The Japanese have a proverb/saying:
仏の顔も三度 – hotoke no kao mo sando
Literally, this means “Buddha’s face lasts only three times”. What this means is that even the nicest of persons can get angry after being provoked to a certain extent.
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Why three? I don’t know, but for simplistic reasons just think of it as an arbitrary number similar to “seventy times seven.”
The face of Philippine courts has already been slapped three times. Let’s recap:
- Secretary De Lima defying a Supreme Court TRO when she arrested Arroyo
- STC defying the TRO by refusing to let the kids graduate
- SM Baguio defying the TRO on cutting trees
It’s time for the courts to get angry, don’t you think?
The courts, though, are bound by law not to do anything out of line. However, we as Filipinos can do the being angry for them.
Be angry at ourselves:
- for not obeying the law.
- for brainlessly electing incompetent and self-serving politicians into office.
- for allowing impunity to go by unchecked.
- for allowing ourselves to wallow in mediocrity and fatalistic mindsets
- for blaming everyone but others for our own misfortunes
- for allowing ourselves to be swayed into thinking that what is popular is right
Be angry at institutions:
- that continue to enrich themselves at our cost.
- that teach to their constituents that being above the law is perfectly normal
- that bog us down with archaic dogmas and empty promises
- that would rather keep us uninformed and dumbed down because they want to stay relevant
- that insist that we citizens have no choice in our fate
Be angry at our government officials:
- who insist that they know what is good for us without actually listening to us
- who do nothing but noynoying
- who protect their oligarch friends instead of their real boss, the Filipino people
- who spit at the concept of three co-equal branches of government
- who claim to be against corruption but actually perpetuate it
- who are supposedly bringing stability to our country but are in reality keeping the status quo
Of course, just being angry is not going to help. Channeling this anger in the right direction is the next step. I am not telling you guys to mount another useless street revolution. Frankly, we should have had enough of this after EDSA I. The only thing that this results in is a lot of trash on the streets.
It is our duty to demand more from our government officials than catchy slogans and empty promises. It is our duty to subject all their programs to the proper scrutiny. It is our duty as responsible citizens to give feedback to our officials on whether we are satisfied with their performance or not. It is our duty to criticize our country constructively, because we all have a part to play in helping it improve. It is our duty to make sure that everyone within the community is aware of the law and abides by it all of the time. It is our duty to demand that a law be amended if any clause in it is partisan or exploitative.
Critics of the Filipino people have often chided us for being emotionally sensitive, being angry for all the wrong reasons, and for not using our heads. Let’s prove them wrong. Use the Ten Commandments of GRP as a guide; it is time we get to the dirty work of tearing down our flawed cultural character and building it up correctly.
The Philippine justice system needs our help. It is currently locked in a struggle for independence and survival from a very selfish clique of oligarchs. These people would rather see the Philippines go to ruin just to increase their bottom lines: profit and power. If the oligarchy wins against our justice system, then even the little chance there is for a progressing Philippines is lost. It’s time to take back our country!
The Filipino is worth fighting for; Noynoy and his family and friends are not.
[Image courtesy Zipline Conservative.]
А вы, друзья, как ни садитесь, все в музыканты не годитесь. – But you, my friends, however you sit, not all as musicians fit.
Thought provoking. I rather think the Judiciary needs its own police force, eh? If Executive will not arrest those who violate court orders. The de Lima case is interesting, and I wonder what legal scholars write about it.The arm of government that should put people in jail for violating court orders is itself, apparently, violating a court order. Their argument, I think, is that the court is acting in an illegitimate and therefore unenforceable way, being an unethical arm of a political interest (Arroyo).
Then I read that Executive and Legislative are also in a bit of tussle over pork funding. The Office of Budget has withheld money from legislators pending a review of the purpose for the money. So legislators are bent out of shape.
There are two ways to look at this. It reflects one branch disrespecting another branch, and therefore is bad. Or, it is the normal push and shove that occurs when checks and balances are checking and balancing in an active government. I lean toward the latter, and see this as Philippine democracy finding its feet, which it must do because there is no brilliant leader like Thomas Jefferson to iron out the wrinkles. I can’t imagine an active government operating in complete cohesion. Life and laws are too intricate. So checking and balancing is healthy.
I also agree that anger is not sufficient on its own, and it would be great if some Tea Party or Civil Liberties Union emerged from people grouping together and channeling their anger into ways of confronting the “system” within the system’s legal structure.
Never boring in the Philippines . . .
Your flowery words fail to justify why you would side with a government who defied the Supreme Court and set a precedent for others to do the same.
Your bias is blinding you once again.
Dude, actually, I am disappointed in President Aquino’s handling of the impeachment. The pressuring of the House to act hastily. Political statements during the trial. I guess the House was responsible for selecting the attorneys and prosecuting the case, but what a mess. I am not versed in the legalities of the TRO, and have put my favorable impression of Secretary de Lima on hold pending the Arroyo cases. That is her baliwick and I hope things are better organized and legalistically sound.
But that is different than supporting the President because I want a strong, stable Philippines that is not coup oriented and always in turmoil. That sees the arguments between the three branches of government as the stabilizing process of a democracy finding its feet, rather than running roughshod over the people.
As long as the HoR is under the control of a president, coups won’t be an issue. Cases in point: Erap. He didn’t have them in his pocket. He got booted out. GMA could’ve made them dance the Tango if she wanted them to. PNoy has them by their tongues because of their taste for pork.
Criticizing the president is also a way of “supporting” him. Like, what if he listens and act on the criticism? Won’t that be “magical”?
Just because he has his magic numbers behind him doesn’t mean that everything’s all rosy. In fact, people should be more vigilant these days. It doesn’t help him if everyone is just blindly following him.
With his so-called supporters backing him up, then it’s going to be easy to pass sub-par performance as the best for the Pinoys. Case: The Impeachment
PNoy sparked the war between the branches of government. He’s the one who should solve that issue. What’s he doing it about it, really? Last time I checked, he’s just fanning the flames. How’s that for a turmoil-free Philippines?
brianitus, good point on criticism being supportive for the president. I had not thought of it quite in those terms. The public indeed is one of the heavy checks and balances. And I think Mr. Aquino is indeed (hyper?) sensitive to public criticism.
I think Ms. Arroyo started the “war” between Executive and the Supreme Court with a less than gracious midnight appointment that effectively blocked the President’s anti-corruption drive.
@Joe
In what way did the appointment of Corona block PNoy’s anti-corruption drive? PNoy himself is corrupt. In your own words you proved it: “The pressuring of the House to act hastily. Political statements during the trial.”
@Joe:
Sensitive? Add pigheadedness to that.
That war of branches that GMA started actually ended as soon as legal opinion cemented that Midnight Appointment. It’s actually pointless to keep on arguing that. Unless one can blow up a mountain, it’s useless to curse why it’s there.
Having said that, the PNoy knew the lay of the land as soon as he stepped in GMA’s high heels. What’ll be measured won’t be GMA’s actions, it’s PNoy’s. A fine start it was with the CJ snubbing during the inaugural.
As for EO shot blocks, the SC actually gave Team PNoy some advice on how to go about handling the technicality of that EO on the Truth Commission. Team PNoy dropped the ball when it went emo.
Para 1, pigheaded; noted. Gahi ulo. He is Filipino I guess. I don’t know of many soft heads hereabouts, or small egos.
Para 2, If I felt the Chief Justice were a major roadblock to my anti-corruption agenda, and my legacy, I’d try to find a different route over the mountain. I’d try lots of different roads.
Para 3, agree. I think he has pretty well botched the whole Chief Justice proceeding. But I also think this kind of tussle is not unusual for any democracy.
Para 4, interesting. I wasn’t aware of that. thanks.
@Joe:
LOL. It takes one pighead to know a pighead.
Yeah, there are plenty of ways to skin a cat. I wonder why killing the cat was the first option. The cat still lives.
On the point you werent aware of, I guess the palace did not want to play that up too much.
@Joe
If you are not well versed, then clearly you are just siding with de Lima only because you are biased against GMA. That is wrong. Consider the consequence of siding with a rule breaker.
You are not analysing this very well. You have to know what you are talking about first before you side with someone. This is why you are very inconsistent.
dude, well, we all do our best, I think, to analyze what we see. If I got new facts about something, or the situation changed with the passing of time, and I changed my mind, would I be “inconsistent”? Or would I be enlightened, and flexible. Why is “inconsistency” considered a weakness in your eyes? I find weakness in those who adhere like a big chunk of cement to a position, even in the face of new information, because they don’t want to lose face.
You shouldn’t be quick to judge other people then if you are “not versed” on what you are talking about. Inconsistency is bad in your case because you already took a position without knowing all the facts.
I think you were describing yourself.
Dude, well, I suppose you are right, in many instances I could let my opinions bake a little before I take them out of the oven. Still, it is a lot of fun letting them rip, and having confidence that better educated people can instruct me as to my naivete.
And, I suppose another essential question is, do I inspire people to think new thoughts, or to smile in amusement? Some seem to get it, some do not. I write for those who do, and I hope those who do not will read more.
@Joe
So you are now saying that people should not be taking you seriously at all.
Thanks for the heads up! 😉
@joe: just so we’re clear, impunity stems from an endless supply of excuses to keep doing the wrongs you’ve been (caught) doing, like you did here:
http://getrealphilippines.com/2012/04/the-dying-lands/comment-page-1/#comment-29963
you’ve always fancied yourself a thought provocateur. you’re not. ilda is. fallenangel is. arche is. benign0 is. the grp authors are. the link above perfectly shows how you do NOT inspire.
if you do not agree, read it again and see how anyone else besides yourself could be inspired or amused after seeing all that filth in a futile attempt to defend what you could not substantiate. that’s impunity, not flexibility. monkey see, monkey do.
some get it. you clearly do not. nothing personal. just calling a spade a spade.
If I can still recall, those who does not agree with this idiot, his claim, do not read.
And this idiot reads heh!
Dude,
Yes, that is exactly correct. Take nothing I say seriously. Consider that my commentary is intended to loosen up your own thinking so that it settles somewhere other than where it took off from. If it fails to do that, nothing is lost.
Parallellaxe, trosp,
You two clowns remind me of the sucker fish who follow the big fish around, nipping the parasites from his scales. They couldn’t survive if they did not have the big fish to chase. Meanwhile, another worthwhile blog thread bites the dust, disrespected by you pervert stalkers, who add nothing, zero, zip, nada, wala to the discussion.
@Joe
Your lame excuse for being inconsistent will not work. If your intention was provoke others all along, you would not have complained so much about being called a moron.
You might think you have found a way to get out of this sorry situation but think again. Everyone is already on to you. Your support for PNoy is undeniable and saying that you are just playing a devils advocate wreaks of hypocrisy.
Dude,
So your thinking landed the same place from which it started. No problem. No surprise.
I never said I am playing the devil’s advocate. I said I am critical of the president when he warrants criticism, and I support him overall as the legally elected President of my adopted country, because I want my country to be seen by others as strong, not a banana republic subject to the instability of the coup mentality. Stretch your mind, bro. I know you can do it.
@Joe
The solution to your problem is simple. Just give others the freedom to dislike him, hate him and to criticise him the way they want to. Don’t judge others just because they don’t feel exactly the way you do about the President.
Your intolerance become obvious when you whine about how others express their views about PNoy.
For this Maher boy aka Joe America, according to this dud –
“You two clowns remind me of the sucker fish who follow the big fish around, nipping the parasites from his scales. They couldn’t survive if they did not have the big fish to chase.”
This dud is describing himself. The way I see it, he is an unwanted visitor here. Almost every informed commenter here who has discourse with him felt cheated.
Only the trolls are happy with him.
There are those who feel that this dud is the underdog. I would advise them to read previous comments of this dud.
This dud keeps on insisting himself here. Just read how the bloggers here argue with him and still he can’t feel the heat or any embarrassment. Really this dud is shameless. He’s the sucker fish.
“Meanwhile, another worthwhile blog thread bites the dust, disrespected by you pervert stalkers, who add nothing, zero, zip, nada, wala to the discussion”
Jeez, this dud refuse to read comments which he knows are not agreeing with his agenda. As I’ve said, he wanted them to be about himself and the way he sees things. Almost all his comments here are about himself, dishonesties, lies, misinterpretations, and misinformation/disinformation spin.
Pwe!
Stay classy Maher boy!
dude, so we are back to your definition of freedom of speech meaning I should shut my yap if you don’t like it. The CJ should perhaps employ you as one of the defense lawyers.
@joe:
that’s phenomenal cowpie, and do you know why, joe? because you don’t have a monopoly of good ideas, which means you cannot presume to “loosen up” someone else’s thinking to end up some other place rather than his/her own.
AND when it fails to do that (and it does fail when you don’t SUBSTANTIATE certain things you keep repeating). SOMETHING is lost, not nothing, and it’s called “time”. you’ve become too accustomed to the typical pinoy who loves wasting time watching local television programming that you don’t mind wasting your own to waste someone else’s. how pinoy.
don’t flatter yourself. you just happen to be the biggest source of b.s. that keeps visiting this blog. and in case you didn’t know, b.s. adds nothing to the discussion except a span of time distracted with something that is ultimately pointless. (you may be more effective pandering to raissa robles’ idiot readers, not here. at least you all like wasting your own time and each other’s.)
so don’t fret. the blog thread is fine. i just wanted to ruin your day with a cold splash of reality.
yes, we have the freedom to tell you joe to shut your yap when we think you should (though we know you won’t), because we have freedom of speech.
it would actually be an honor and a privilege to be among the defense lawyers, if i may speak for dude. perhaps you, joe, would like to enlist in pnoy’s band of idiot prosecutors led by tupas? they’re used to b.s. so you’ll fit in just fine.
Without offending blondes, I’m curious if this Maher boy aka Joe Ameica a blonde.
It is sad that this Noynoy Aquino administration, whose power was the result of EDSA myth, is now the lawbreaker of our country. They defy court orders. They think themselves, as above any law. So, they break the laws with impunity..
And some troll said that “GMA and Corona should held be accountable on their alleged crimes. This culture of impunity must be stopped.” And I was like, WHA?
TBH, that started with Cory’s time if you ask me.