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Pardon on Erap, A Second Chance?

erap.jpgMy first reaction was disappointment at our President when she granted absolute pardon to Erap. What happened to all that government money spent on his trial? By giving Erap that absolute pardon, our president restored all his civil and political rights, which were automatically removed by his conviction of atrocious crimes involving illegally amassing billions of pesos by virtue of his public office. I am not going to talk about the political implications of Erap’s absolute pardon.

I believe everyone should be given a second chance to fix things right. The thing is a deal was worked out in that Erap can keep some, if not most, of the money he got during his years as a so-called public servant. This was openly admitted by Estrada’s lawyers and Malacanang and is reportedly included in the document giving him executive clemency. I feel bad that he gets to keep most of the money . More than $15.5 million in bank accounts believed to be owned by him would remain in effect, Bunye said.

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Glorietta 2 Explosion Memories

explosionMy hubby sent me a text message yesterday to get away from the [tag]Glorietta Ayala Malls[/tag]. He knows it’s my favorite mall since it was just a 10 minute drive from our old home in Makati. I texted him back that I was in another mall and not to worry about me. As soon as I reached home, I googled for “[tag]Glorietta 2 Explosion[/tag]” and was surprised at the Google Search Engine Results. I was suddenly taken back in time. Lauren’s May 18, 2000 entry showed up on the first page that there was a Glorietta 2 explosion on May 17, 2000 which injured teenagers mostly since the blast occured near a video arcade:

Glorietta 2 was bombed yesterday ( the third bombing in just a week ) and one of the girls in my batch, Ana May, was there and got hurt. Twelve were injured and mostly teens cos it happened at the Synergy video arcade (the other arcade we go too sometimes). I guess it’s good that me and Stephen aren’t, well, exactly friends cos if we were, we woulda been there like every other Wednesday and I don’t really like the idea of my body parts flying all over the entire mall.

Why Glorietta 2 again? Not that I want other parts of the mall to be blasted away. It just seems so suspicious. I was at the Glorietta 2 entrance just a few weeks ago and remember raising my eyebrows when the security guard didn’t check my bag. He was busy reading the text messages from his cellphone. (Ayala Mall security, remove their cellphones while on duty please)

Anyway, just 3 days after that May 20, 2000 entry, Lauren wrote another one and this time on the SM Megamall Bombing that happened on May 20, 2000 where a janitor was killed.

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Feelings Towards Desperate Housewives Slur Episode

desperate housewivesI thought an apology was enough to placate the hurt feelings of our Filipino countrymen over that Desperate Housewives Episode on Some Med School in the Philippines. Today , Friday (October 5, 2007) at 6:00 PM, there is a planned demonstration/picket at ABC Studio, located at 77 West 66th St. between Columbus and Central Park West. To protest ABC’s wholesale defamation of Philippine-trained medical professionals, a plan of action has been undertaken in some Fil-Am communities.

1. Many Fil-Am communties throughout the US, like the Northern California National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) regional chapter, are meeting to undertake local mass actions against ABC and the Disney Corporation because of this attack on their community;

2. In San Francisco, the NaFFAA are forming a Philippine Anti-Defamation Coalition working with members of the Philippine Medical Society, the Philippine Nurses Asociation, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (California Chapter) and other groups and individuals who were educated in the Philippines and who feel that the ABC [tag]Desperate Housewives[/tag] episode will have a profound negative on the public perception of them. They are planning on engaging in creative actions that will impress on ABC the gravity of the slight inflicted on the Filipino community.

3. Benj cites an indignation letter from the members University of the Philippines Medical Alumni Society in America.

Eric Gamboa, MD, doctor-member of UPMAS even said here: How many of you have been asked by your patients “what med school did you go to?” I have. Lotsa times. It seems that if you’re not White or if you even have some hint of an accent that you’re not as good as the American grads. SO wrong.

So is this taking it overboard?

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Get Out and Vote

vote“Get Out and Vote” is probably the first sentence I learned as a toddler. Posters of “Get out and Vote” in yellow and white colors were plastered all over our house. My dad used to lead the Citizen’s Quick Count in Cebu, the equivalent of today’s civilian quick count. I lost count of the names. Is it NAMFREL? Though dad was not involved in politics, the civic duty of citizen’s tabulation rested on his sharp mathematical skills.

I tagged along with my dad to those quick count centers. The numbers tallied on the board excited me. Strange thing. I probably grew to love numbers because of my father. I can add a long list of numbers without the use of calculators because the latter just slows the tabulation.

Memories on election day remind me so much of my dad that’s why I wrote it today.

My entry is Get Out and Vote yet I can’t vote. Not because I don’t want to vote. I stupidly forgot to re-register. Still in denial, I checked my name at the online COMELEC Precint finder. And what do you know?

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Hell Hath No fury Like a Woman Scorned

Edit: the disbarment was never filed at the Supreme Court

woman scornedLet’s just assume that indeed Maria Celia Virginia Suarez (otherwise known as Maricel or Virgie) is the former mistress of the First Gentleman, Mike Arroyo then she must have had some knowledge of the “Etiquette of being a Mistress”. Her complaint, Disbar the First Boor is either a black propaganda of the first gentleman’s enemies or a result of a woman scorned. The petition says that “Sometime in the mid-1980’s, the relationship turned sour when petitioner discovered Respondent’s secret relationship with Vicky Toh (Vicky).”

I am not an expert with mistresses but I have met a few who would rather move on with their lives than fight out a legal battle. Still, I am sure Celia Suarez felt betrayed.

Whatever made her file this disbarment petition looks like a “Hell Hath No fury Like a Woman Scorned” action.

You know there can never be a promise of marriage until the final papers of annulment are approved. This is so funny.

Well settled is the rule that when a member of the Bar seduces a woman to have carnal knowledge with her on the basis of misrepresentation that he is going to marry her is deemed a grossly immoral act. (Almirez vs. Lopez, G.R. Adm. Case No. 481, 28 February 1969, 27SCRA 169). In fact, the acts of Respondent are so corrupt and false and so unprincipled or disgraceful to a reprehensible degree which will justify his disbarment! This is reflected in the that all throughout their relationship, Respondent would always promise to marry petitioner declaring that she was already separated from GMA. The petitioner readily believe the respondent the latter being a lawyer at that. It was only after a while that petitioner came to know that Respondent Arroyo tricked, deceived and used her in order that she would continue in allowing him to 1have carnal knowledge with her.

Even without the promise of marriage, most mistresses know that it does not happen overnight and some are resigned living that kind of life. I think most mistresses know they are contented to be with their lover even without the benefits of marriage. It’s terribly naive of any girl to think that she wasn’t aware of the marital status of their lover.

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Kris Aquino and Hope Centeno are not Victims

kris.jpgThe other woman, Hope Centeno wept and claimed she might be pregnant with James Yap’s kid . ““I also deserve the same sympathy as Kris” from the public. The 7 month pregnant [tag]Kris Aquino[/tag] just checked out of the hospital and minced no words. ““How dare you say sorry to me?” Kris scolded Hope. She then went on to blame Hope for her ““false labor” and subsequent hospitalization last Thursday.”

My jaw dropped as Kris lamented that “an innocent baby ” is at stake. “How dare you say sorry to me now after you endangered a defenseless child?” and added “You just want to ruin us,” “You attempted to steal my husband. You forgot I am seven months pregnant.”

and the other woman, [tag]Hope Centeno[/tag] “I don’t know if I can find another job. I am ruined. My only sin is that I loved James. I wish I was not judged,” she said, dabbing a piece of tissue paper at her eyes and nose.

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Time Magazine Person of the Year 2006 is You

time [tag]Time Magazine’s Person of the Year[/tag] issue is coming out on Monday, and guess who that person is?

It’s me. Well yeah, it’s me, it’s you, and apparently, everyone else in the internet.Read Time Cover story. Every year Time Magazine recognizes one person, or persons, that, through ability, invention, accomplishment, or otherwise, has significantly influenced the world for that year. ” YOU were named TIME magazine ‘Person of the Year’ Saturday for the explosive growth and influence of user-generated Internet content such as ‘blogs’, video-file sharing site YouTube and social network MySpace… You — YES, YOU — beat out candidates including Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, China’s President Hu Jintao, North Korean leader et. al.”

America loves its solitary geniuses—its Einsteins, its Edisons, its Jobses—but those lonely dreamers may have to learn to play with others. Car companies are running open design contests. Reuters is carrying blog postings alongside its regular news feed. Microsoft is working overtime to fend off user-created Linux. We’re looking at an explosion of productivity and innovation, and it’s just getting started, as millions of minds that would otherwise have drowned in obscurity get backhauled into the global intellectual economy.

Who are these people? Seriously, who actually sits down after a long day at work and says, I’m not going to watch Lost tonight. I’m going to turn on my computer and make a movie starring my pet iguana? I’m going to mash up 50 Cent’s vocals with Queen’s instrumentals? I’m going to blog about my state of mind or the state of the nation or the steak-frites at the new bistro down the street? Who has that time and that energy and that passion?

The answer is, you do. And for seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game, TIME’s Person of the Year for 2006 is you.

Do you deserve the award?

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