I’ve been mulling about writing a long article on the subject of Senator Grace Poe’s case in the Supreme Court for some time now, but figured out that what I have to say about his very complicated and complex legal issue amounts to less than five hundred words.
What do I really know about the laws and legalities of Poe’s case? Nothing really.
Except for the lawyers who’ve weighed in, one way or the other, I think everybody else hawking their particular point of view ought to just shut up and listen to the arguments at the Supreme Court.
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There are a lot of really good articles coming out about the case and I don’t know if there is any sense in coming up with a blog post reacting to these articles.
On one hand, I can appreciate the legal arguments being discussed. On the other hand, I find such talk about rules and laws so anal.
All this discussion of rules and laws don’t seem to come close to any discussion of what I think should be at the heart of the matter which is LOYALTY.
If you searched for the reason why our constitution requires that those seeking the presidency should be a natural born citizen and a resident of 10 years, one of the answers you will find is that it is rooted in the idea that such qualifications will thwart any attempt of another country to dominate the politics of another country. This was better discussed in an article on Ted Cruz and if you want to read it (you should) you can follow the link here.
I think the underlying idea here is that someone born in a particular place and who has lived there for a number of years will be more loyal to the people of that place than someone who was born or grew up elsewhere.
I don’t think there is any empirical evidence to support this view, especially if we are talking about the Philippines.
Everybody here from the richest to the poor will sell out the country’s interests with little or no prodding. Fear of foreign domination? YEAH RIGHT!
While it is easy enough to figure out what loyalty is, it is nearly impossible to figure out what being loyal to the Philippines is all about and this is because, as Senator Dick Gordon once said, Filipinos have no sense of country.
If people have no sense of country, how can they be loyal to it?
As pointed out in that movie Luna, Filipinos are loyal to their families more than any idea of nationhood and as far as families are concerned, there are only a handful of families in the country that control most of the wealth in it.
So, really, if you think about it that way, swearing an oath of loyalty to the Philippines is really swearing an oath of loyalty to these families who comprise the economic and political elite.
Ever come across the idea that a country’s laws were made and are being used to protect the interests of the status quo? Look it up.
If you don’t believe me, just figure that it has been widely spread that Roxas’ camp actually funded the filing of the cases questioning Poe’s citizenship and residency qualifications. Roxas belongs to the Araneta clan, the most visible member of which (apart from Roxas himself) is Jorge Araneta — ranked 26th richest billionaire in the Philippines by Forbes.
Another family whose interests are threatened by Poe’s candidacy is the Binays, who belong to the country’s political elite and we’ve also seen articles hawking the idea that they’ve backed the cases against Poe.
Looking at things this way, I think Poe’s case in the Supreme Court is not really about her qualifications for presidency but whether someone outside of the political and economic elite can challenge the status quo.
Writer.
Too late. The Chinese–and soon to be Koreans– now own the Failippines, with Failipino politicians on their payroll to do the obvious dirty work for them of oppressing their own people.
That there is no empirical evidence of naturally born and raised individuals are more loyal to their motherland than are foreign born transplants is, perhaps, belied by people like Andres Bonifacio, Jose Rizal, Antonio Luna, Gregorio del Pilar and others in that time and generation. To drive home this point, we might mention those in other countries like Simon Bolivar, born in Caracas, Venezuela; George Washington, born in Virginia, USA; Jose Marti, born in Havana, Cuba, and many others in many other countries.
Is there any evidence, empirical or theoretical, that points the other way? I haven’t heard of any.This piece is about conjecture.. it seems.
In history, there’s Napoleon who’s Corsican, but made France great for a while. There’s Alexander the Great, who was Macedonian, but became the so-far greatest leader of Greece. And there’s Adolf Hitler, who is Austrian, but became Chancellor of Germany.
I’ve been told about this book, The Outsider Advantage, that says real movers and shakers of societies are usually outsiders. They are the ones who introduce new ideas because the locals often want only the status quo, and block and progress and improvement. That’s why a change to the law I want, is to remove any requirements referring to residency, blood, etc. anything “natural,” so people like OFWs can run for office here. Really, that’s what we need. Philippine society is too hung up on the obsolete concept of blood relations as something that determines loyalty.
To ChinoF:
It’s hard to argue against the facts you cite. Your points are well taken. Cheers…
Ted Cruz case is different. He was born in Canada. His mother is an American citizen. His father was a Spanish Cuban. Ted Cruz was not a “natural born” Citizen.
It is clear in the U.S. constitution, that only “natural born” citizens are eligible to serve as President of the U.S.
There is no loyalty in our political leaders. Their loyalties are in their stomachs; and on their bank accounts (foreign or domestic).
Look at the Aquinos. When , the Japanese Imperialists invaded the country. They were the first to collaborate, forming the KALIBAPI Party.
At the sight of self interest; most Filipinos, will sell the country, in cash or in kind.
Exchanging thousands of hectares of agricultural land (that fed millions of Failipinos at an affordable price) for condominiums and shopping malls, just to cater to the insatiable desires of Failipinos to live an aristocratic lifestyle; so they can brag about the great life they are having in the Failippines to the rest of the world, is a total “sell out.”
Agriculture, as an industry, has always held the most promise among all fields of endeavor in the Philippines. Unfortunately it is also the one that’s the least protected from opportunists and predators.. both in the upstream and downstream ends of the industry. Farming inputs like certified seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and insecticides are priced out of the farmers’ reach; soft credit and outright subsidies for the farmers are not available; and, irrigation facilities are still non-existent in 80% of arable land. The farmers, too, have little, to no control of the market-price of their produce. Monopolies and cartels have been, and still are in control and continue to be their bane and scourge. The sugar and copra monopolies of the past are still there, albeit, in a different and subtle way. Rice, the all important staple, still comes from Thailand, (and even from war-torn Vietnam), owing to price manipulation of a cartel in Manila, that officials insist does not exist. This has not only made life difficult for the consumers; it has also discouraged and stunted rice production.
Agriculture, as an industry must be encouraged, assisted and protected in order for it to thrive. For as long as it is without the government’s honest intervention; without the government’s sustained assistance; and without the government’s protection, Agriculture as an industry will wither.. and with it, the country’s dream of self-sufficiency as well.
vagoneto rieles,
And I blame the Chinese-Failipino businesses and our corrupt politicians for allowing these atrocities to happen. We Failipinos–abroad and in the Failippines–are as much to blame (because we are too involved in pursuing personal goals in our petty lives), of not speaking out against and boycotting the political ideas, products, and services these assholes are trying to shove down our throats, to numb our minds and deflect our attention from the harsh truth.
Aeta
Be with a leader when he is right, stay with him when he is still right, but, leave him when he is wrong.