Today is yet another Christmas when I thought I succeeded at having only joy and gratitude fill my heart, only to be thrown a curve ball by Facebook this morning, which reminded me of a very funny video of my Lolo I uploaded to the social media site at about this time 6 years ago. It also showed at the top of my timeline my sister’s post, paying a heartfelt tribute full of longing for our Lolo and Mamu, who passed within a year of each other, in 2012 and 2013. Yes, no matter how hard they tried to keep up appearances when they were still alive, it was an undeniable fact that they could not, for the life of them, live without each other. When Lolo died, I could almost see the light go out of my Mamu’s eyes, the fire in her warrior heart extinguished by his death. I can still hear in my head her anguished cries when she saw my Lolo gone in his deathbed, something none of us who bore witness will likely forget anytime soon.
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
People Failure
We could have done more. But we simply did not do enough.
Today, more than ever, this rings true: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." (Edmund Burke)
Sure. Many people did many things, first to fight the dictator, and then, to oust him. Many people have made it their lives’ crusades to make sure Marcos is remembered as the plundering, murderous dictator that he was; and his family, the beneficiaries. But as is our curse as a people, what we have in initiative, we lack in follow through.
We are a people who are clueless about sustaining our efforts at something worthwhile and seeing them through to fruition. It is as if we dread closure of any kind. We have the fire to start a war, but no stamina to end it.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Justice
(Video courtesy of Rappler, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3I2jD_0Exo)
“…Do justice to every man…"
Not a few people noticed how the president seemed to have placed emphasis on this phrase more than on any other part of his oath last June 30, 2016. Indeed, there seemed to be a deliberate slowing down in the delivery of the phrase starting at 2:07 of the video. He sounded like he was sending a subliminal message to his constituents: a promise, and a stern warning at the same time.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Today, We Choose.
Today, we choose new leaders.
May we choose actions over words, accomplishments over promises, genuine track record over fabricated pasts.
May we choose to be guided by hope for things already achieved, instead of cowered in fear of ghosts created for selfish gain.
May we vote with conviction, that we are choosing not only that which looks and sounds good, but more importantly, that which chooses the good of our people over the good of the few.
May we see through clouds of doubt sowed by leaders fearful of retribution, of being brought to justice, of being taken to task to pay for their sins which they deny and never accept.
May we realize that this has never been a battle of good versus evil, of one family against another. May we go beyond dichotomies created to propagate selfish, familial interests and to abscond from accountability. May we accept responsibility that the battle of good and evil is within each of us. That it is for every one of us to fight the evils we may unleash into the world if we let ourselves be filled with pride and fear. That it is for each of us to demand of each other the good things and deeds that we know we can do for our people and for our country.
May we learn from the past, both distant and near. May we hold dear the lessons we learned the hard way when we exercised our power to choose six and fifty-one years ago. May we not so easily forget how we were made to feel helpless, needy, like we were asking too much of our leaders, how our demands were met with sneers, condescension, and arrogant downplaying of epic proportion. May we not forget that up to the last moments leading up to this momentous day, we were spit on, fooled, treated like lowly beings, stripped of dignity because of lies, fabrications, and obvious machinations. May we never again be complacent, ensuring that those who have wronged us will never again be given another opportunity to perpetrate the same wrongs against the Filipino people.
Today, we wield our power to name them who shall inspire us to be the great people that we have always been meant to be, who will ignite the fire in our hearts to think bigger than ourselves, to go beyond the things we see and hear and look deeper into people who have dedicated their lives to make their constituents feel safe, secure and cared for.
Today, we wield this tremendous power. But it does not stop there. Today, we choose. Tomorrow, and in the days to come, we demand. We demand that they do right by us. We demand quality public service, to which we are absolutely entitled.
No, we do not have to be beside our leaders all the way, stand by them and blame ourselves for their wrongs, tell ourselves that we are part of these wrongs, that these wrongs are blood in our hands. No. When our leaders commit wrong, we condemn their actions. We stand up and voice out our grievances. We do not close ranks around them and defend their every move. We do not get blinded by idolatry and hero worship. We will choose them today. And tomorrow, we will exact service and accountability.
May God, Allah, Buddah, Vishnu, the Supreme Being, the cosmos, our logic and our belief systems guide us in choosing our leaders and in holding them to account as public servants.
May peace, understanding and compassion be in abundance today and the rest of our days.
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.
May we choose actions over words, accomplishments over promises, genuine track record over fabricated pasts.
May we choose to be guided by hope for things already achieved, instead of cowered in fear of ghosts created for selfish gain.
May we vote with conviction, that we are choosing not only that which looks and sounds good, but more importantly, that which chooses the good of our people over the good of the few.
May we see through clouds of doubt sowed by leaders fearful of retribution, of being brought to justice, of being taken to task to pay for their sins which they deny and never accept.
May we realize that this has never been a battle of good versus evil, of one family against another. May we go beyond dichotomies created to propagate selfish, familial interests and to abscond from accountability. May we accept responsibility that the battle of good and evil is within each of us. That it is for every one of us to fight the evils we may unleash into the world if we let ourselves be filled with pride and fear. That it is for each of us to demand of each other the good things and deeds that we know we can do for our people and for our country.
May we learn from the past, both distant and near. May we hold dear the lessons we learned the hard way when we exercised our power to choose six and fifty-one years ago. May we not so easily forget how we were made to feel helpless, needy, like we were asking too much of our leaders, how our demands were met with sneers, condescension, and arrogant downplaying of epic proportion. May we not forget that up to the last moments leading up to this momentous day, we were spit on, fooled, treated like lowly beings, stripped of dignity because of lies, fabrications, and obvious machinations. May we never again be complacent, ensuring that those who have wronged us will never again be given another opportunity to perpetrate the same wrongs against the Filipino people.
Today, we wield our power to name them who shall inspire us to be the great people that we have always been meant to be, who will ignite the fire in our hearts to think bigger than ourselves, to go beyond the things we see and hear and look deeper into people who have dedicated their lives to make their constituents feel safe, secure and cared for.
Today, we wield this tremendous power. But it does not stop there. Today, we choose. Tomorrow, and in the days to come, we demand. We demand that they do right by us. We demand quality public service, to which we are absolutely entitled.
No, we do not have to be beside our leaders all the way, stand by them and blame ourselves for their wrongs, tell ourselves that we are part of these wrongs, that these wrongs are blood in our hands. No. When our leaders commit wrong, we condemn their actions. We stand up and voice out our grievances. We do not close ranks around them and defend their every move. We do not get blinded by idolatry and hero worship. We will choose them today. And tomorrow, we will exact service and accountability.
May God, Allah, Buddah, Vishnu, the Supreme Being, the cosmos, our logic and our belief systems guide us in choosing our leaders and in holding them to account as public servants.
May peace, understanding and compassion be in abundance today and the rest of our days.
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Better Than A Waiver
This has been eating at me the entire day. And I only got the time to write this down, of course, at the end of the day, when I’m about to sleep (always like this; wish I had more time to write).
Anyway, a lot has been said about Duterte’s Special Power of Attorney (“SPA”) in favor of his lawyer, Sal Panelo. Many revolve around the topic of why Duterte had to specify the amount of ₱211,000,000. There is only one answer to that question, and it is this: because that is the amount specified by Trillanes. As simple as that. It was not placed there to limit the efficacy of the SPA, much less to confuse the reader. It was not a “clever ploy”.
The SPA, which is just a notarized document authorizing someone to do specific tasks for you, was pretty straightforward. It has 5 paragraphs, but the 2nd paragraph is important to understand what the SPA is for and what it can do.
“To request for and receive, from the Bank of the Philippine Islands (“BPI”), Julia Vargas Avenue, Pasig City Branch, bank certificates for BPI Saving (sic) Account No. 2433-0695-39 (the “Bank Account”) to show the current balance as well as the fact that at no time since the opening of the aforesaid Bank Account was there a deposit either singly or collectively of Two Hundred Eleven Million Pesos (₱211,000,000.00)."
Essentially, Duterte empowers Panelo to do two things:
- to request for certain bank certificates from BPI
- to receive these bank certificates
Now, what should the bank certificates be like? What should be in them? According to the SPA, the bank certificates for BPI SA 2433-0695-39
- must show the current balance
- must also show the fact that “at no time since the opening of the aforesaid Bank Account was there a deposit either singly or collectively of Two Hundred Eleven Million Pesos (₱211,000,000.00)"
For the first one, imagine a document which simply states the current balance of the account. That’s it. That kind of bank certificate satisfies the 1st requirement.
What kind of bank certificate then satisfies the 2nd requirement? It should be a certificate that shows the fact that ₱211M was never deposited into that account, either as a whole, or in various portions separately, from the time that the account was opened. In other words, the bank has to show that no such deposit of ₱211M was ever made into that account.
Now, tell me, how can the bank show that no such deposit was made? How do you show that a certain person is not in a certain building, and has, in fact, never been to that building at any point in time? How do you show that? What is the best evidence of that negative fact? THE LOGS OF ALL ENTRIES AND EXITS! Are you getting it now?
Of course, a certain person may enter a certain building without having to sign any log. Hell, s/he may enter the building completely undetected. Sure. BUT deposits will ALWAYS have to be logged in the transaction history of an account, as required by law and issuances. No bank management in its right mind would risk accepting deposits without reflecting the same in the transaction history. MUCH LESS A DEPOSIT OF ₱211 MILLION PESOS.
So now, tell me, how will BPI comply with the 2nd requirement? I’m willing to bet that this is precisely the reason why BPI asked for several days to figure this out. They’re probably deciding how best to comply with the SPA, without incurring any liability on their part.They’re thinking, “Will we get in trouble if we release the entire transaction history of this man?"
Many people, including Trillanes himself, have expressed disappointment, saying that Duterte did not execute a waiver. What they do not realize is that what Duterte did was even better: he is not only waiving his rights to bank secrecy with respect to BPI SA 2433-0695-39, HE COMMANDED BPI TO SHOW US THE MONEEEHHH! Or the lack thereof. And remember, Duterte ordered the bank to issue a bank certificate to SHOW the fact that ₱211M was never in that account, not merely to STATE it. So it cannot just issue a certificate to that effect. It must include an attachment that ACTUALLY SHOWS THAT FACT. And that attachment is none other than the entire transaction history of the account.
As to the matter of Duterte being the only one who executed the SPA, suffice it to say that it appears from the posted deposit slips that it is an OR account: an account held in the name of JUST Rodrigo Roa Duterte OR Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Sara Z. Duterte. The nature of this kind of account enables the father to do with it as he pleases, without the conformity of the daughter.
As to the matter of Duterte being the only one who executed the SPA, suffice it to say that it appears from the posted deposit slips that it is an OR account: an account held in the name of JUST Rodrigo Roa Duterte OR Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Sara Z. Duterte. The nature of this kind of account enables the father to do with it as he pleases, without the conformity of the daughter.
Give BPI time. I’m sure they’ll come out with a statement sooner than the 7th day. And I hope, while they’re at it, they explore the possibility of suing the hell out of Trillanes for taking the banking industry hostage.
Friday, April 29, 2016
Waiver or Waver?
Imagine it’s the NBA Finals. Game 7, 11 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, scores tied. Duterte, the MVP with the golden shooting arm, has the ball. Trillanes, a modern-day Distrito, charges at Duterte, hungry for the ball and Duterte’s loss. He tries to get the ball, but fails. Duterte now has to decide whether to pass the ball, take the shot, or wait.
He decides to wait. After all, he got this. He knows it. So he waits. He lets a few more seconds go, before taking the shot. Risky, but hell, he thinks he can do it. He thinks it’s the best way to deal with pesky Trillanes.
To me, this is what’s happening now. Duterte almost has the presidency in the bag. Almost, but not quite. Now here comes Trillanes with a bomb of an accusation of P211 million in hidden wealth. Instead of facing this head on, Duterte decides to play with Trillanes a bit.
“I’m gonna make it hard for him,” he says.
Instead of nipping the issue in the bud, Duterte decides to let it drag, probably hoping for it to last a few days, before he offers a resolution. Maybe he’s thinking, “Let this last a few days so when I clear this up, they won’t have enough time to throw another bomb at me."
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Maybe he really was caught red-handed. Maybe Trillanes really bears the kryptonite to stop Duterte’s dizzying ascent.
We will never know until both make their next move, or we reach May 9, whichever comes next. In the meantime, we are a captive audience in this eleksyonserye. Some of those enamored with Duterte may lose interest, thinking he’s not what he portrays himself to be. A lot more will stay for a myriad reasons.
But eventually, we will find out if Duterte indeed has a golden shooting arm, or if Trillanes actually caught him with his arm elbow-deep in the cookie jar. It’s just a matter of time.
#PHVote #PHVoteDuterte #SALN #hiddenwealth
He decides to wait. After all, he got this. He knows it. So he waits. He lets a few more seconds go, before taking the shot. Risky, but hell, he thinks he can do it. He thinks it’s the best way to deal with pesky Trillanes.
To me, this is what’s happening now. Duterte almost has the presidency in the bag. Almost, but not quite. Now here comes Trillanes with a bomb of an accusation of P211 million in hidden wealth. Instead of facing this head on, Duterte decides to play with Trillanes a bit.
“I’m gonna make it hard for him,” he says.
Instead of nipping the issue in the bud, Duterte decides to let it drag, probably hoping for it to last a few days, before he offers a resolution. Maybe he’s thinking, “Let this last a few days so when I clear this up, they won’t have enough time to throw another bomb at me."
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Maybe he really was caught red-handed. Maybe Trillanes really bears the kryptonite to stop Duterte’s dizzying ascent.
We will never know until both make their next move, or we reach May 9, whichever comes next. In the meantime, we are a captive audience in this eleksyonserye. Some of those enamored with Duterte may lose interest, thinking he’s not what he portrays himself to be. A lot more will stay for a myriad reasons.
But eventually, we will find out if Duterte indeed has a golden shooting arm, or if Trillanes actually caught him with his arm elbow-deep in the cookie jar. It’s just a matter of time.
#PHVote #PHVoteDuterte #SALN #hiddenwealth
Friday, April 1, 2016
Touched
Who are they?
You don't know them, Caitie…
Yes, but who are they? And why are they crying?
They are all the people whose lives you've touched.
Me? I touched their lives? But how? There are so many of them!
They followed your battle. They read about you. They saw your pictures showing how courageous you are.
Are they friends of Mommy and Daddy?
Many of them, yes. And many more are strangers.
If they are strangers, why are they crying? They don't know me.
They do. They were there to see you button your clothes even when you were weak. They were there to see you obey your parents and doctors to take your medicines. They saw how you courageously withstood the pain of all the needles and tubes that had to be inserted in your little body to make you well. They watched in awe as you prayed with your family. They were joyous when you were able to get out of the hospital and spend time in the sun. They were inspired by your paintings and whenever you played with your toys, even on your hospital bed. They knew you loved Play Doh.
Play Doh! Yes! And stamps! And rainbows!
Yes, darling. Stamps and rainbows. And they cheered you on. Every single day, Caitie. Every single time they read an update on how you were doing.
They did all that for me??
Why yes, precious one. Some of them learned to pray because of you. Some of them learned about me because of you. You brought them closer to me. That's the most powerful gift you have given them.
But how can they not know You? Everybody knows You! Everybody should, because You love them! You love everybody, right? The Bible tells me so! You love Mommy, Daddy, Ethan, and me. You love me more than most!
Yes, I do. And you have proven that to the many people who joined you in your journey. You have shown them that My love for all of you is true and infinite.
What is infinite?
It means it has no limits. It means I love all of you forever.
Yes! Mommy and Daddy told me. I miss them… Do they miss me…?
Of course, Caitie! They will miss you everyday for the rest of their lives.
Oh no. They will be sad. Please tell them not to be sad. Please tell them to be happy. I'm happy!
Yes, they know that. You are no longer in pain. And that is very important to them, especially to your mom and dad. All they want is for you to be whole again. And I have made you whole again.
Thank you.
You're welcome, Caitie.
Will they be alright?
In time, yes. They know you are with Me. They know you are safe and happy and free from disease. They will be sad for a while, but We will help them be happy again, okay? Let Us help your Mommy, your Daddy, Ethan, your family and all these people, okay?
Yes! I want to help them. But how?
We can keep you in their memories forever, your sweet smile, your laughter…
Hahaha! Yes! What else?
We can remind them that everything will be okay, that they should keep believing in Me and in each other, that they should also help each other get better. We can remind them to love each other more strongly and to make each day count.
Yes! I love that. Mommy will help Daddy. Daddy will help Mommy. And then they will help Ethan. And then Ethan will help them, too! Right??
Yes, that's correct. They have each other. And they have Us, Caitie. We will always watch over them, okay?
Yes, We will!
Do you want to tell them anything before we go?
Yes. I love you, Mommy. I love you, Daddy. I love you, Ethan. I love you, strangers. Okay. It's your turn…
My turn?
Yes! Tell them you love them. So they will know.
I love you, Jayjay. I love you, Tine. I love you, Ethan. And all the people whose lives were touched by Caitie.
They love You, too.
I know. Shall We go?
Yes. Let's go!
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