rest, as they always say, is history (Bonifacio’s orchestrated trial and execution, the proclamation of a premature independence, the US invasion, etc.).
According to eminent historian Ambeth Ocampo, however, the Bonifacio-Tirona tussle was not enough reason for the Katipunan Supremo to walk out of the proceedings just like that. As per Ocampo’s investigation, one major reason for the walkout was electoral fraud.
Yep, then as now.
Aguinaldo’s cohorts were supposed to be the first “sons of democracy” in this country, but they proved not to be worthy. Understandably, though, the situation back then didn’t allow suffrage a clean chance. For one, the first election was not even national — it was strictly Masonic. Secondly, the first “politicians”, most of whom were Freemasons, were still being taught the rudiments of republicanism and the ideals of democracy — the scourge of a monarchical form of government which had secured and succored the archipelago for hundreds of years. Thirdly, the Philippines was not only at war with Spain but was also wary of US military presence (particularly the fleets which arrived in Manila Bay) brought about by the Spanish-American war. But still, the process was tainted with irregularities, a sickening legacy which we still carry on even in this age of automated elections — the new system, sadly, still has the stigma of distasteful imperfections (“birth pains” or no “birth pains”) because a number of Precinct Count Optical Scan machines bogged down; and just when things seemed to flow out smoothly, sh!t happens!.
However, during the American interlude, the right of suffrage as we know it today was born. Technically, the first election that took place was a municipal one; it happened in Baliuag, Bulacán on 6 May 1899 under the auspices of American military Governor General Arthur MacArthur of which not much is known. But the first national elections in which the whole country was involved were held on 30 July 1907. The Filipinos elected the members of the first Philippine Assembly, the legislative body during the first few years of the US’ illegal reign in the country. Eighty one delegates to the National Assembly were elected while non-Christian provinces and districts having their own special governments were represented by appointees of then Civil Governor James Francis Smith.
Curiously, the newly elected assembleymen were no different from Noynoy Aquino who, as of this writing, is leading in the canvassing of votes in the recently concluded 2010 Philippine National Elections: most were generally young (between 31 and 40 years of age), well-educated, and filthy rich. Around 20 had a stint in the Spanish colonial government, and more than 50 were officials of the ill-fated Malolos government.
Then as now, the elite ruled the legislature. Worse, one of the first bills that these pro-American pigs passed was an increase in their per diem salary! And some even attempted to pass a bill exempting their properties from taxation!
Their apologists may claim that they were still inexperienced when it comes to democratic governance, that a republican form of government is not for personal aggrandizement nor profit. But the abovementioned political immaturity metamorphosed into a much higher form of (subtle) notoriety today. Take this one for instance: don’t you find it insanely immoral to impose Value Added Tax on food, a very basic commodity? If you don’t, I guess I am but a talkative, cynic, and unprincipled ignoramus doltishly questioning as to why the poor are always hungry. And then we have the C-5 road extension and the NBN-ZTE scandals, political dynasties, lawmakers lashing out unparliamentary language against each other, and the like. And such @$$hole-like behavior provokes some of their colleagues to become mentally out of control.
This is the true historical picture of our Philippine electoral system. Conclusion: we have not learned much from our past mistakes. No wonder Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville quipped that “in a democracy, people get the government they deserve.”
You allowed yourselves to be fooled by emotions brought about by last year’s unprecedented events. You allowed yourselves to be fooled by ABS-CBN. You thus allowed yourselves to vote for a color that has been long dead and proven ineffective. You, therefore, deserve the consequences. You will get the government you deserve.
Democracy —the warmachine of the US WASPs, and a clever disguise for mob rule— is but a sham. And history proves it every time.
FILIPINO eSCRIBBLES 