MEN OF THE HOUR

I am sure no one will disagree with me when I say that Senate President Enrile was the "star of the impeachment proceedings". The senators themselves admitted that no one amongst them could ever do justice to the position of presiding officer as efficiently as the good senator.

He exercised fairness not only to the prosecution and the defense, but to the respondent as well. So much so, that it hurt him when the Chief Justice staged a walkout.

He was the guest at ANC's "Headstart" this morning, and as I was watching him, I admired him even more. The host, Karen Davila asked him how he manages to stay fit, articulate, brilliant, etc., not to mention having a good memory at the age of 88. He said he memorizes poems and reads heavy books. Prior to the trial, he studied and read three books about impeachment. He also advised that no matter how intelligent you are, you should never stop reading. He also watches old/classic movies on television and plays golf whenever time permits.

He not only studied the case on hand and the evidence presented, but observed the senator judges as well. He took out from his wallet, a small piece of paper which contained a handwritten list of how he perceived the senators would vote, which he prepared months ago or about the middle of the trial. It was accurate as he had listed Senators Santiago, Arroyo and Marcos as voting for acquittal, which actually transpired.

He was not ashamed to admit that he met his father only when he was already 21 years old. He was used to being referred to as a bastard. He narrates that his father took him home to live with his family and that his siblings welcomed him and never treated him as a half brother. He harbored no ill feelings towards his father for had he (father) not taken him home when he (father) met him, he wouldn't be where he is now.

When asked if he would be running for President, he said he is too old for that. And even if it would be offered to him on a silver platter he would refuse, but nonetheless thank those who would extend the offer. Being very well versed not only in law and in accounting, but in military matters as well (having been Secretary of National Defense in pre-martial law years), he would have made a good President. But maybe he was meant to serve on a different capacity, and he did serve very well.

There was another man who stole the show on the day the verdict came out, no less than Senator Lapid. Everyone was looking forward to how he would defend his vote. He stepped on the rostrum with no prepared speech like the others. He said you are probably wondering what a mere high school graduate and someone who can't speak English would have to say. He admitted he couldn't quote any Republic Act because no one would believe him anyway, but would merely base his vote on his conscience and what he believes is right. I was deeply touched when he said in the vernacular, " Mr. Chief Justice naniwala ako sa inyo. Akala ko totoo ang sinasabi ninyo, yon pala hindi. Pasensya na po, pasensya na po, but I vote guilty ". Such a simple and straight to the point statement, coming from his heart.

For me, it weighed more than all the lenghty narratives of the other learned senators. He was Juan dela Cruz personified, a true representation of how the lowly man on the street understood the impeachment proceedings and would have voted given the chance.

Kudos to Senators Enrile and Lapid. These two gentlemen may have an obvious and glaring disparity in terms of intellectual capability, but in the end, they were one in their verdict and that's all that matters.

THE UNFOLDING OF HISTORY

Today history unfolded right before our eyes as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was convicted in the first ever impeachment trial in the Philippines.

My favorite " teleserye " had just ended.

I had religiously followed the proceedings since day one. As much as possible, I tried to avoid afternoon appointments from monday to thursday, unless extremely necessary, so as not to miss a day of the trial. Now with the proceedings over, I have nothing to look forward to anymore.

Like most teleseryes, it was exciting and kept me glued to the television from start to finish. Aside from being entertaining, it was very informative as well, as I got to be acquainted with legal terms and what goes on in a lawyer's mind. It was a battle of the best lawyers in the land with the Senate President outshining them all. I take my hat off to the distinguished senator who despite being an octagenarian remains to be brilliant, smart and witty. He also exercised fairness in dealing  with not only the protagonists, but with the respondent as well. But he knows his limits too and had exerted his authority everytime the occassion called for it.

The much awaited verdict favored the prosecution, much to the chagrin of the defense. Lady luck was not on the side of the respondent, but on the side of justice.

I am sure with the verdict lessons had been learned, and governent officials, especially those occupying the highest echelons of the three co-equal branches of government, namely; the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary would be extra cautious from now on in preparing their SALNs.

I will miss the impeachmen proceedings, but I am not looking forward to another one in the near future. I know too well that if and when that  happens, it could only mean one thing, another top ranking public official erred in his duties to the public.

I was for conviction all along, not because I hated the Chief Justice, but because I wanted to correct an injustice. So many powerful and influential government officials had been  amassing wealth by squandering the poor taxpayer's money. It's about time to put an end to this.

I am not rejoicing either, for it is wrong to rejoice over someone else's misery.

After all has been said and done, I sincerely wish the Chief Justice well. I hope he recuperates soon and have the strength to face and accept this unfortunate turn of event in his life and career.

I would also like to offer an unsolicited advice to him, if I may. While it maybe painful and humiliating to accept the verdict, look at it from a positive point of view. You can still go on with your life because your only penalty is removal from office, and being barred from occupying a position in any government institution, but you get to keep your bank deposits to sustain you and your family through the years. But think about the court interpreter who lost her job for failing to disclose a market stall and now can no longer work and provide for her family.

But most importantly, be thankful for one good thing that resulted from this impeachment trial. You and your family, after 30 years of anymosity with your wife's family, had finally reconciled and hopefully settle your differences. After all, family is so much more important than all the money in the world.

SMC HEAD OFFICE ACCOUNTING REUNION (APRIL 26, 2012)

Reunions regardless of essence are always met with great anticipation.

 Beholding familiar faces always brings back so many gratifying memories.

Last night, April 26, 2012, our SMC Head Office Accounting (also known as SMC Corporate Accounting) family held a reunion at Max's Restaurant-Shaw Blvd.

It was such a delight to see one another once  more. It is always nice to reminisce the good old days and be in the company of people whom we regard as our extended family.We consider the office as our home away from home, because we spend longer hours at work than in our homes. The evening was not enough to catch up on each other's lives/activities, especially for those who are already enjoying the fruits of their retirement.

Cognizant of the fact that time is an integral factor, as much as possible, we try our best to make our reunion an annual affair. We also make it a point to have a dinner or lunch get-together (even for a small group only) everytime a colleague based overseas comes home.We encourage everyone to take every opportunity to attend occasions like these and delight in each other's company, because for all we know, the next time around some of us may no longer be here.We all know that life is unpredictable so let us cherish one another while we are still accorded the time to do so.

However, amidst the festive occassion, let us not be oblivious of those who failed to make it due to illness or death. It is sad that a lot of our colleagues have already gone to the Great Beyond and we truly miss them. I am sure though, that they are probably having their own joyous reunion in Heaven (specially with Mely and Tita Chit having joined them now).

It is also important to note that despite who we become, or whatever we achieve after SMC, we cannot strike out the fact that once in our lives, we worked for the same institution and spent most of our fruitful years there.We should be grateful for the golden opportunity of having known and interacted with one another, even if only for a momentary span of time.

For how else could we gather beautiful memories? Memories of days gone by that would sustain us through the years.

In behalf of my fellow coordinators, Glacie and Bogs, we would like to express our gratitude to everyone who unselfishly sacrificed their time to attend and make the reunion possible, despite the distance and their busy schedules. We would also like to thank those who extended financial support, and most especially to Messrs. N. Avendano, F. Constantino and B. Navarro for honoring us with their presence and their inspiring words of wisdom.We look forward to seeing all of you again, with God's grace, hopefully next year.

Until then, treasure the memories.

WHAT KIND OF FRIEND AM I?

I have always thought of myself as a sincere, concerned and loyal friend. At least that's how my friends describe me. And maybe, just maybe I might be inclined to agree with them. Why?

The truth is I do have a deep concern for my friends. I always want to know how they are doing. I also pray that they continue to be in the best of health. It pains me a lot when my friends get indisposed. I commiserate with them and can almost feel the pain they are going through. I also get affected when they open up their problems with me.

I am loyal too. The moment I become your friend I would remain as one regardless of who or what you turn out to be, good or bad.

I accept people in my life for what they are and not for what I want them to be.

Putting all these aside however, I am inclined to second-guess on what kind of friend I really am. Let me tell you why.

You see I have a friend whom I love very much. He accepts me for who I am even though sometimes I dissapoint him for not being able to do what is expected of me. He is very forgiving even though I 've hurt him countless times. His patience never runs out on me.

Everytime I need him he is there for me, but can I honestly say the same for myself?

Much as I want to answer in the affirmative, I have to be truthful and say no. I am far from being the kind of friend he is to me.

There was a time when he was being tortured, humiliated and stipped of his dignity, but I was not able to do anything to preclude the agony he was subjected to. Of course I could always use the flimsy excuse that I was not around yet when that happened. While it maybe true at that time, but what about now? A lot of people continue to hurt him, maybe myself included, but what am I doing to avert this? How can I shield him from all the pain?

I can feel that sense of guilt all over again. It makes me wonder what kind of friend I truly am.

Do I really deserve the love he has for me? Maybe not, but I know he does and will never stop loving me because his love for me is unconditional.

I always tell him that I love him even though sometimes it doesn't seem so. I know he believes me. He always does.

He is after all my best friend, and your friend too.

You call him Jesus, I call him Friend.





 

NO ONE IS INVINCIBLE

I have been religiously following the impeachment proceedings since day one.

For the past weeks it has become an anticipated early afternoon daily habit for me. I find it very informative and keeps me abreast on the progress of the case, not to mention getting myself familiar with trial proceedings.

I have the highest respect for Senate President Enrile. Truly no one can ever assume the role of presiding officer the way he does. The way he conducts himself is worth emulating. He treats both prosecution and defense fairly and shuns taking sides with either of them unlike some senator judges who are too obvious about their leanings. What I also find truly commendable about him is his expertise not only as far as legal matters are concerned (being one of the top lawyers in the country), but his being well versed on the Accounting aspect as well. He is such a cool person and knows exactly when to step in when arguments begin to heat up between the protagonists.

However, what spoils the broth so to speak, is the almost daily admonition and tongue lashing extended to the prosecution and some of the witnesses by an infamous lady senator. I commend the way the prosecution takes all the bad mouthing against them, until it came to a point when one of their members couldn't take it any longer and had to say his piece. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I agree with what he said that if you want to be respected you have to show some respect yourself. After all respect is not given, it is earned.

No matter how intelligent a person is, that does not give him or her the right to berate people much less curse them, and on national television at that. Neither is it a reason to feel superior to others because we were all created equal and will always remain equal in the eyes of God.

I actually do not pity the prosecution or the witnesses for having to endure this kind of treatment from her. After all everybody sympathizes with them. But it is the lady who deserves commiseration for her behavior. It would probably have been alright if she shows a little bit of remorse after her sudden burst of anger dies down, but I guess that is something we will have to keep hoping for until hell freezes over. She rationalizes with her " If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen" theory. I feel sad for her wondering how it feels to survive on a day to day existence knowing there are more people who despise you than like you, if at all. It must be a terrible feeling. But people with this kind of attitude couldn't really care less.

Their behavior is some sort of defense mechanism. They try to put up an unassailable front to make up for an imperfection, or use it as a cover up to make people believe that they are invincible when in fact they are not. Pathetic, aren't they?

One word of advice, if I may be allowed. Be humble even if you are victorious. Do not hide behind your imperfections. Just be yourself no matter how bad or imperfect you maybe and let people accept you for who you really are, and not for what you want them to believe you are.

CHANGES IN OUR LIVES

So many changes happen in our world and in our lives.

Do you sometimes wonder why in the middle of summer, all of a sudden a typhoon comes along? Or even during the rainy season we feel the scorching heat of the sun? Climate change so they say. Athough annoying at times, it doesn't really bother me because this is something we have to live with or something we have no control over.

All of us have gone thru a lot of changes in our lives. Changes from puberty to manhood for boys, and from bobby socks to stockings for girls, just to name a few. These are all part of growing up

Upon reaching adulthood, we often encounter career changes too.

Any positive change is always welcome but not when the change  has a negative effect.

The most disheartening is when people whom we used to regard as friends suddenly develop a change in attitude. Makes me wonder if they were really nice after all, or just making up a front at  a time when we thought they were. All of a sudden we find ourselves slowly drifting apart. Makes me wonder why. Much as we want to hang on, the feeling has got to be mutual. It takes two to tango, right? From friends, they simply revert to being mere acquaintances again. Back to square one.

Sad, but that is the reality of life.

PERCEPTION OF AN ATHEIST

The other night my curiosity was aroused while I was watching the "Bottomline" on a local channel because the resource person happened to be an atheist.

I was interested to hear his arguments because I've never spoken to an atheist before.

He struck me as a nice and very intelligent man. He was brought up a Catholic and studied in an exclusive Catholic school for boys.

He described himself as a free thinker and a humanist. When asked why he became an atheist, he said he was disillusioned with the things happening in the world. He says God does not exist and being a humanist, he believes that the highest being happens to be us humans so that we should treat and respect each other well. He also said that everybody is welcome to be a friend regardless of whether you believe in God or not. He also respects other people's opinions.

Before he became an atheist, he said he was full of anxiety as to whether what he was doing was good or bad. But since he became one, he is now more relaxed because he does not believe that hell exists either. When asked as to what he thinks would happen to him after he dies, he said that would simply mean the end of everything because there is no life after death.

It is very ironic that his name happens to be Emmanuel, and as we Christians know, it means God is with us. When told about this, he was amused and said he would simply delete the word "with" so it would mean God is us, once again standing by his belief that there is no higher authority than human beings.

As I was intently listening to him, I remembered what a priest told me about going to hell. He said that even murderers, thieves, rapists, etc., and even the most evil person for that matter, may still be spared from hell because there are only two criteria for a person to go to hell. One is that you don't believe God exists, and second is you have turned your back completely on God. If I were to base my judgment on this man based solely on these criteria, I am afraid that he might just go to hell.

But trying to decipher his answers, I am inclined to believe that one day he will change his perception about God.

When asked what could possibly convince him that there is a God, he said maybe if the clouds should open and I hear a voice talking to me. Also following the same line of thought, when asked if God would appear to him and convince him that He does exist, would he believe? His answer was yes.

So there is still hope. Maybe it just takes some more convincing.

I am optimistic that the day will come when he would realize that indeed there is a God, the same God who is constantly watching him and just waiting for his Prodigal Son to come home.

And maybe being named Emmanuel is not ironic after all. It will always serve to remind him that despite his loss of faith, God will never leave him.