Windy and I have been exchanging our views at my previous post,Let the Rule of Law Prevail, over the publicized hospital arrest of the former Philippine President, Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo. Being a Malaysian, I was surprised that he knows a helluva lot more about the economic and political issues besetting my very own country, LOL!
Being so well versed with the Asian political setting, I don’t question Windy’s intellectual capacity in weighing the various facets of politics and more. In fact, I would often tease him that he better be the President of the Philippines to alleviate the lives of the Filipino people.
So what has it got to do with eating balut?
Hear yeah!
Windy has it that IF…
he ever became the President of the Philippines, his first Presidential Decree would be to BAN THE STINKING BALUT THROUGHOUT THE MOTHERLAND.
he ever became a lawyer of the Filipino people, he would have every Filipino sign a sworn writ that they will NEVER EAT THE STINKING BALUT.
The demerits of the disgusting Balut:
It has a very high Cholesterol content and is one of the primary causes for a high incidence of high blood pressure and heart problems amongst young Filipinos.
Its pong is worse than the celebrated German stink bomb.
It is the cause for unwanted pregnancies in the Philippines.
The Filipinos must have a mindset change and not believe that because they are poor, they have to eat stink.
So it is written, so it is done. Note: Balut is fertilized duck embryo that is boiled alive and eaten in the shell (Wikipedia).
Article III section 6 of the 1986 Philippine Constitution provides and I quote:
The liberty of abode and of changing the same within the limits prescribed by law shall not be impaired except upon lawful order of the court. Neither shall the “right to travel” be impaired except in the interest of national security, public safety, or public health, as may be provided by law.
Based on the aforementioned constitutional provision it is very explicit that the right to travel cannot be impaired except in the interest of national security, public safety, or public health (Villavicencio vs Lukban 39 Phil 778).
Question:
If we allow former Pres. Arroyo to travel abroad, will it endanger our national security? Our public safety? Our public health?
I am not an Arroyo fan but we have to abide to the Rule of law. Ours is a Government of law and not of men.
At a Facebook Page of COMELEC where members are employees of Field Offices and most of them are lawyers, there was a varying degree of disagreement and agreement on the subject at hand.
One was quoted as saying:
We are discussing here from the legal standpoint of the law , as to whether the T.R.O was issued speedily by the Supreme Court that is another thing.Question: Is it illegal for the Supreme Court to act speedily on a particular petition?
Another employee expressed this:
The search for truth and justice by the Aquino government must not at any time be at the expense of the rule of law. The end does not justify the means. If there is any one to blame, it’s the government, not the Arroyo’s or the Supreme Court. A case should have been filed in court earlier on to justify any hold departure order. Without a court order pursuant to the grounds enunciated in Article III, Section 6 of the Constitution, I dont think the Justice Secretary can prevent anybody from exercising his rights to travel. I am for justice and for truth, however in attaining this, I believe we must uphold the rule of law and not the force of law. Otherwise, anarchy might prevail over the land. The Temporary Restraining Order is immediately executory and so it must be given due course. The justice department is not a court of law and has no powers just like the Supreme Court. If we want order in this land, then we must begin by observing the laws and the legal processes, no shortcuts.
However, the Boss who blogs from Bottom Lines has a different point of view on the matter. He was quoted as saying this:
l don’t agree. With all due respect, the Supreme Court (SC) should not have given due course to the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) or should have deferred its issuance in deference to a co-equal branch of the government. For all her worth, Sec. De lima is a mere alter ego of the President and was just implementing the law applicable thereof. What is happening has now turned into a clash between two titans- the Executive branch and the Judiciary…A crisis that could have been avoided had the SC kept a hands off policy over the GMA issue. The venerable justices can do that. Having been known to be ruled by mostly GMA appointees, the SC perhaps succumbed to the legal pressure and tactics of team GMA. For what good is legally correct decision when it runs counter to public opinion and general sentiments…
If you would allow me to answer the abovementioned question from a non-lawyer’s stand point, my answer would be Court decisions are based on law and evidence NOT on public opinion so “LET THE RULE OF LAW PREVAIL”.
Over a decade ago, I recall a discussion that I had with a group of friends while I was working in Bangkok, Thailand.
Though I am not a professional Economist, I am well read and I keep abreast with social events, political ramifications and current world affairs. Nothing that I would say is considered classified information. Just the usual fare that you too read about or hear about it over the various forms of media.
We talked about World’s Supremacy and diverse matters that go along with it. None of us believed that our small shop talk would make any drop of change in the any direction or would it improve anyone’s erstwhile standing.
Just pundits we were, one and all, appearing to know more than what we really did know. It was at this discussion that I remember having stated, the fortunes of the United States of America will fall as did all other Empires in Civilization of gone by era. And it caused a heated discussion because the most Thais “idolize” America. LOL!
Today, I chanced on this article which screamed,
“IMF Bombshell: Age of America Nears End”
Of course, there will be arguments for or against that notion. Read all about what Brett Arends, a senior columnist for MarketWatch and a personal-finance columnist for The Wall Street Journal wrote about it. [ HERE ].
My premonition then, based on analytical insights on the United States of America is proving right.
The Egyptians’ protests and uprising had finally come to an end when Hosni Mubarak, 82 years old, announced that he is finally stepping down as President of Egypt after thirty (30) long years of hanging on tightly to power. The 18-day uprising had cost some of the Egyptians their lives and properties.
This is a very poignant moment for the Egyptians. I personally celebrate with them and salute their courage and persistence. They took this battle to the streets which finally ended the reigns of dictatorship.
Greater challenges ahead are awaiting the Egyptians. I hope they make the best out of the liberty that has been granted to them.
Right smack in the yearly seasonal typhoon period in the Philippines, this year it brings a hugely sensitive maelstrom at the behest of none other than the President himself.
Google “president noynoy birth control” and you are met with a list of references on this hotly debated issue, primarily from its protectionist, the Catholic Church and her prelates. Items listed such as these:
Search Results:
“Noynoy Aquino News | Full Coverage – Yahoo! Philippines News”
“Church threatens Noynoy Aquino over birth control policy …”
“Aquino should ignore Filipino bishops on birth control | Asian …”
I remember Windy once telling me a long time ago that it is not BIRTH CONTROL that the Philippines is in dire need. Windy went on to rationalize to me. In his ensuing explanation, he said that what the Philippines need to inculcate is BIRD CONTROL measures among the males.
He drew an analogy. If Parrots and Mynahs and Budgerigars can be trained to talk and sing, why can’t man’s bird be trained not to spit!
By that he meant that if the powers-that-be can enact a law to control the BIRD (the male penis) the women population is safe. I don’t think he meant male castration. OUCH!!!
But he did say that those males who impregnate and abandon their unwedded young girls and women MUST BE CASTRATED by law!!! Draconian indeed huh!
Thank God that Windy will never become a President of the Philippines.
Like an unfinished page that never got past the desk of Mario Puzo, Godfather Part V never reached Francis Ford Coppola and therefore it never became another integral part of that iconic Movie series.
However, we still will get to read about it as this “mafia ala Filipino style” unfolds at the start of the trial at Camp Bagong Diwa courtroom in Taguig City, Philippines.
Grotesque in the sense that the family members of the alleged murderers plotted the killings of rivals and journalists over dinner six days before the ambush. OVER DINNER!!!
Gosh! how on earth did these guys even relish their dinner while discussing such a topic for dinner conversation?
Kris Aquino, the youngest sister of President Benigno Aquino III, told reporters afterward that she and Yap have entered into a “compromise agreement.”
Baby James is the second child of Kris Aquino.
Ball Game’s Over!
Professional basketball player James Yap showed surprise that Kris Aquino confirmed that the high-profile couple was going through a tough time again, and that their latest marital problem could be the most serious incident.
It was on June 16 when Kris first admitted through her Twitter page that she and Yap had a “big misunderstanding.”
No quarter has been spared. Full media coverage has inundated this couple including Social Network sites! What a laugh!!!
We stopped loving each other a long time ago
Woohoo! did James Yap get someone else pregnant?
She said she heard he’s been dating somebody else, and she thinks it is okay that it would be easier for her and the country to move on.
And the saga continues, played melodramatically in full view and hearing of the Philippine Republic.
The aggrieved wife really dropped by the house of a girl texting and calling her husband and then, because she’s concerned for the safety of their two children, she packed her things, kids included, and moved over to her older sister’s house – for the time being, hopefully – leaving the confused husband home alone at their house in Valle Verde II they have sold and scheduled to turn over to the new owner on Jan. 25 before they move to a new one.
It is a given, that in a populace that is addicted to television soap operas, the James-Kris scandal has upstaged the elder and President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
“Private matter sa aming mga bayaw (It’s a private matter between us brothers-in-law), I think we’d keep these things in the family.”
Pres. Aquino told reporters at the Manila Hotel late Thursday afternoon.
And why bother Your Excellency, President Benigno, when it’s reported that you declared:
“I just lent an ear to listen to what he had to say and give a few cents’ worth. Pwede naman sabihin baka hindi ako (I may even say I am not) qualified to advise him on such matters,” he added, referring to his status as a bachelor.”
( Can you give more than a few cents’ worth the next time, Mr. President?)
Earlier, Pres. Aquino said he would not meddle in the row between his sister and Yap unless he was approached, saying giving unsolicited advice would be improper.
(Psssst! Mr. President, may I ask you if that is also the same attitude towards the Nation’s ills? You’d not meddle unless you are approached and you won’t give unsolicited advice to your subordinates?)
Now the entire Nation is held in suspenders. Ooops! I meant, suspense, mulling whether they elected an able leader to the highest Office in the land; a leader that can at the least resolve a family scandal and prevent trash from floating around aimlessly and for a matter that will not raise the quality of life for the ordinary citizen.
Celebrity pariahs ; the daughter Kris and son-in-law James of Mama, ex-President Cory Aquino who has been popularly hailed as a possible candidate for Sainthood by a predominantly Catholic populace, as they shamefully whet the gossip appetite of their fans.
I PUT TO YOU A MORAL QUESTION
As a consequence of the annulment case, the once legitimate Baby James will now bear the brunt of his parents’ separation. Is it then morally right to deprive Baby James of his legitimacy by robbing him the name of his biological father?
May 10th, the Philippine populace went to the ballot to vote for the next President.
Although the final counts are not yet announced, it is now beyond speculative assessment that Benigno Aquino III will be President-elect for the Republic of the Philippines.
His closest two rivals in this elections, namely, Manny Villar and Gilberto Teodoro have conceded defeat.
If there is something to look forward for a better Filipino tomorrow, it would have to be with the four NO’s that are contained in his name.
Benigno ”Noynoy” Aquino
NO to corruption NO to cronyism NO to political upheavals NO to waste of public funds
Uh-Oh! did I hear someone say, NO Improvements.
God forbid!!!
May God Enlighten our new President and Bless the Philippines.
With less than 100 days before Philippine’s President Arroyo ends her two term leadership fiasco, it also defies common sense that at the eleventh hour, the Filipinos to send her packing-off with her Report Card all marked in red. The People Power Movement (EDSA) should have booted her from the Malacañang Palace much earlier than that.
Two Ai-Yo-Yo! Office terms and only God knows what she was up to for her Country and fellow countrymen.
Mrs. Arroyo’s best net satisfaction score is +30, hit in March 2004. Her rating fell into negative territory seven months later and has remained there since. None of her predecessors — Corazon C. Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos and Joseph E. Estrada — received a negative score.
The poll results, made exclusive to BusinessWorld, showed Mrs. Arroyo’s net satisfaction rating at a “very bad” -53 , the lowest notched by a president since the independent survey research institution began the survey in 1986.
Mrs. Arroyo saw her net satisfaction rating fall to “very bad” from merely “bad” in all geographic areas except in the Visayas, by socioeconomic class, and in gender terms.
In terms of gender, Mrs. Arroyo’s net rating among men fell by 16 points to -55, and was down 13 points to -50 among women.
Survey conducted by: Social Weather Stations (SWS)
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General Santos Time
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