Will Susan receive it?

After so many hassles, like the judge assigned inhabiting himself, and other problems, the Supreme Court has ordered that the hearings on the Subic rape case be transferred to Makati City. Apparently, the High Court did not listen to the plan of the Justice Department to have the trial held in a Manila court. Anyway, the case is moving, if only location-wise. And maybe it will keep on moving and moving, until it stops for one reason or another, and your guess is as good as mine.

***

One thing I noted about the Subic case involving four American GIs is that the media and everybody else has been meticulously withholding the name of the victim as ethics dictates. However, with the mother so openly covered by the media, as well as some other members of the family, it seems funny to be skirting around the name of the girl herself. Anyway, I think I know the full name of the victim already because, while watching the coverage when the case was being filed, one of the court officials inadvertently held up the document and the name of the accuser flashed before my eyes. So there was no perfect cover, after all.

***

Now what? A Commission on Election official has noted that there was, indeed, a Supreme Court ruling about ten years ago stating that this People's Initiative ploy will not hold water without a specific law allowing it. So what to do now with all those millions of signatures political leaders went to such pains to collect? Of course those who favor this scheme probably believe they can get Congress to rustle up a law legalizing it. But wouldn't that be a sort of ex post facto measure? Can a law passed after part of the intended process for change has been implemented already? Let us see and listen to the ensuing debates on this.

***

There was also a report yesterday that the League of Provinces has declared that it has secured 12 million signatures already. Maybe that will convince the congressmen and senators that they have to pass that enabling law already. Somehow I don't think so. The solons must be aware of the truism that not even the swearing of 10,000 angels, in this case 12 million mortals, can make what is wrong right. Let's hope they believe that, too.

***

Meanwhile, it was encouraging to see that the new appointee to the Commission on Election, Romeo Brawner, seems to be a man with a mind of his own. Asked about the status of the People's Initiative scheme, he told the media outright that there was no enabling law to sustain it and that, if presented to the Comelec, they will have to dismiss it outright. No wonder he was immediately approved by the Commission on Appointments. By the way, he is the one replacing the redoubtable Garci. What a change!

***

As it is, the results of a survey by Pulse Asia shows that majority of the Filipinos do not have an idea of what the fuss about the Constitution of the "cha-cha" is all about. Several people, in fact, interviewed by roving TV reporters, confirmed this. Some of them said they just signed because the document was presented to them, or they were ashamed not to because they were already there. They also said no, there wasn't any explanation made to them about what it was about. No wonder the survey showed two out of three had no knowledge about the Constitution.

***

Will Susan go to Malacañang to receive it? Reports yesterday said Malacañang has endorsed the awarding of the National Artist honors posthumously to her late husband, Fernando Poe Jr. Isn't it too obvious? I recall that there was a move before to give FPJ that award but those who mattered in the decision were not inclined to do so. Now one can only see it as a conciliatory offer that will surely earn pogi points for the offeror. Hmmmm.

***

Welcome back to Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, who is arriving from Rome today and will hold a Thanksgiving mass at the Manila Cathedral on April 1. We are all proud of him and we pray for him as he faces new responsibilities. Meanwhile, let us be grateful that we have freedom of religion in our country. In Afghanistan, a Muslim who had secretly converted to Christianity 16 years ago was recently discovered with a Bible and was arrested and charged with apostasy. Luckily for him, the United Nation intervened and even the Holy Father prayed for him and he has been released. How? The prosecutors had to say he was "mentally unfit to stand trial" and has to be sent overseas "for treatment". His sure penalty would have been death.*

back to top