A clan icon passes

Now the Ombudsman has entered the scene. The head of that office, a former Supreme Court Justice herself, wants to know how the Chief Justice appointed by former President Gloria Arroyo on her way out from office, was able to acquire the millions of U.S. dollars he is reported to have stashed in some local banks. And she had the gumption to actually order Chief Justice Renato Corona, who, we thought, had ascendancy over her before, to tell all about those dollars.

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But instead of telling the Ombuds-lady that he has no such dollar deposits, defenders of the beleaguered chief justice are reproaching Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales for being too harsh on their idol. Even a senator judge was reported as saying that he cannot possibly be fighting battles on two fronts at the same time. Sometimes those senator judges, the ones who will determine the guilt or innocence of the highest official of the country's highest court, even sound as if they, too, are affronted by the concerted attacks against the chief justice.

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But why can he not face them frontally, with his legal expertise and those of his lawyers? All he has to do, or say, is, Go ahead, look into the records of this or that bank, and you will see that the allegations are not true. It should be as simple as that. By hedging the issue, he only reinforces the suspicions of Filipinos that he is, indeed, hiding something, and not only the amount he has kept, but, more important, how he got them.

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However, if one watches the sounds and body language of a lot of the senator judges, one would get cold sweat because they seem to indicate where their inclinations are. One can tremble in fear thinking of how the Philippine judiciary will be regarded, not only locally, but also in the eyes of the international community, when they see that we are getting along with a chief justice who had been accused of so many scandalous acts.

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It looks as if Bacoleños have still not gotten over the euphoria that the triumph of the city's MassKara dancers brought last Saturday. Everywhere you went yesterday, that was still the talk of the town. I had not imagined that many resident had taken the time to watch that show, that had been delayed for so long, I had even feared it could no longer go on. And calls continue to come from Bacoleños and Negrenses abroad, exulting over the feat of the hometown performers.

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As mentioned here yesterday, some of those who called were crying – tears of joy and pride – over the feat. But someone else I know who also shed tears was a “MassKara original” Marissa Corral, nee Montalvo, whose father, Digoy Montalvo was the mayor of Bacolod when it started. The mayor worked with then Provincial Tourism official and now also mayor, Bing L, and local artists to put up the first MassKara festival. It was a bittersweet affair for Marissa and her family, who worked very hard for its success, because Mayor Digoy had lost his wife, and their mother, Nora, their two daughters and Nora's mother in the Don Juan sea tragedy. I guess the show Saturday brought that all back.

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Yesterday, members of the Ramos clan gathered at the USLS Chapel for the first mass in Bacolod for the soul of Brother Roly Dizon who died on Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. Brother Roly, who was the son of the late Hermie Ramos Dizon, was an icon of the clan, one of their members they were very proud of. Not only was he a local achiever, he was also able to hold some very important national positions in the government as well.

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To those of us who were relatives, however, he was just a family member, who was simple enough to join us and work with us on our reunions, when he would spend hours watching our rehearsals, or even come up the stage to sing with us when summoned. Although he rubbed elbows with the biggest names in the government and the academe, he was always concerned when clan members had problems. He may be gone now but he has left so many accomplishments that people will always remember, and thank him for. So rest in peace, Brother Roly, and please continue to pray for us all.*

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