top of head thinking

• 2 hour free legal assistance per week starting with contract provisions explanation.
  
• plant rice
• 
  

hiling

sana mabigyan ko ng oras ang pagsusulat
ng sa gayon matuto naman ako
ng mga talatang tungkol sa pag-ibig
o kaya pagkakagalit
basta walang kinalaman sa pagpapagal
kumbaga hindi rekwayrd

sana mabigyan ko ng oras ang pagsusulat

Objection to Kathy Griffin's Speech

My problem with commenting on Kathy Griffin's controversial Emmy speech is that I may add fuel to the controversy such that the comment be added to it's publicity albeit negatively. However, after verifying that said comment was indeed made, I have to voice my objection. Though I have sinned in taking the Lord's name in vain many times, I admitted my sin and asked repentance for it. I do not make it a point to do it deliberately for the sake of comic humor. (More on this)

Lack

Today I have felt utter uselessness.
I have never felt more ashamed of what I do not have.

"Upon acceptance of this pardon JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA, this pardon shall take effect.*"

For Erap to accept the executive clemency granted by GMA is for him to accept the legitimacy of the Arroyo presidency. This is the bitter pill that he has to swallow. Only a legitimate president has the authority to grant pardon to a convicted person. No matter how his camp puts a spin to the situation, the act of accepting the pardon estops him from further questioning the legitimacy of GMA's presidency.


* Lifted from GMA's order granting pardon to JEE.

When Passive Became Active

Extrajudicial killings is an RP issue that just would not die (no pun intended). The simple reason is that it had become an almost weekly occurence. Because of this, the government had to take action. (Hah! The use of the word "had" has a lot of implications.) Mind, however, that it is not the "whole" of government that did take, or at least outlined, a concrete plan of action. It is not the "whole" of government but surprisingly only one of its three branches. The greatest surprise of it all is that it is the Judiciary.

Regarded as the "passive" branch of the government, the judiciary mainly acts when a real and actual controversy is brought upon it so as to decide on an issue brought before it. It seldom acts on its own, or in legalese, motu proprio. Now this issue of exrtrajudicial killings in general was not a issue brought before it. It is the primary concern of the Executive branch whose task is to enforce the law and protect the general public. It is that active part of the government who is supposed to eliminate this problem which should not be a "normal" occcurence in a supposedly democratic society. For the Judiciary, namely the Supreme Court, to actively place its hand on this matter, in my opinion, is statement enough. And when the slumbering giant decided to awaken and decided to speak, then everyone should listen.

In the Line of Duty

The circumstances of Leticia Ramos' and Nellie Banaag's deaths struck me personally. Nellie Banaag, public school teacher, and Leticia Ramos, pollwatcher, where burned to death when Pinagbayaran Elementary School was burned at dawn of the day after the elections. They died while doing their respective duties.

Their death struck me because of my mother. She is a public school teacher. It may sound melodramatic, not to mention morbid, but it really could have been her. She is now the principal of her assigned school thereby not tasked to count the votes but before that, tallying the votes was her job during elections. Had one circumstance be different, that is my mom and Banaag switching places, then what happened to Bannaag could have happened to my mom. Such accounts of senseless election violence, specially when such innocents were caught in the crossfire of mindless political wars. This is the reason for my anxiety every election day until the counting and the delivery of the election returns to the municipal canvassers. It does not matter that our place, God forbid, have yet to experience election violence of this kind. (Our place is notorious for indiscriminate gun fire and dangerous weapons related violence and death on regular days but not election period.)

That is why my mind would not allow itself to understand or comprehend why some people will result to anything, even senseless killing, just to place themselves in power. Some will resort to this just to prolong or prevent others from winning even though they themselves would not. It is indeed a shame that these things happen. The thing is, I am not the one who should feel ashamed. Sadly those who should don't.

P.S.

The commission of the crime resulted in many other injuries. One victim,Victim Guillermo Malaluan, 44, died 7 days later while being treated at a hospital in Manila. He was thus the third fatality in the dawn burning of the Pinagbayanan Elementary School a day after Election Day.