AS a law dean, this priest from San Beda should stop making comments such as calling senators childish.

First of all, as a law dean he should refrain from making comments unless he speaks for the whole San Beda law school. As a priest, he should reserve his comments to himself unless he wants to go into politics. As a regular reactor to news publications, he should do so but not under the cloak as a priest or as a dean. Then I will welcome his comments.

Please don’t mock your school name or your students. And calling the senators childish reminds me of my teachers in grade school. Yes, we deserved then to be called childish but calling the senators at this time childish for doing their jobs is a behavior that this priest dean has not overcome yet, his being at one time a grade school teacher. If you want to be a regular critic for or against political issues, unless you want to compromise your position as dean, then stop addressing yourself as priest dean.

Meanwhile, the reaction of the senators to the Supreme Court decision is normal since the Senate is a co-equal body under our Constitution. The SC decision drew a lot of reactions from the public as well as private sector. What I have learned from my political science professors is that the SC ’s role is merely to interpret the law and to keep in mind that the rationale behind such law is to protect the Constitution and to protect the interest of all and not one person who in this case is the appellant. The SC decision unless reversed will send signals from hereon that it’s all right to report a crime and then cover it up by invoking executive privilege.

Under our present laws, if you deliberately engage in a cover-up of a crime then you are equally liable for it even though you did not commit it. I rest my case and I hope this priest dean would do the same.

– Franklin Ysaac, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City, Philippines (via e-mail)

TAMA si [Senator Miriam Defensor] Santiago baka madehado ang claim natin sa Sabah… dapat careful ang Congress sa pagpasa sa Philippine baseline bill kasi parang walang alam ang mga lawmakers na ‘yan sa mga territorial claims ng Pilipinas.

Dapat ‘wag na nating pakawalan pa ang Sabah.

– Amando Respicio Boncales, Illinois, US (via e-mail)

I PRAY for former President Corazon Aquino’s speedy recovery.

There are so many [forms of] alternative medicine now that [could] cure colon cancer. A friend was diagnosed with colon cancer and was given only three months to live. She didn’t go for surgery [but] instead changed her diet to vegetables and fruits on top of daily exercises. She’s still alive after almost twenty years.

Mrs. Aquino’s faith is so strong, she will overcome this crisis. There is a herbal medicine found in Thailand called “Peking Grass” which claims to be a cure to all kinds of cancer. There is no harm in trying… it’s herbal. If anyone can pass this on to the family of Mrs. Aquino, it might save her life.

– Arlene Rafiq, Pathumthani, Thailand (via e-mail)

WHY is there no groundswell of support for these farmers? Did they really have a right to the land they are claiming or are they squatters who claim they are of indigenous ancestry and are entitled to the land?

Regardless of the nature of the claim the President should settle this now, give the peasants or pawns cash compensation from Pagcor [Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.) or the PCSO [Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office] just like she does the bishops, the knights, and the rooks.

This is a monumental game of chess and right now it is a stalemate, but the positions could change any minute and the game will be over.

– Alfonso DeMayo, Vancouver, Canada (via e-mail)

WE believe that what happened last Friday was excellent considering there were new faces there, and people are empowered. People must be empowered so that the government cannot be left to their own devices and get away with corruption.

But with all this talk about Mrs. [Gloria Macapagal-]Arroyo leading the fight against corruption, she still has to answer for all the scandals that are being hurled against her. We all need closure from them. Her answers cannot just be half-truths, but the whole truth and nothing but the truth if she wants our trust back. It is very difficult to put that trust back once it is betrayed especially when the one accused does not even seem to take the accusations affecting public interest seriously.

If she does not speak up and tell the truth, it may be as well that Mr. [Benjamin] Abalos be the one to speak out and tell us the truth and let the compassion of people be set behind him and support him instead of Mrs. Arroyo. How long does Mrs. Arroyo plan to leave the country in distress like this? How long is she going to keep this up, and even during the Lenten season? For how long?

– Teresita Uy, Auckland, New Zealand (via e-mail)

THE [REASON behind Benjamin]  Abalos wanting to debate [Rodolfo] Lozada [Jr.] on the NBN [national broadband network] overpriced deal is never dabatable.

He has his day in court. That’s the proper forum for him to defend himself. If the court finds him innocent then sue back Lozada.

– Benjie Quidayan, Bronx, New York (via e-mail)

TO the nagging question: “Who can replace her (GMA)?” — the logical answer is in this form: “What if she’s incapacitated, or she resigns or, God forbid, she dies, will the Philippines be lost in oblivion?”

No one is indispensable regardless whether or not he or she occupies the highest position in the land. Maybe a “lesser evil” (as a figure of speech) will, but let’s hope the one who next occupies the seat is no evil. So, if the office of the president is vacated, there is no choice but for the VP to assume the office of the presidency — regardless of whether or not the VP is “capable” of leading the nation.

Perhaps, we can backtrack starting from the Comelec… How are candidates qualified and/or “disqualified” from running for office? Our voters can only select from candidates pre-selected by the Comelec. Disqualifying candidates is left with the Comelec — in the hands of people no less like the former [chairman Benjamin] Abalos! So, what’s there to choose from? There are thousands/millions of Filipinos who believe that the current VP is not capable to do so, but there are more who believed he can — when they elected him along with her in the last elections. Tainted with fraud as it may have been, that last election, nevertheless, had placed them (President and VP) in their current seats. And, if the nation cannot remove either or both of them from their seats, then there’s no other way but for the people to let them finish their terms but closely watching them with vigilant eyes and corresponding vigilant action, such as what’s happening today — perhaps, until such time that the people have gathered enough courage and strength to force a critical change without bloodshed.

Assuming that the VP replaces the President, and if he performs/behaves like the person he replaced, then we know that the people can replace him, too, anytime, perhaps easier than when the same people mandated the ouster of the President. So, whether we believe or not in the “capability” of the VP to lead the nation, we must learn to accept the fact that life is [about] taking risks. Life is asking questions without expecting to get all the answers within our lifetime.

– Jimmy Leonida, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (via e-mail)