CHECK out Philippine Daily Inquirer editor John Nery’s latest post in Current, the joint blog he maintains with Inquirer columnist Manuel Quezon III.
Here’s an excerpt:
Sometimes we can read too much into the “meaning” of a particular vote.
I found Raul Pangalangan’s last column, on the meaning of the Honasan-Trillanes vote, a provocative read. I especially thought this particular passage was right on the money.
By manipulating the various arms of government to harass its enemies and protect its own, the Arroyo government has weakened the rule of law. It has conditioned the people to look to end-results � stop corruption, improve education, expand health care, make housing more accessible � and be indifferent to the means, constitutional or not. It has lowered the bar, so to speak, that the law has placed to guard against extra-constitutional power grabs.
This weakening of the rule of law � “culture of impunity,” anyone? � must be counted as one of the main legacies of the Arroyo administration.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
to pinoy na pinoy
( i had made a long reply to ur question but i think it must have been deleted or something, so let this be my second attempt to answer ur concern)
id say u nailed it with ur question man. uv got great potentials going there!
so, how then can we help solve this problem? and for ur part as a student?
u see, such issues were already present during the spanish time, putting this in mind we can never put the sole responsibility to the sitting president. I mean even if Mr. Tony here will be our president i bet these problems will still be present after his term. These problems are deeply rooted in history that is why i dont buy the wisdom of tony, no offense, not that im pro-gloria or anything.
if i were to see it, this is caused by political imaturity among the majority which is also caused by lack of social awareness. I mean if people dont know whats really going on then they would not know how to respond to it ryt? some people also, after hearing a little gossip thinks they already know everything. Thats harder to deal coz they become very close minded.
the lack of awareness and political imaturity consequently results to lack of patriotism. we love to buy imported goods, we hate using Filipino, we disobey traffic rules, we litter, all these we do on a daily basis.
to u as a student, here are my sugestions u could do and the rest of us too:
(i got this from alexandr lacson’s book “12 little things every filipino can do to help our country”)
1.follow trafic rules. follow the law.
2. whenever you buy or pay anything, always ask for an official receipt
3. dont buy smuggled goods. buy local. buy filipino.
4.when u talk to others, especially foreigners, speak positively about us and our country.
5. respet your traffic officer, policeman and soldier.
6. Do not litter. dispose your garbage properly.
7. support your church
8. during elections, do ur solemn duty.
9. pay your employees well.
10. pay your taxes
11. Adopt a scholar or a poor child.
12. be a good parent (if u are)
and i would also like to add, read the news and continu ur studies. our country is realy in need of a well informed and a well educated citizen.
thse things may look too small, but i tell you it will have a domino effect and we never know when out influence stops.
For Tony:
no offense man, but i think u r not looking at the bigger picture. i man, has there ever been a president that has not cheated? getting rid of arroyo is like putting a band aid to a gunshot wound. The only way to deal with this is through the grassroots man.
May 25th, 2007 at 10:58 am
tony:
During Erap’s time the trend is still the same. He also was hiding the evidences against him. What happened to Dacer? and the envelope that was never opened?
The extra-judicial killings cannot be blamed to the president, you should blame it to the people who wants to drag the attention of the public and blame it on the president.
I agree with you that Gloria is not the only one who can run the country, but as of the moment, she is the lesser evil compared to Estrada. At least she has been doing a good job on the economy,she considers that the Philippines is not Luzon. She has scattered infrastructure growth around the country,Erap only took care of the poor people in San Juan. She just cannot concentrate of her projects because the opposition blames her on all the problems in the society.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:59 am
Pinoy-na-Pinoy,
It is nice for a 16 y/o to be so keenly aware of his nation. I take this positively and negatively at the same time in the sense that, your opinion of matters may actually be influenced by your immediate environment. My piece of advise is be discerning, do not take everything at face value, keep an open mind but take a constructive approach at life. There was a great president who once said “ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country” Thus, do well in your studies, follow the law, be polite and extend a helping hand if you can and focus on the goals that you have set for yourself and you’re doing your country a favor. Even while you maybe able to understand the issues raised, you need to mature first to fully appreciate from where their opinions come from. Politics is an old man’s game and a dirty one at that.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
while i was reading my reactions to salina’s reactions, i somehow came across quiet sarcastically. for that i apologize.
one of my friends who read my comment commented that im full of hubris, hahaha, totaly not what i wanna be.
on that note, i do hope my tactlessness and impulsive tendensies would not undermind the points i was raising.
sori salina girl, my comments were uncalled for, my bad.
May 24th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
How many in the opposition spent millions to get elected? Everybody. If there was the “trapo” then, today we have the “crapo”. Same crap, same smell.
We should resort to siding with ourselves in Philippine politics because these people have no loyalties except to money and power.