I spied some people crowing about the bit of expert “historical perspective” provided by Inquirer.net “columnist” Raul Pangalangan in his recent piece that is given the presumptuous title ‘Save the Constituition from the Court’. I must say, the Inquirer Editor should re-evaluate the mix of writers she employs lest the reputation of the venerable “newspaper” as the Filipino peoples’ brains trust be dragged down by their quaint textbook “knowledge”. The manner with which some of these writers mislead their vast readership with their flawed, sloppy, and often lazy thinking is borderline criminal.
(1) Pangalangan claims that a “showdown” between Malacañang and the Supreme court is not unprecedented as some of us claim. Fair enough (ignoring for now the lame examples he cites to illustrates his limp point). The existence of three co-equal branches of government assures us a healthy check-and-balance of each one’s devices, and therefore some degree of conflict is expected and instances of these dot history since the dawn of “democracy”. What is unprecedented in recent Philippine history is the railroading of the impeachment complaint. It is railroading to the tune of no less than 188 House “representatives” within the span of less than a day signing up to it (many of whom reportedly hadn’t even read it at the time they signed up).
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(2) Pangalangan cites instances where US President Barack Obama himself “denounced” the US Supreme Court “in the presence of several justices”. I suppose he hoped to provide some sort of perverse perspective to excuse Noynoy’s spectacular exhibition of his ill-breeding in the speech he delivered before the First National Criminal Justice Summit. I’m not sure where this obssession with comparing Obama to Noynoy amongst the Yellow mob keeps coming from but doing so is like comparing a German-engineered Mercedes Benz to a de-pukpok “manufactured” jeepney. Apples-to-chicharon does not make for credible science (even Pinoy-style science).
(3) Pangalangan cites the way the late US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) himself mounted a “court packing plan” to mitigate the rulings of a “conservative” US Supreme Court at a time he was aggressively pushing his New Deal legislation to combat the Great Depression. But then as Pangalangan himself noted (in considering that the packing plan was not supported by US Congress), the US High Court eventually “changed its tune”. Pangalangan buries this little detail in a bracketed after-note, yet it illustrates an important point: that the stance of the justices of the US High Court could be changed — presumably this was done through intelligent and issues-based DEBATE. Perhaps Pangalangan should provide us with the details of the process that the US Supreme Court went through in changing their position on FDR’s New Deal — which is where the more important lesson for 21st Century Filipinos might lie.
True to the now all-too-familiar form of the romantic apologists of you-know-who, Pangalangan defers to that tired notion of “the People’s will”…
The real lesson here is that “We, the People†own this Constitution. The courts do not hold a monopoly over the power to divine its meanings.
Zzzzzzz…
You wanna talk “saving” the Philippine “Constitution”? Well then Mr Raul Pangalangan, perhaps behold the wisdom of the grand-daddy of constitutionalism, the venerable Fr Joaquin Bernas SJ…
Government officials have only so much authority as is given to them by law and the Constitution, and not what they might assume to be given to them by popular rallies.
Taking the notion of the “power of the People” out of the context of institutional governance simply perverts it into the sad ocho-ocho practice of the millions of bozos whose minds are so utterly idled by persistent unemployment and/or dumbed-down by brain-cell-killing media content that they would routinely troop to those hare-brained street “rallies”, sign up to these vacuous “movements”, or monomaniacally “like” and “retweet” moronic slogans posted on Facebook or Twitter. And we have guys like Raul Pangalangan to thank for that sad disposition that infests Philippine society.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
geez, I wonder how much these Pnoy paid hacks/ hugas kamay people get paid for?? you know that Pnoy’s got the media under his leash willing to do his bidding.
They are not paid. Bka kau ang byaran ksi mrme ang Pilipinong ngmamahal at naniniwala kay Tito Noy at kayo ay tumatanggap p rin ng pera kay Gloria
Ayan ka nanaman vincenzo idioto
Napaka sirang plaka mo na talaga
@Nutzi Vincenzo
We are not slaves Vincenzo. I do this for freedom. Your loyalty is to an evil politician alone. He may have manipulated his perceived mass of the people. But not the silent majority.
Your loyalty should be with the flag country and people. Your loyalty should be to tried and tested principles.
You fawn and adore a false god.He perceives that God is on his side.Yet he divides the people. He is not the way to national salvation. His is the liars way to perdition and the destruction of democracy.
typical bobo pinoy!!!!
BadNoys famous quotes(Philstar Dec. 16, 2011)
Supreme Court dictatorial tendencies theory
“Let’s see, whose actions are proving something? Example: isn’t it that when we go to the courts, we expect that with the symbol -the lady of justice- having her eyes blindfolded as she carries the scales of justice, that what would happen would be nothing but fairness and certainty when it comes to the laws.”
“If you lose that certainty and predictability in the laws, when the interpretation of the laws keep on changing, who will be followed? Who is dictating now? I think it’s quite difficult to understand that we are the ones dictating when we are the ones who get dizzy with the changing decisions that also affect the people.”
Oh yeah I forgot… did he not interpret the law(in accordance with his genius perception) many times in his executive quest to delve into the world of the Judiciary?
Denial in the use of lies is now an instrument of national policy. Hail the denial king!
“The real lesson here is that We the People own this constitution. The courts do not hold a monopoly over the power to divine its meanings.”- Raul Pangalanan
The subliminal pitch(intended to misguide the gullible and ignorant)of the quote saying we own the constitution teaches that we have the license to do anything and everything we want to do in it’s name. This will lead of course to chaos and anarchy.
It also stresses that the Supreme Court is not the only one who can interpret the laws. If Mr. Aquino and his company of evil henchmen can interpret the law by his genius perception of what it should be for his own expediency then every nutcase with his own agenda can even reverse rulings of the High Court in his mind. We are now a nation of judges!
BadNoy rule of thumb: “Lie is Truth and Truth is Lie.” This is better than his uncle Adolf’s!
It simply means his real Lie is made to appear as the Truth and what is the real Truth is made to appear as a Lie.
He denies he is a dictator now. Despite his acts and statements. These were recorded in a media paper trail. He was called a dictator many times. He was also called an autocrat. His media happy Delima is now on the same track in continuing her attacks against the CJ and the Supreme Court.
that problems crop up if you keep reading benign0.
heheheee.
http://jcc34.wordpress.com/2011/12/16/opening-statement-before-the-senate-impeachement-of-cj-corona/
@Nutzi jcc
Your one-liner proves a point. You are just as nutzi as your little god. Go home fawning slave and kiss your false idol where it counts!
jcc,
You must demand a complete refund of your matriculation where you have taken your education. (On the other hand, that school should have disowned you and return your matriculation voluntarily he he he.)
They did not teach you the correct reading comprehension. All they thought you is how to copy and paste.
Still promoting your blogsite “for free” heh.
If we stop reading benign0’s articles, will the problems stop cropping up? Probably. But that doesn’t mean the problems don’t exist.
Why stop reading his articles anyways? To delude ourselves that problems don’t exist?
And really, is the “heheheee” necessary? It’s creepy.
abs-cbn – the new govt ‘news’/propaganda channel.
hacienda luisita – the words they cannot speak
de lima – ‘ we will impeach all 10 non-aquino sc judges’
6 months per impeachment.
5 years
economy et al a real priority!
roll on 2016 – ??!?! roxas &%%@
roll on 2022 – pacquaio ?&/#/!!
i am packing now –
88% have hope for 2012 – hope that they get a job abroad.
it isnt over til the bald man sings – he has and it sounds painful
Like what Pnoy’s Followers is zombie’s. Everything their so called GOD says is FINAL. HOPE and God Bless Philippines on these another TELENOVA acts.
so even the senators say impeachment is a political process. law/evidence has nothing to do with it.
then why waste 6 months trying to look important but silly in togas.
the country has other issues – but obviously not in makati etc.
and the future of democracy in the hands of lapid/sotto/revilla – come on. the combined mental prowess wouldnt be smarter than a 5th grader
From BadNoys viewpoint… Impeachment is defined as a rigged, politically expedient process intended to remove personal enemies of Mr. Aquino. It is designed to perpetuate him in absolute power. As it is also designed to restore Hacienda Luisita.
The truth hurts. This inadequate process must be the greatest weakness in our checks and balances. It practically allows the majority party to be dictated upon by evil men in the executive branch.It allows a dictatorship to act against free and just opposition.What is the solution? The constitution is silent.
between the commies, the cojuangcos, the chinese, and the church – we’re screwed. the c%&*s
you looser!
a LOSER who cant spell.
q.e.d – latin for loser
Once again I must make parallels between Ze Fuhrer and Pnoy who both claim they are responsible to the people alone not to the law.(kayo ang boss ko anyone?)Ze Fuhrer claims that by taking actions independent from the rule of law he is in fact restoring the greatness of the German people and Pnoy claims he’s actions are for the good of the people because corruption will be rooted out. The end justifies the means and Machiavelli would be proud.
Heil Der Fuhrer BadNoy! The greatest nutzi mind of the nutzi master yellow race! Watch him as he continues to assassinate characters in the pro-democracy Supreme Court. Yes! His character assassination targets personalities and the Judiciary institution itself!
War is deceit!His great lies are now adopted as an instrument of national policy! When he says he is not a dictator he is confounding his enemies!Der Fuhrer afraid of the international community? Nein! He is just playing with their minds! After all, he is nutzi superior and they are inferior! They love strong men!
His followers echo his lies! Every perceived enemy guilty before trial! Every truth is a lie and every lie is a truth! Der Fuhrer’s brilliant nutzi mind is focused! Like a stuka focused on target for blitzkrieg reforms in the name of the people! There is no rule of law! There is only the great nutzi spirit possessing his being of nutzi greatness!
We may have a new Chief Justice soon! Nein he is not a lawyer he is a political science expert! The pro-democracy news paper Manila Standard revealed this today. Der nutzi Fuhrer is supreme in his selection of a Chief Justice! A Chief Justice who is uber faithful and obedient to the Fuhrer’s superior will! His true nutzi wish is to have a court that follows his brilliant interpretation of nutzi law!
In this connection, his favorite schweinhund Gestapo Chief Delima continues her own stuka dive bombing campaign.She is no longer afraid! She is proud and arrogant! Delima knows she can get away with it! Her lies are like bombs blasting the pro-democracy Chief Justice and the other justices. She also adopts lies as an instrument of national policy! A true faithful mirror of the Great Nutzi Fuhrer! The great nutzi spirit possesses her soul and her nutzi mind. Truly absolute power is the way to the straight path of dicatorship! Seig Heil!
“Ignorance is servitude, because as a man thinks, so he is; a man who does not think for himself and allowed himself to be guided by the thought of another is like the beast led by a halter.”
-Dr. Jose P. Rizal
“There can be no tyrants where there are no slaves.” -Dr. Jose P. Rizal
Profile of Penoy’s rabid defender:
> They get their news from tabloids or from Daily Inquirer – a tabloid spreadsheet. (Check their links).
> They source their opinion from ABS-CBN news. Tunying Taberna, the time check Chinese interpreter, is their favorite opinion maker. (Check their sound bites).
> They are out of touch. Defending the indefensible (Penoy and de Lima) is already a lunacy in its highest order. (Read about them in Daily Tribune, Manila Standard, and Philippine Star).
> They are fact-challenged. Facts make their head explode. (Read their comments and how they make their arguments here in this blog).
> They believe that climate change is man made! (Just my interpolation).
@Trosp
Wow, that was a complete bullseye to vincenzo’s exact personality when he comments here.
And I forgot to mention that they are also comprehension-challenged. They can’t distinguish allegation/accusation from conviction and speculation/hearsay from facts.
They won’t let facts stand in the way of a good GMA bashing.
Perfect examples are these two unhinged opinion makers – Harry Roque and Conrado De Quiros. It’s a presstitution for them.
One of the problems with rabid anti-GMA people, and now, anti-Corona people, is that they depend on speculation. Well, not all speculation may be wrong… but the thing is they treat it as if their speculations are always right.
Completely agree with you bro.
Even yellow idiots have invaded sites like this and believe complete speculations
If some Media People compare themselves, as the true sources of wisdom and knowledge. I must take a serious look at their SANITY. No person have the monopoly of wisdom and knowledge…some of us know one thing; others know another thing…Media people have the bad reputations of being mouthpieces of some Politicians. I don’t believe they do it for free. Of course, you have the right to have opinions. So, do I on you, giving such opinions.
Comparing some Nut-Case President to great Presidents, is something unpalatable to me. A President must have a mind of his own. Because, circumstances and situations, varies, according to its time and times…It does not mean that if you are a Newspaper Columnist, you are immuned to writing Stupid Columns and contributing your nonsense to people, who are clueless (Woowoowee people).
“We are not final because we are infallible, but we are infallible only because we are final.â€â€”Justice Robert H. Jackson, concurring in Brown v. Allen (1953)
Ive heard about Bernas? who is he? Who is Bernas?
Mr. Benigno, blogger boy. I’v read your piece and its all too cute, very cute indeed. Now Pls. read also the consolidated cases of Arturo De Castro vs. Judicial Bar Council and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, GR. No. 191002, March 17, 2010 and Pls. pls. take time to read In re appointments dated March 30, 1998 of Honorable Mateo A Valenzuela and Honorable Placido Vallarta, Judges of RTC 62, Bago City and Branch 24, Cabanatuan City, respectively, En banc. A.M. No. 98-01-SC, Nov. 9, 1998, penned by CJ Narvasa. Pls. read it. Use Mr. Google.
yeah., the CJ keeps on harping, kesyo, rule of law, obeying the constitution, but look, he was the one who violated the constitution by accepting a midnight appointment. Okay sana ang sinasabi ninyo, if not for the midnight appointment. In the Vallarta Case,Padre Bernas, was even quoted. Kesyo daw not to tie the hands of the next president, kaya bawal ang midmight appointment. Ang analytical at makabatas na ponente ni CJ Narvasa ay winala ni Bersamin sa isang simplistic na decsion. I raise my eyebrows everytime the chief justice speaks kuno of the constitution and the rule of law kuno.
The issue of him being a midnight appointee is already old and closed. Even Father Bernas has already expressed that there is nothing unconstitutional about it.
And besides:
1. The fact that he is being impeached only means that he is recognized as the Chief Justice.
2. If his being a midnight appointee is so big an issue, why act only now?
You can refer to this article for more details on the issue of midnight appointment.