Why, Conrado, did you say this: “Cory may have spoken with an inflection that little varied, but it was enough to make the prostitutes of Mabini Street freeze in their tracks and dream of a better life when they heard it.” Let me guess (and I mean guess) why. One, you mean to be literary (speech figure use). Prostitutes constituted wretchedness and the worst of them found hope in Cory. Two, Cory was so compelling even those whom we assume to be indifferent found Cory worth listening to. And three, why, we were
there (somewhere in Mabini) during those times when you and I were younger? Maybe we do have many things in common.

Ingming Aberia, Tacloban City, via e-mail

IN the spirit of fairness, Vox Populi is publishing the six-page manifestation of  Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri during the Senate proceedings on the fertilizer scam.

Zubiri inhibited himself from the proceedings to ensure a fair investigation. He denied allegations that he benefited from the fund and said news about it were “blatant lie.”

Zubiri stressed that he was also no “grateful stooge” of the Palace and denounced the Philippine Daily Inquirer for its two editorial pieces which came out on Nov. 2 and 12.

Click on the following to read “pdf” versions of Zubiri’s manifestation:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

THESE people better be smiling when they say things like that. They must be joking. As if we don’t have enough clowns in government. Our relatives in the Philippines are losing their jobs, so we have to send money to help them. Can’t they offer solutions instead of false reassurances? Will they please stop treating us like idiots?

Victor Mamawal, Purono Park, Queensland

Jejomar Binay is qualified and has the experience to run as President. As mayor of Makati, he is viewed by political analysts as quite successful in terms of honesty and as a transformational leader able to bring more revenues .We have tried Senators and celebrities but all of them have failed. We have tried popular political figures, excellent orators and debaters, a young generation of well-known political clan of the past — still dismal failures.Maybe Binay is the right man to lead our country. Can he sustain the greedy appetite of people who will be serving him if he wins? The lure of temptations to enjoy the spoils are so strong — the same fate that Cory experienced. The vultures are just around the corner ready to devour every centavo of Juan Dela Cruz. Anyway, let us give Binay a chance.

Captin Dimasalangca, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental

WHEN do we get to read that banner headline in the INQUIRER.net just like what your previous banner headline declared, “Black in White House” last November 6?

Indeed, “Change has come to America.” When will that kind of change come to the Philippines, if at all? The answer to those questions might be the Filipino saying “pagputi ng uwak” (”when the crow becomes white”). And to think that we all thought that it was the Philippines which “is a place where all things are possible” — maybe in negative and more than positive ways.

If we reckon the American change from U.S. President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation for Negro slaves in 1862, then it comes to 146 years before there is a “Black in White House.” Will it also take that long before there is a “Moro in Malacanang”? Maybe much longer or probably never. At least, in the case of the Emancipation Proclamation, it was not declared “unconstitutional,” unlike the initialed but unsigned final draft of the GRP-MILF Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain.

Ah, the American Dream of the Filipino. This of course reminds us of the Filipino leader (and later President) Manuel L. Quezon’s famous nationalist line “I would rather live under a government run like hell by Filipinos than a government run like heaven by the Americans.” In riposte to which, many ordinary Moros are now saying “I would rather live under a government run like hell by Moros than a government run like hell by the Filipinos.”

Soliman m. Santos, Jr., Cubao, Quezon City, via e-mail

THE country needs one like Senator Miriam Santiago who has the courage to talk firm and correct without any inhibition. It could only be a pretty bleak future that lies ahead for the country because of all those filthy government leaders starting from the top. The Philippines as a nation is rich in natural resources and bright people should be given a chance to rise and prosper by removing all those leaders who have nothing but steal the country’s wealth. I hope that those remaining intelligent people there should come together and get rid of those who cause the country’s collapse. The recent reports on feltilizer scam, the Moscow money issue with Philippine National Police people, the Manny Villar highway scandal .etc – everything has something to do with money and is a big shame. So I enjoyed the hearing held at the Senate when Miriam directly jumped at those involved, Bravo Miriam!

Francisca Maurer-Gutierrez, Allschwil, Switzerland, via e-mail

IT IS very disappointing to see that Joc-Joc Bolante needed to find refuge in the premises of St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) in order to avoid examination by the Senate. To the rest of the society, his condition may seem serious, because the attending physician Dr. Saavedra, and SLMC’s spokesperson chose to use technical words to make Bolante’s medical condition sound serious.

I am writing this feedback in order for the rest of the readers know that the entire SLMC fiasco is a big joke. Only a small number of Filipinos who could understand what is being described here and our understanding is based on our biomedical background. The aim of this letter is to clarify the entire Bolante medical condition and that I, for myself, am not fooled by such medical terms, and would gladly explain to the rest of the readers what this shameful event is all about. Bolante is physically fit to go to the Senate. The medical conditions Bolante is said to experience are all PRE-EXISTING, meaning he has had these conditions months before and has lived with it.

His need to go to the Senate with these conditions will definitely not worsen his medical condition and even less likely to be a concern for his life. For example, his “atherosclerotic arteries” are a concern by SLMC officials, but look at the thousands of Filipinos walking down the streets with the same atherosclerotic arteries. Now we get this report that Bolante has a “Helicobacter pylori-caused peptic ulcer”– sure, I have that too, and I’ve been suffering from GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) because of that but I’m still doing more physical and mental activities than I am suppposed to do in a day.

Maybe tomorrow, the physicians will mention this disease to make Bolante’s condition sound serious. To mention that the physicians performed the 2D-ECHO and ECG mean that these diagnostic tests were performed to determine any discrepancies in Bolante’s heart function. But guess what? The results are all normal. The normal results from the stress test are enough proof that Bolante is strong enough to go to the Senate. I am tired of hearing such pointless reasons to save Bolante from going to the Senate. As for Bolante himself, I’d like to say, “Hey– do what you have to do as a Filipino who still cares for his home country. Show your face at the Senate and please speak the truth.”

Rhea Vallente, Winnipeg, Canada, via e-mail

IT is appalling that these bishops have the nerve to once again call for the ouster of the President. It is very appalling indeed that these bishops have very little regard to whatever calm we as a people are enjoying now amidst the global economic crisis. I wonder, why do these bishops offering their formula for change? Do their relationships with God somehow make them savants — full of wisdom and know how on how to make a lot of things better? Are their morals the impetus for change? Much as I want to believe that these bishops mean well — that they are for the best interest of the majority — I cannot. I agree, yes, these bishops may have the moral obligation to lead its people. Yes, these bishops may very well have the moral ascendancy to determine which is right or wrong, but, for these bishops to dictate to the government what needs to be done, they have to first remember that they are not paying their taxes. Not to pay taxes is a dream a lot of Filipinos can only dream of. Even before our meager salaries reach our pockets, taxes are deducted. Whenever we earn something, we pay taxes. We even shoulder the heavy 12% VAT. We are even paying taxes as we sleep. Although we know that these taxes are a burden, we keep on paying them. Why? Because we know that these taxes help us sleep better at night. These taxes are paying for a lot of things that add to our comfort — security, roads, bridges, peace and order, stability — to name just a few. These taxes even pay for the roads people park their cars on every Sunday to hear mass. These taxes are keeping our churches safe. These taxes are allowing us to practice our faith safely. But these bishops, they are not paying their taxes. With all the money they receive every mass, with all the donations they receive every time they conduct the sacraments, with all the parcels of land they receive as donations where they build commercial centers and earn money from, NO TAXES. I am very thankful for what Cardinal Sin did for the country. It came at a time when chaos ruled and fear crippled the hearts of many. Our country is not in chaos. Fear is not crippling the hearts of many of our countrymen. I do not see their relevance — unless of course they pay their taxes.

Frank Gonzaga, Commonwealth Heights Subdivision, Quezon City, via e-mail

This refers to your article “Driver error caused fatal NLEX crash” published in the Inquirer.net of 03 November 2008. With the recent spate of accidents in major roads recently, the finding is generally correct in most instances. Most of them were caused by errors in human judgment. The bus driver in the EDSA accident probably thought that the road was a Formula 1circuit. The bus driver in NLEX probably thought that the small vehicle will give way! Maybe it had evaded but it was too late. Haven’t you noticed that Philippine drivers prefer to blind an oncoming driver with high beams (while overtaking) rather than take defensive or evasive action? Such arrogance! There is also another side to that, which is psychological in nature that manifests itself in misplaced machismo or a cover up to inferiority complex. Haven’t anyone notice whenever someone gets hold of a high position — suddenly the person is transformed into an arrogant master? Or give someone a gun, and that person feels all powerful? And similarly, give the person a handle on a steering wheel and he becomes both — arrogant and powerful. But to be fair, not all become that way. The problem is that the law abiding and morally upright persons become victims of the few who mistakenly believe themselves to be above the rest, when in fact they are not. It is only in the Philippines where we have the saying that “a fly on top of the carabao feels taller than the animal”. Sorry Guyito! The point is that there should be a way to screen political candidates, law enforcers and drivers so that their dark side may not disrupt the normal functions of society.

Alex Maaliw of Fairview Park, Quezon City, via e-mail

MAYBE these distinguished members of our Philippine National Police, after admitting that they are unaware of Administrative Order 103 that suspended all foreign travel as part of the government’s “austerity measures”, should again claim that they are not also aware that ignorance of the law does not exempt anybody. Otherwise drug dealers can claim that they are not aware that they are selling shabu and they thought it was only tawas or calling up a Comelec commisioner during election time asking for a safe victory margin is only a lapse in judgement.

Russel Fernandez of Chiba, Japan via e-mail