“(O)ut of duty and desire, I refuse not to see, listen and feel.”
by Ducky Paredes
I may not agree with him on everything that he did or does but a sense of fairness tells me that I ought to allow Senator Sonny Trillanes space to make his first annual report to the people, After all, 11 million of us voted for him.
Here it is: “Inside a jail cell, you are not witness to the state of the country with your own eyes: the rising cost of living in unequal proportion with a failing
economic order. You are unable to hear the sentiments of our people first-hand: pervasive cries for justice and accountability against perpetrators of political violence and corruption. You appear insulated from what others endure outside these walls: the disillusionment of a people in the Administration that blatantly betrays its own obligation to serve them.
“But out of duty and desire, I refuse not to see, listen and feel.
“Transcending the challenge of circumstance, I answered your collective call to action as duly elected Senator of this country. Today, I am pleased to report to my constituents my humble accomplishments the past 12 months in office.
“It is my view that a Senator in a system of checks and balances such as ours has three primary duties: (1) to craft legislation; (2) to oversee the proper
functions of government; and (3) to advocate issues of national concern.
“To date, I have crafted 138 bills covering various areas of governance such as poverty alleviation, anti-corruption, defense and security, education, health care, labor and environment. These bills were meticulously done with the end in view of uplifting the lives of our people and making our country a better place to live in.
“I have also authored resolutions calling for the investigation of anomalous government transactions. However, these efforts to check the excesses of the Executive Department had become futile exercises as we have witnessed the shameless use of dirty tactics that virtually destroyed the very institutions they have sworn to protect. With a paralyzed Senate, impunity became the order of the day.
“Finally, as an advocate, I believe I have done everything I can to deliver to the people the cold truth that GMA, for the past 8 years in office, has failed miserably to govern; has caused (and will continue to cause) so much poverty, death and destruction; and has prostituted every government institution just to
stay in power. But while some people chose to talk and other people chose to whine; I chose to act.
“Still, I believe in a just and merciful God thus, I am confident that the Filipino people will survive this ordeal.
“Regardless of the circumstances, be assured that this Senator will continue to serve you.” — Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV
Senator Trillanes notes that two of the bills he co-authored passed into law: RA 9502: Quality Affordable Medicines Act of 2007 and RA 9500: University of the Philippines Charter of 2007. He filed a total of 138 bills, fifth in rank among 23 senators in number of bills filed.
* * *
Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog may have the wrong idea when he says that the country must start acquiring fighter jets soon because if we do not do so “no one will respect us.” What would this respect cost us?
We need to spend at least P50 billion to be “respected as a nation” and, to be feared as an air power, several trillions.
Are we on anyone’s radar as a potential target? Apparently not! So, why would we need to spend so much on fighter jets if we will not be fighting anything in the air? Also, didn’t we have some jet fighters before many of which ended up in the junk heap after they were crashed by our own pilots?
The Air Force its last F-5 fighter jets three years ago. It now only has S211 aircraft, trainer planes, for the territorial defense of the country. But, so what? Is there really any danger of anyone attacking us from the air?
Apparently, the Air Force Chief is still looking at the money angle: “If we are not going to guard that (airspace), we cannot collect any fee. They can violate our airspace until they want. Unfortunately, some do not understand this. They may be asking ‘who is our enemy?’ But we have an airspace to protect because that is also part of our economic resources. We should be billing aircraft passing (the country’s airspace).”
The proposal is to spend trillions to collect peanuts!
* * *
The new appointees as commissioners in the Commission on Elections are, for the moment, unknowns. No one knows them – not the Senators who are keeping their fingers crossed and not the sitting commissioners or the Comelec chairman himself. They are judges from the lower courts who have been chosen possibly because someone – a religious leader, a politician or someone else close to the president – recommended them.
Soon, however, they will be well-known. Whoever really knew who Garci was until after the elections of 2004? By their deeds we shall know them,
* * *
The Third Leg of the six-leg San Mig Senior Tournament of the Federation of Philippine Amateur Senior Golfers, Inc. (FPASGI) will be on Friday, July 18, 2008 at Intramuros Golf Club. Tee-off will be sequential beginning at 6:30 up to 9 in the morning.
Tournament fee (only FPASGI members can join) is P1,500 which includes everything – Green Fee, Caddy, Mandatory Mulligan, Food, Giveaways and Raffle Prizes.
Intramuros is not an easy course. It may be shorter than regular courses but the number of hazards that one has to avoid makes it as much as a challenge as other, much longer courses.
# # # #
hvp 07.03.08)
Post a Comment