Senator Trillanes, Day 4. DID AFP officers over-reach?
Did Colonel Edgard Arevalo and other AFP officials have proper authority to pursue the Trillanes court martial? [Photo source: Rappler]
By JoeAm
Dateline Philippines, September 7, 2018
I don’t know about you, but I was on edge all morning, running now and then to the television to see if the AFP had descended on the Senate to arrest Senator Trillanes.
But nothing.
At around 10:00, the Senator appeared for his daily press conference, exhausted from a night of no sleep as he and attorneys worked on his case. The rumors were that President Duterte was returning from his overseas trip a day early and wanted Trillanes under arrest by the time he landed.
That did not happen.
The Senator spoke to the point that the AFP was a professional organization, and united in that sense. They would and should follow orders from the chain of command. But some officers were clearly concerned that the organization was being asked to engage in a domestic political case. Interestingly enough, Congressman Alejano, the Magdalo party-mate of Senator Trillanes and a military man himself, issued a tweet that read as follows:
The AFP should investigate why a lowly division chief issued a certification to an office (OSG) outside of the Dept of Natl Defense without going through channels. Were the Chief, J1, Chief of Staff, and the DND Secretary made aware of this certification?
It appears that the AFP’s engagement against Senator Trillanes at the direction of Solicitor General Calida was an act done while a lot of generals were out of town. Is that why they were out of town? So that this underhanded task could be completed without their knowledge and agreement? The President was trying to do an end run around the military chiefs?
Wow, if so, consider that effort failed . . . for right now. And consider the military chiefs highly offended.
Then we saw Solicitor General Calida on screen making a petulant, angry statement that Senator Trillanes would be arrested the moment he stepped outside the Senate building. His hostility was beyond reason, and it reminded me that these are not nice people at all. And this one for sure doesn’t like being called out by Senator Trillanes.
So what does this mean? Does this effectively concede the end of the strange court martial attempt which is so ridiculous as to boggle the mind? I dunno. Is this a desperate Administration? Seems so.
Well, prices and rice have ganged up on them, for sure.
Also for sure, Senator Trillanes has had four days of intense national news coverage standing defiant, calm, and principled while calling the President a coward, talking about corruption and Calida’s attempt to cut off investigation, and otherwise taking the Admnistration’s extra-constitutional act of arrest apart by the seams. The Senator intends to continue his investigations into corruption which puts Sol Gen Calida right in the spotlight. And perhaps AFP staff if they were complicit outside their lines of authority. Trillanes also mentioned corruption in the military during today’s press conference but, because of my language deficiency, I didn’t catch the context or point.
The more Calida, Secretary of Justice Gueverra, and the President persist, the more the nation understands that these are angry people, vengeful, with no respect for due process and the Constitution, the document that protects ALL FILIPINOS, not just Senator Trillanes. They are totalitarians. Autocrats.
I hope the Senator gets some needed rest.
He expects to spend the weekend meeting with friends and supporters.
Then back to work.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
Senator Trillanes is going to the Supreme Court to nullify PRRD’s order but the President is confident he has the Court in his pocket. This is a golden opportunity for “My Precious” CJ de Castro to make a lasting mark in her less than 2-month stay in power. Declare Duterte’s order unconstitutional…a once in a lifetime chance to redeem herself.
Seconded.
AJ Peralta was assigned Sen. Trillanes petition in the SC.👎🏻. Does not bode well for the Senator. Let’s pray for the Holy Spirit to guide him.
How wonderful it would be for the country and history if there would be one, just one officer who would write an anonymous tell-all on what went down in this horror story. I hope he finds a journalist of unimpeachable integrity and tell it all. Do it for God and country!
Yes, for sure. As I gathered from the press conference, Senator Trillanes believes there has been rampant corruption in the acquisition of new arms, within the AFP. If so, then we can see why there is an “anto-Trillanes” contingent.
After Duterte dies prematurely, maybe. A historian will do as you proposed. D is M x 10! In evilness. He declared his belief in a Supreme God in Jerusalem. My foot, for the theatre.
See how the stars mis-align when evil is the foundation?
Rising oil prices is messing up the TRAIN. Higher fuel taxes in a period of rising oil? Hell on earth.
Build, build, build is a laudable undertaking, but it actually pulls down the peso since we are now heavily importing steel, construction materials for the program. The peso is now on a 12 yr low. Exports have not grown, despite the textbook explanation. A higher exchange rate feeds again into itself, since we import much of our oil.
Why has fish become so much more expensive? Now we have to import from other countries like China, which likely gets it from OUR West Phil Sea. All this is a result of our misguided foreign policy.
If evil is the foundation of build build build, it will crumble, crumble, crumble.
Yes, just in time for 2019 elections, which I am confident will be totally rigged.
Right, and BSP’s own Business Expectations Survey (BES) said that the outlook of the Philippine business sector on the economy is the least optimistic in more than eight years.
[I noted in the previous blog that from just about PHP53.55 per USD a few days ago, the Peso has breached the PHP54.00 mark today but seems to be settling in the range PHP53.85 – PHP54.00, at least for the moment]
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/666861/business-confidence-in-q3-drops-to-lowest-level-since-2009/story/
CJ de Castro is a pig-headed lapdog! (mixed metaphor as figure for the present government).
Sir, we appreciate more of your poetry for the times we are in. 🙂
Yes, we can even throw in asps and asses, if you like. She is one weird lady. I think she might have been in Hansel and Gretel, I’m not sure.
HUMANIMALS are worst than animals. If people are compared to animals when these people are more mean and worst than the carnivorous merciless animals, that’s being unfair and insulting to the animals. WHY? Because people created from no less God’s image HAVE BEEN GIFTED WITH FREE WILL to discern WHAT IS RIGHT FROM WHAT IS WRONG. Where largely inappropriate people should TRY not to insult even man eating animals.
It is now passe’ GONE when N Yorkers call their Big Apple cops, PIGS. but, BUT when comparing people with animals will REFORM bad people, that could alright Eh?
They are for sure disappointing, to think that this is the best we can be.
Current AFP Chief was given amnesty by FVR.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/211354-afp-chief-carlito-galvez-got-amnesty-failed-coup-1989
Yes, we can imagine how he feels about the Trillanes case. Thanks for bringing that note here.
Aah Senator Trillanes: You are BAD. Meaning You are GOOD in Michael Jackson’s terminology. More power to you. But do take a rest.
Memes and statements coming out on social media show that the Filipino bayan (the nation with the mind of a village) has understood the absurdity of ab initio, even more than quo warranto:
1) Lourd de Veyra: oh god, I might have misplaced my birth certificate. Was I born?
2) Some women: if I want to annul my marriage, is losing my marriage certificate enough?
3) Some freaks: if Rizal’s death certificate can’t be found, does that mean he is still alive?
Like Edgar mentioned, the Filipino mind is NOT abstract. It is concrete, sometimes even cement. Hardened cement that is impossible to change. But that is I think only because rote learning has failed to bridge the gap between concrete and abstract, the step the Greeks made ages ago.
President Duterte says the Filipino is problematic. Duterte is Filipino, therefore he is problematic Aside from Edgar, sonny, popoy, Joe and josephivo, who knows Epimenides?
I had my doubts whether Filipinos would get the need for LAWS as such, instead of weder-weder proclamations by the powers that be, including the President. But the absurdity of the present situation, including Robin Padilla wanting to arrest Senator Trillanes, has awakened analogies:
Florin Hilbay: it seems that anyone sent to buy vinegar can be sent to arrest someone. Of course Hilbay gets the law, but he expresses basics in such a way that even a man on the street gets it. And the spread of certain analogies shows that Calida went too far. This might very well be the equivalent of pepe-dede-ralismo for him. And of course you have Magdalo, the likes of Trillanes and Alejano, speaking Filipino in it’s noble variant, not in it’s trickster variant. The trickster side of the Filipino, the survivor, was what Duterte appealed to. Seemed the noble side was practically dead, killed by very hard times. But a) Duterte’s side may have gone too far, which people like to degrade themselves into scum all the time and b) Magdalo is showing a version of native pride which doesn’t look like choirboys or boy scouts to most men on the street – I hope!
P.S. I did not invent the Duterte version of the Epimenides paradox. I saw it on the Internet. Possibly Filipino philosophy is quietly getting started.
During my Latin learning days, Irineo, I concocted this statement:
Nemo dat quod non habet quia nemo est. (nobody gives what he does not have because he is nobody)
Does this qualify as a mere pun or something more? 🙂
Yes, I have encountered the paradox of Epimenides before especially among Filipinos: Kasi ganyan ang ugali ng mga Pilipino … (speaker is Filipino). No, I didn’t know the paradox had a name, Epimenides. 🙂 Thanks.
My first laughs of the day. Thanks, Irineo.
Which do you prefer, rote learning or over reliance to search engines?
Of course, none of the above.
https://bigthink.com/philip-perry/cognitive-offloading-how-the-internet-is-changing-the-human-brain
Ask Esperon if he was already deemed resigned as of 2007.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/211266-document-esperon-knows-trillanes-resigned-from-military-2007
Roque said it does not matter whether he is resigned or not.
https://untvweb.com/news/roque-afp-court-martial-have-jurisdiction-over-trillanes/
Roque also said that Trillanes’ resignation from the military service does not undo the violations he committed against the Articles of War, particularly the act of rebellion.
He is as devious as Aguirre was at persecuting De Lima. Follow the dots. Trillanes’ is the only amnesty being challenged. The rationale is as specious as specious gets. He is the most ardent critics of the President.
Is Duterte calculating his moves, he does not care if what he does is stupid or not.
Specious and foolish (c) Caliphman.
“… he does not care if what he does is stupid or not.”
Funny, Karl, this words reminded of something said by James Fallows in “A Damaged Culture:”
“I felt I had a glimpse into the failures of the Philippines when I saw prosperous-looking matrons buying cakes and donuts in a bakery, eating them in a department store, and dropping the box and wrappers around them as they shopped.”
The image of the president shopping for business in his trip in the Middle East, speaking in front of his ME audience it seems with little regard for things falling apart in the country is hard to miss. Maybe it’s just me.
It is hard to miss, Unc.
Institutions and Democracy has gone to the dogs.
Roque’s bar license should be revoked.
You guys are part of the public, yeah? So be forewarned. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1029509/guevarra-asks-public-to-refrain-from-commenting-on-trillanes-case
Hehehe
Hehehe 😡😡😡
Naku, kunting kanin at sardinas na lang ang pagkain, ma co-contempt pa? Makukulong ba sa Supreme Court pagka ma-contempt? May pagkain ba duon?
Kung may pagkain ab initio sa SC pagka makulong duon, marami siguro ang mag papa-contempt.
Ayoko lang ng selda na parang sardinas ang mga tao ab initio.
One more on this series:
Pare ko, dahan-dahan lang, baka ka ma- ab initio.
Thanks for the info, Elso. So news media can report what Roque says, but we cannot say what we see. Totalitarians know no bounds, do they? Calida threw a temper tantrum. Gueverra tries to quiet the critics. I don’t think we are bound by what the prosecuting attorney says. Now if the Court puts a gag on the public, that’s a different matter.
Don’t worry, according to Andres there is no noise from the public regarding the Trillanes arrest incident.
Update: no arrest unless court issues one.
That’s ominous. That means the dictator and his sycophants are confident they will, one way or the other, find a compliant judge to issue that warrant. Maybe a protege of Cheap Justice de Castro.
Dictator 2 has all the Marcosian method fully digested.
Interesting. I wonder if this means the AFP “stood down”. Roque was saying in a press conference that the government has a “strong case”. I cannot believe the new realities this guy is able to spin.
The dictator had been busy cultivating his loyalists in the army. Roque is of course just the classic lapdog/sycophant of every rogue tyrant.
With the economy Duteriorating, we’re in a reprise of the end days of Marcos.
Yes, he has, but it appears that this court martial business was done by junior officer loyalists to Duterte, planned to occur while the generals were out of town. I can’t imagine the generals, or the Secretary of Defense, are very happy at the AFP being used in such a manner by the civilians. If there was resistance to abuses of the Constitution before, I suspect that a hard line has been drawn now. So hard that President Duterte may have lost the AFP as an institution supporting him. It will be fascinating to watch. The US declaring Martial Law as failed in stopping terrorist incursions is another whack at Duterte’s policies. The basic argument, learned the hard way by the US, is that hard military actions do not work as well as engaging local civilians.
I would add that maybe I’m too quick to say Duterte has lost the AFP. Trillanes pointed out that corruption in the AFP is rampant. So those officers have loyalties other than to nation.
He is pointing to a retired General who is part of the Davao group, meddling in the AFP modernization.
Maybe it is a former chief of staff from Davao who came after Año, I dunno.
That former COS was assigned to Davao for a while, but I think he is not from Davao, so I’ll stop speculating.
I see. Thanks.
Link:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/666946/trillanes-davao-group-member-meddling-with-afp-modernization-program/story/
So it does appear that the AFP is standing down.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1029527/military-wont-arrest-trillanes-for-now-to-wait-for-ruling-of-sc
*******
1. I, too, have been on tenterhooks.
2. The situation is extremely fluid.
2.1. On the plus side:
o RTC 148 did not issue a warrant of arrest and scheduled a hearing on the 13th (Thursday next week)
o Trillanes has filed a petition with the Supreme Court that is expected to be taken up on the 11th (Tuesday next week)
o Duterte has said no arrest for Trillanes unless a court issues warrant
o DND has said it will wait for the Supreme Court decision
2.2. On the negative side:
o The DOJ is still seeking for a warrant of arrest from RTC 150
o A senator has asked for warm bodies at the Senate
3. As of the hour, there is no word from RTC 150. This may be the lull before the storm. It may be that RTC 150 is more compliant than 148. It is still possible that the DOJ has secured a warrant of arrest and is keeping mum. I would not put it below these bastards — all of them: Duterte, DOJ, and DND — to do such a thing. So the hours between now and tomorrow are crucial.
3.1. If nothing happens over the weekend, the situation should cool down. Duterte can use Calida as a scapegoat.
*****
I gathered from Calida’s comments today that the Senator would not be arrested within the Senate. Now if the court presents a warrant, it is up to the Senator if he abides or not, and walks out to be arrested. There was not a large crowd of people responding to Senator Pangilinan’s call for support, maybe 50 people. So there is not much popular emotional edge to these undertakings, I think. That’s a loss for Senator Trillanes I guess. He was asked if he encouraged people to protest on his behalf at today’s press conference and he said that is outside his control and he had no opinion.
This is indeed serious and time is critical, thus difficult to forecast because of our clinging to the hope that sanity will still prevail in the end, but we are dealt with such a loaded set of dice — a gambler would have placed his bets already against high odds.
On being asked if he encouraged people to protest, I like Senator Trillanes’ response, “that is outside his control and he had no opinion.” Diplomatic, calculated and wise.
[My snide remarks above is a mechanism for releasing steam from my relief valve.]
I rather think Senator Trillanes will end up in jail because the President controls the courts.
Still clinging to the hope here.
Business is already raising concerns on price inflation and some business minds may view this Trillanes caper as a tsunami coming top of an on-going one. Business may have offered its advice.
Realizing that the players acted on an ill-conceived and ill-implemented idea at a time economic trouble, it may be possible (or probable?) that a way is being made to loosen the knot that was tightened prematurely. To keep tightening the knot may lead to a disaster.
Another metaphor is a rope, pulling a heavily laden net of troubles from past actions, being stressed to the limit with an un-needed weight being added via this “ab initio” trick — a trick the populace is fast learning amidst steep price inflation of food and everything else [ref Irineo’s post above] — and may just cause the rope to break and crash down on everyone, not sparing the players who added weight to the net.
Well, I don’t get discouraged about it, because I have started to channel the good Senator Trillanes, who is unbelievably composed when anyone else would be weeping or cursing. But when you see how nasty these people can be, you know they will definitely keep trying to silence the Senator. I mean, they just make this stuff up, then sell it to their idiot followers as if it were the most righteous thing since God yanked Jonah out of the whale.
Yes, to that.
For our record, here is BSP’s relevant note on Business Confidence for the third quarter of the year from BSP’s own Business Expectations Survey conducted by BSP itself:
Redentor Paolo M. Alegre, Jr., head of the BSP Department of Economic Statistics attributed the “weaker sentiment” to “increasing prices of basic commodities in the global market, augmented by the effects of the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law on prices of domestic goods.”
Other factors include “rising overhead costs and lack of supply or raw materials, seasonal factors such as interruption of business activities and lower crop production during the rainy season, slack in consumer demands as households prioritized enrollment expenses, as well as the suspension of commercial fishing in Davao Gulf from June to August, the weakening peso, and stiffer competition.”
…
Firms inside and outside of Metro Manila both became less optimistic in the third quarter, with those within the National Capital Region (NCR) logging a lower confidence index of 29.7% from 37.3% in the previous quarter and 37% a year ago.
Businesses outside NCR meanwhile saw a decline to 30.9% from 43% in the previous quarter and 39.7% a year ago.
MY COMMENT: When businessmen speak, listen. NHerrera, a commenter in a Blog? Who, he?
http://www.bworldonline.com/rising-prices-weigh-on-business/
@ NH
OOOT
First time to encounter BSP Dept of Econ. Statistics Chief Redentor Alegre Jr. Could he be the son of high school & elem classmate Redentor Alegre? Just wondering and felt more old. sigh …
Ooooot Unc,
You have completely forgotten about an article you were supposed to submit here.
I know you got sick, but if you still have your draft, and if you decide to work on it again, please do.
@Karl
Didn’t forget, Neph. The subject-matter (our PH history has lost some relevance) has been pre-empted by the blog’s current foci and attention. I’m sure the relevance will come back.
Gregorio Del Pilar or Goyo is showing. That makes it current.
Ok, Neph. Thanks for letting me know.
Re my September 7, 2018 at 6:23 pm post.
Faulty expression. It should be: a gambler would have placed his bets to jibe with the odds (not against the odds).
Your numbers guy on the booze, or what?
Yes. Fired him, pronto.
🙂 🙂 🙂
Against all odds has the underdog effect, is there such a thing as an underdog gambler?
That would be my numbers guy. 🙂
Maybe you could just do the numbers yourself, why outsource? 😉
Let’s hope not this time and think positive. Teresing has this ONE chance to show her legal mind and leadership mettle. If world class. It’s not complicated, after all, if she just invokes the Constitution. Besides, I have hopes in AJs Carpio, Leonen, and Cagioua. Will they just sit silent in the spectacle?
However, Duterte must think, he has the courts and SC in his palms by cooly declaring to wait for the arrest warrant. I hope he is WRONG.
To invoke Divine Providence on behalf of the Senator and the Republic shall not be in vain. No matter what. The Senator is jail-tested, if not controversy-tested. Had always come out stronger, it seems. Steel solid in convictions and character.
Makes sense.
*******
If that happens, I give up on the Philippines.
*****
Many have already, I suspect. But the Senate is a faint spark of institutional conscience and the AFP did nothing more rash than talk about Calida’s insane plan to court-marshal a civilian.
It does appear that the AFP is standing down and is leaving the issue of arresting Trillanes as a matter for civilian courts. Roque’s legal opinion aside, the Comelec section of the constitution stipulates clearly that upon certification of candidacy a person is considered resigned and automatically reverts to civilian status and therefore not subject to court martial. Even if the de Castro supreme court somehow rules that the AFP can arrest and court martial Trillanes, the usual sentence if found guilty is to be discharged from the military.
The plan to revoke his amnesty and have the AFP use its warrantless arrest powers to jail Trillanes was ill-conceived and unconstitutional. It was probably this delayed realization after consultation with their lawyers that AFP senior officers not to push through with the plan.
Thanks.
*******
And as expected, Duterte is using Calida as the scapegoat.
From the Inquirer: “President Rodrigo Duterte has revealed it was Solicitor General Jose Calida who did the research to support his issuance of Proclamation 572, which voided the amnesty granted to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.”
No admission of responsibility for signing Executive Order 572.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1029740/duterte-says-it-was-calida-who-found-the-flaw-in-trillanes-amnesty-grant
*****
I actually think that is the way it happened, though. Calida concocted the legal scheme, to use a technicality as basis for re-opening the case, and rushed it to try to get Trillanes arrested before he could start the hearing into Calida’s security firms. The Senator explained today that the case first cropped up on August 15 and was rushed sloppily together to time with the President’s absence and the investigation. It failed, and continues to fail as Senator Trillanes gets face time in the news to ‘expose’ the failures of the President’s Administration. He hit all the vulnerabilities today, except the West Philippine Sea, and hit them simply and hard. Economy, drugs, smuggling . . . with a little name calling for punctuation. It was devastating for anyone who watched, first, the President’s rambling excuse-making, and then the Senator’s alert, expressive, intelligent disembowelment of the President’s administration.
Not true says Trillanes.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/667010/no-warrant-no-arrest-not-true-says-trillanes/story/?amp
The point being that, regardless of what the President has said about awaiting a court order, the PNP and AFP still have standing orders to arrest him, without the warrants.
This article confirms that no one is standing down. The military is convening a court martial and summoning witnesses. This also suggests it is not the work of junior officers, but the full Department of Defense, as an institution.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/666989/dnd-summons-officer-who-processed-trillanes-amnesty/story/?amp
The institutions are in a downward spiral.
What comes down must go up after the dust settles.
Let me get this right. That a former colonel and now civilian DND official signed an order to initiate court martial proceedings almost a week ago implementing Duterte’s proclamation and therefore that is indicative that the AFP is still not standing down at the moment. This inspite of an official statement by the AFP that they will wait for the decision of the two Makati RTC courts and Duterte himself announcing the same thing instead of the AFP just arresting him. Its possible that elements in the military might defy their CinC and their military superiors. But all that would be illegal, insubordinate, more embarassing to the Duterte regime, and represent rather curious logic
In my opinion, if that happened there would be a court martial but the defendant would not be Trillanes.
It’s hard to say exactly what is happening. The reporting and the events are scattered and it is hard to get a reading on what is going on and who is leading it.
Here’s another take on it. Evidently Senator Trillanes was discharged 4 years before the amnesty filing, so revoking the amnesty doesn’t make him a soldier again. But the army contends his offenses were done during his stint in the army, so he can still be subjected to court martial. Notice that Esperon seems to think this is the work of non-patriots.
https://www.rappler.com//nation/211447-hermogenes-esperon-contradicts-dnd-trillanes-no-longer-soldier
Well the army or even a defense secretary is hardly any authorative legal source to reinterpret whats whats written in the constitution. There is a reaon Trillanes was being tried in civil courts and not by court martial for his actions in Oakwood and Penindula hotel. The amnesty granted by Aquino stopped those procedures which is why the Justice department decided to go back to the teo Makati RTC courts and request arrest warrants after Duterte issued his proclamation. This is hardly rocket science.
And properly so, it should be the supreme court who will have judicial authority to determine if the AFP can arrest Trillanes without warrant and whether civilian or martial law courts have jurisdiction if repeal of his amnesty is legally affirmed. Justice Peralta is the presiding judge in the immediate TRO request filed by Trillanes to stop any arrest pending a final drcision on these issues. The odds are heavily stacked against him because Peralta aspires to be the next CJ after de Castro’s two month stint ends.
The import of all this is that Duterte and Calida, whom Trillanes was in the middle of conducting a senate hearing for corruption, will have proven they have the SC and now the AFP in their pockets to legally carry out their personal vendettas. The Duterte regime’s path to dictatorship is well on its way and its legal legitimacy awaits a new constitution or revolutionary government being put into place.
*******
”Amnesty is not sacrosanct.
“The State may revoke the grant of amnesty when the grantee seeks to re-offend.
“The original crime of Senator Trillanes was to overthrow the government in a coup d’etat. Now he seeks to overthrow the government by sedition.
“In re-offending thus, the State may revoke the amnesty of the Senator. The State has the right to defend itself and, in this, it can do no wrong.
“We therefore find Executive Order 572 in order, not because the Senator did not meet the minimum requirements, but for the reason that the Senator has mounted a preposterous and vicious attack on the President, his Cabinet, and Solgen Calida. He seeks to destroy the viability of the constituted government and is an unreformed menace to society.
“Wherefore, we dismiss the petition of Senator Trillanes and affirm the provisions of the Executive Order to arrest the Senator and take him into custody immediately.
“So ordered.”
— Justice Diosdado (God Given) Pera-lta
*****
I do find it fascinating the extent to which Filipino officials can bend the real world to suit their purposes. Lies are just an accepted as a part of the verbal patter. The only problem is when the output is rising prices and lunatic legal acts that imprison the competent, leaving only the reality benders to care for the helpless. It is about to get ugly.
I especially liked this comment from Irineo’s recent blog:
“Does the majority really think the Philippines is meant to be ruled by impunity, by face and power, and by rent-seekers forever?”
http://filipinogerman.blogsport.eu/quo-warranto-et-ab-initio-in-saeculo-saeculorum/
Why am I not surprised?
I repeat and paraphrased these words:
Amnesty not sacrosanct … it can be revoked when the grantee re-offends [before by coup d’etat, now re-offending by sedition] … We therefore find Executive Order 572 in order, not because the Senator did not meet the minimum requirements, but for the reason that the Senator has mounted a preposterous and vicious attack on the President, his Cabinet, and Solgen Calida. He seeks to destroy the viability of the constituted government and is an unreformed menace to society.
For those who have read EX 572, is the concept of re-offending there? If not, this seems like an insertion by the Justice. Which to me means “not meeting the minimum requirement for amnesty” may likely not fly, so substitute this one: “re-offending by sedition through vicious attacks on officials.”
Hinahanapan talaga ng butas — kung butas man yuon. And who is to interpret “vicious attack”? Why, of course, the court of last resort: the SC.
Randy David wrote an article in the Inquirer today that talked about the meanness of spirit of the Duterte Administration, and recited how ridiculous the amnesty case is.
https://opinion.inquirer.net/115935/meanness-of-spirit
Hooray, I got my original avatar back. Love that instead of the new one. What is happening Word Press? Changing my crime from coup d’etat to sedition? 🙂
I am sure though, that regulars here had me identified with the new avatar even without NHerrera for the funny style of my writing (if there is such a one). I am much easier to identify than the one who wrote the NYT Op-Ed which has so riled Trump.
To call , Calida,Roque and Panelo as the Three Stooges is an insult to the famous comedians
but better as “ The Toad, The Bad and The Ugly”…I am past getting mad, simply scornful!
I think that is a place where many of us are residing. I have to keep cancelling my tweets because I have become so snide that it is unbecoming.
Some people– movies and books aficionados on the world of MAFIA crime and criminals mastered by Mario Puzo–might just simplify the whole extravaganza: Trillanes more than a pain in the neck, is a sharp stone in a shoe of a Godfather and must be removed. Few people had experienced the utter discomfort and excruciating pain when walking with a stone in their shoes.
The question is why would any one had stones in their shoes, if they can choose to walk the grass instead of doing short cuts in gravel and pebbles strewn path. In places abundant with crooked roads, Tuwid na daan metaphor does not apply.
Read the above as pseudo poetry:
Some people who are movies and books aficionados
on the world of MAFIA crime
and criminals mastered by Mario Puzo
might just simplify the whole extravaganza:
Like a PI or DA in USA or like a Bobby in London UK
Trillanes more than a pain in the neck,
is a sharp stone in a shoe of a Godfather
and must be removed.
Few people had experienced the utter discomfort
and excruciating pain when walking
with a stone in their shoes. The question is
why would any one had stones in their shoes?
if they can choose to walk the grass
instead of doing short cuts in gravel
and pebbles strewn path.
In places abundant with crooked roads,
Tuwid na daan metaphor does not apply.
IMHO, the TPTB are bent on making Sen Trillanes quake in his boots to silence him. Two libel cases were filed by Polong Duterte and Mans Carpio stemming from a radio interview featuring Sen Trillanes supposedly implicating them in a exhortation scheme involving Uber.
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2018/09/07/Paolo-Duterte-criminal-case-Trillanes-libel.html
Could Sen Trillanes avail of the Witness Protection program? I know the DOJ is the implementing department and there is a clause about law enforcement officials. A legislative official is not a law enforcer.
Isn’t what happening to Sen Trillanes classic PH justice? PH will not progress to the present century when those who want to change the status quo are silenced. The status quo is the root of all the problems in PH. Status quo disruptors are agents of change. Change will not come to PH until the status quo is dismantled through the protection of whistleblowers. What happened to the PH Whistleblowers Act?
You cite truths, Juana. The witness protection program would not be given to Senator Trillanes. He is the crook, in their eyes, not the witness. I did read yesterday a point of view that the libel case is actually not a very bright idea because now the Senator can present the evidence he has alluded to to defend himself. I don’t know the legitimacy of that viewpoint.
Guevarra and Roque display the moral vacuum into which most government authorities go when deciding to support the President. Right and wrong are not defined by Christian compassions or constitutional patriotism or even the human conscience of oaths recited, but by defense of the deceits needed to keep an evil man holy. It is evil upon evil.
Harry Roque grasping at straws to make it happen for his King. He claims that Sen Trillanes violated his amnesty when he called on PNP and AFP not violate the Constitution by arresting him without a warrant. He called the act sedition. Really, Roque?
https://newsprod.abs-cbnnews.com/video/news/09/08/18/watch-trillanes-and-his-amnesty-violation
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Roque: You can’t drive.
Sentri: I have a driver’s license.
Roque: Your license is void ab initio.
Sentri: Why?
Roque: Your application for a license cannot be found.
Sentri: But I still have a license.
Roque: You are under arrest!
Sentri: Why?
Roque: For talking back to an enforcer of the law!
Sentri: But, sir, I am just exercising my freedom of expression.
Roque: There! You are resisting arrest! Put your hands on your head!
* Pulls out handcuffs *
*****
Excellent. That is the best way to explain the situation. Now, even I can understand through that dialogue. Eureka, I got it! 🙂
What is puzzling is why Calida, Guevarra and Roque cannot understand the situation. Ab initio, that is.
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They can. They are pretending. They are deliberately misunderstanding.
They are playing the cop. Out of the evil of their hearts.
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And then there is the possibility everything was done “sub rosa.” 🙂
Sedition is asking government agencies to obey the law. That is just stunning.
WTH? Is this administration going to overthrow itself? Is a government official allowed to incite the citizenry into ousting the incumbent administration to replace itself with same-o same-o administration? Is this Densing fellow dense?
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1029580/dilg-usec-mobilizing-people-to-push-president-duterte-to-declare-revolutionary-govt
They are all wicked people manipulating the gullible and needy. Pretty disgusting business.
His appointees are incredibly obsessed with the idea of a police state.
Birds of the same feather…
Hope this will end soon and Filipinos will be more appreciative of their human rights and freedoms.
Re:Tagalog versions of some TSH articles.
I still see new comments of Tagalog translation request for TSH articles, the latest being the Marcos revisionism series.
Any takers?
JP,Irineo,or Kuya Wil?
Or Popoy?
I could give it a try, Karl. It will take sometime though as I am still practicing. Please give me the links of the articles that need translation.
Here is one.
https://joeam.com/2015/11/04/marcos-revisionism-part-ii-half-truths-and-fallacies-of-marcos/
One task is already heavy. I read part one again, and saw a comment where you volunteerd as a proof reader. 😊
https://joeam.com/2015/11/03/marcos-revisionism-time-to-sound-the-alarm/
Oops, I just read the comment of Joe.
I question if the effort is worth it, Juana. Readership does not go to tagalog-only speakers. I’d rather have a new contribution, frankly.
I need to revisit my draft and work on it. Can’t seem to get motivated with all the heartbreaking events going on.
No pressure at all. I just did not want you to take on a translation that is great, in idea, but not so good at paying back the effort.
When one’s been around too long and in many places, there’s that boring anecdote to fit a discussion. There’s this PhD from Hull, England, married to a Filipina, visiting Professor too at Australian National U (Australia’s own UP) in Canberra happily regaled Filipinos he meets with a tale of his stint in the Ilocos to study the elite and the powers-that-be during the height of Martial Law. He laughingly says that when he speaks in Ilocano to the locals even old women there, they always answer even at length in English.
Now let JoeAm learn Waray, or Karay-ahh in Antique to hear the locals talk back to him in English. I am jumping to wrong conclusions, of course. That Filipinos everywhere from Appari to Jolo understand the English language common usage but not my gibberish stilted English.
TSoH, I earnestly submit has no language problem with Filipinos.
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1. I wake up and among my first thoughts is: What has happened in the Senate while I was asleep? Is Trillanes still safe?
2. In the Preamble of the US Constitution, one of the goals of nationhood is to “insure domestic Tranquility.” Among other things, I interpret this goal as being able to sleep a good night’s sleep, untroubled by political havoc. I guess the equivalent in the Philippine Constitution is the aspiration for a “regime of… peace.”
3. If I, a Filipino living in the security of a stable foreign land, am troubled by the turmoil caused by Duterte’s madness, how much more affected are the people living under the tattered umbrella of his unpeaceful regime?
3.1. I do not have the additional worry that the price of rice will soar. I know that Woolworths supermarket will offer a bag of rice at half-price before I exhaust my present stock.
4. I propose that a simple measure of a good president is the gift of a good night’s sleep.
*****
Yes, and that presumes a full stomach.
Similarly here. I wake up and ask if I still live in the Philippine version of a la-la land. Or the 1 percent chance that the reality is better. Most of us commenters in TSH may want to and can sleep our troubles away with still a relatively full stomach, but not so the others. But as the ending of that movie says, tomorrow is another day. I am really distracting from the blog’s theme here.
As to warm bodies there in the senate. Scanning FB, I see kuya Wil actively reporting and StPaul sent her husband yesterday.
I may not be there, but I am declaring my support.
Warm bodies may not be there, but supporters like me are plenty( hopefully)
My dad keeps in touch with the senator, every now and then.
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Thanks to all who keep vigil for the light of democracy to shine in the darkness of the night.
*****
It is a political case, so I can’t declare support. But I definitely support the Constitution and the freedoms and due process it assures. It seems to me the Senator does, too.
Joe, that goes to all of us, we must continue to support the Constitution. Thanks.
God bless your Dad, Karl.
Thanks.
hi Karl, thanks for the shout out but hubby wouldn’t go. He hasn’t been to a rally ever, as compared to me who had been in rallies ever since I was 16 y/o.
Would like to thank Kuya Will and tsm bros. and sis. God bless you all!
HI StPaul! Bless you!
Thank you,job well done 😁
The Police already arrested someone even if Duterte seemingly said not to arrest him/ them.
After telling the audience that the hecklers have their freedom of speech, etc….
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/656548/hecklers-greet-duterte-at-independence-day-rites-in-kawit/story/
The police still arrested a heckler they were able to catch.
https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-heckler-in-cavite-arrested/407340/
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/666939/oakwood-prober-to-trillanes-this-is-your-golden-chance-to-make-duterte-look-stupid/story/
Robles’ reasoning might be questionable, but he might be correct that this is the golden chance to make Duterte look stupid (once more).
This particularly Robles is no relation to Raissa and Alan Robles.
No relations to all the Robleses named below.
https://www.raissarobles.com/2018/09/07/trolls-just-so-you-know-im-not-related-to-trillanes-lawyer-reynaldo-robles/
“So I’m going to nip this one in the bud. To stop conspiracy theories from taking on a life of its own.
I am not at all related to Reynaldo Robles, lawyer of Senator Antonio Trillanes.
Nor to retired Colonel Rex Robles, former coup plotter-turned-military analyst.
Nor to newspaper columnist Jojo Robles.
Nor to Rappler reporter Pia Ranada-Robles.”
After NOT all but much is said and done here in TSoH, those awake and not snoozing in the pancitan KNOW FULLY WELL that not a SINGLE ARREST but MASS ARRESTS are CONCURRENT deplorable ACTIVITIES (like shut down of all newspapers and mass media) upon the Declaration of Martial Law. Forewarned IS NOT Forearmed at all times.
Growing old in turbulent times
teaches one in the academe
Lots of notions, hypotheses,
theories and laws of nature like
what is the Achilles’ Heel
of autocracies and dictators?
Indeed, what will bring down NOW
any totalitarian regime? In yonder years
NATURE wrote finish to DYNASTIES
Through pestilence, famines and epidemics.
Dictatorships may last fourscore or decades
MERE SNAPSHOTS in Hawking’s history of time.
So my QUESTION remains:
WHAT IS THE ANTIDOTE
To the VENOM of Dictatorship?
Not the consequences but
One which will write finish
To any modern times Dictatorship?
Martial Law comes like a runaway train
Who or what can stop a runaway train on its track?
Unthinkable? Nah, there’s an analogy.
One Dilbert character just blamed the US for the inflation in Philippines. I know Trillanes is asking if he actually passed the bar exams but I’m wondering does he understanding anything. US tariffs hit goods entering the US markets, what’s that got to do with Philippines. Furthermore, inflation has been on the uptrend long before Trump declared the tariffs on China Euro Canada Mexico. Sure, trade war will end up hurting global economy, but it has’nt yet triggered out it. It will take awhile before the impact is felt globally.
This is a president who takes no responsibilities. First, he goes outof the country and then declares martial law in Mindanao. Then he goes out the country, and orders the arrest of Trillanes. Moral of the story — becareful whenever he goes overseas. Be very careful.
Joe, if I may…
Most here are already aware of my bias towards Greek thought, literature and works. The Romans were pretty much the Chinese of today, stealing much, originating next to nothing. What original they created aspired towards their own Greek ideals, make no mistake though the Romans thought the Greeks soft and petty. The Romans were great at accounting and building, their military prowess though was over hyped.
But most Americans don’t see this nuance, so the Greeks and Romans in many ways became our ideal mold or form, one Greco-Roman tradition. Hence Cincinnatus the Roman king-farmer was President George Washinton’s model for governance, govern then farm and retire. Throw in Judeo-Christian morals and we were off to the races. These traditions we’d later give to soon-to-be Americans (like future Roman citizens), many times under duress.
The Philippines for us, was Further Hispania for Rome, the frontier. Where Greek and Roman values and mores blur. The Philippines seems on the cusp right now of something either bad or worst, but whatever it is it’ll be special, akin to Thomas Jefferson’s famous quote on growing the tree of LIBERTY.
https://joeam.com/2018/08/31/how-rappler-helped-defeat-mar-roxas/#comment-257713
^
^
I’ve been banned hence the lack of posts, but I felt last week I had to explain joeam.com to those who may not be familiar with the discussions and famous debates that take place here. Since offering that Apology for Joe (no not the I’m sorry kind, Greek) on the virtues of joeam.com , current events caught up and now it is not simply about propaganda and self promotion any longer but tyrannicide.
This famous era of Rome seems to me is where you guys are at right now over there. SPQR– latin acronym for “the Senate and the Roman People”. I’m not familiar with the nitty-gritty of Philippine politics only what pops up in international news and what’s focused on here. Senator Trillanes is international news, but a person I became only slightly interested in when karl said he’s working for him (or some arrangement to that affect). hmmmmm, who’s this Trillanes dude? So now I’m reading and thinking and this is where I’m at.
So allow me these examples from Rome:
FILIPINE ROME 1st Century B.C.
1. Catiline Controversy 60s B.C.
I’m gonna gloss over these hoping you’ll do your own follow-up research and superimpose Filipinos as appropriate on Roman politicians. But remember as I’ve hammered here quite so often, assume all these guys (and gals 😉 ) are dirrrty both Roman & Filipino, not personal but makes any sort of analysis quicker, or simply healthy cynicism & skepticism.
Cicero the Roman orator who made his bones during the 1st century B.C., leaving his mark for history may have created this “controversy” from thin air, or maybe he did catch wind of it and uncovered and punished its collaborators fellow conspiracists, to include the head Catilina.
It’s an interesting story, but I’d like you all to focus on the arguments for justification of emergency state powers, something Filipinos are already experts of. Catilina seems to have been the Bernie Sanders of Rome, wanting to over turn Rome up side down his strategy essentially is debt forgiveness. You see this is what kept Rome’s 1% afloat and the aristocrats just weren’t feeling the Bern. Hence , thanks to Cicero (remember the winners write history) this potential loan-forgiving tyrant was stopped, but in keeping with the theme of this era, there was talk then there was war. Then it was Roman legions vs. Roman legions time.
Is emergency state powers really so easy to justify and apply? Mere suggestions enough? Who watches the Watchmen line of questions.
2. Death of Caesar 40s B.C.
Everyone’s already familiar with this story. It’s the pinnacle of tyrannicide. Done on the senate floor around lunch time with everyone watching— an honourable thing. A just murder , as justified by Brutus and Cassius et al. Not as popular was Decimus, Caesar’s left hand man, while Marc Antony was his right. The latin word for left is sinister. Caesar wasn’t gonna go to the senate proceedings that day (there was no one single senate building, but a few venues for meeting), it was Decimus who urged Caesar to go.
Also an interesting story, but here I want you to focus on when murder is, in fact, justice. Cicero wasn’t invited in the conspiracy, maybe because he was too old and fickle by nature. But after the dirty deed Cicero monday-morning-qb’ed the assassination and said he could’ve done better, by this he meant the conspirators should’ve thought ahead, further ahead tying loose ends. A few years later, after Caesar’s assassination, all its conspirators would be dead, at the hands of Octavian and Marc Antony.
Octavian eventually getting rid of Cleopatra & Marc Antony. And becoming Augustus, first Emperor.
3. Cicero Killed 40s B.C.
Finally, the man who exposed Catilina 20 years earlier who then sided with Brutus et al justifying tyrannicide , the great orator, got his tongue mutilated by Marc Antony’s wife (Marc Antony ordered his head). After Caesar’s assassination , Cicero backed Caesar’s adopted son Octavian (actually Caesar’s 18 year old nephew) thus heir to his office; Cicero thought he could manipulate this youngster. Waaay too smooth a tongue, both Marc Antony and Octavian teamed up and got rid of Cicero, his head went to Marc Antony, while Cicero’s hands were nailed on the senate doors.
This one isn’t tyrannicide per se, but since Cicero supported Brutus, one way to kill off Brutus’ legitimacy is to kill off his mouth piece in Rome. Thus a species of tyrannicide. Essentially, what Cicero meant back when he said he could’ve done better re Caesar’s assassination, where Caesar’s head (Octavian) and sword (Marc Antony) were left to live.
That’s what you call a litter by the way, (here Cicero’s… i’ve always wanted a litter myself) instead in the 3rd world you’d have armored SUVs with armed drivers and guards.
4. Addendum 70s B.C.
Also, look into the Spartacus war. A slave revolt, of which there were already 2 in 1st century B.C., though one was started by a slave owner and the other by some millenarian prophet slave both of which were squashed right away. Spartacus et al though slaves were gladiators, there war against Roman legions festered much longer.
Yes I know the Spoliarium is in Manila, but for this addendum I want you to focus on slave wars. There ‘s no indications that Spartacus wanted to go to Rome, his war wasn’t revolutionary only rebellion, but he helped create the conditions that helped usher the coming events of 1st century B.C Rome.
Lastly, I want you guys to ponder this meme below, subtract Catilina and add whatever Filipino name appropriate.
Hi, LC! ‘Tis uncanny I was just revisiting the story of Cincinnatus and took note of the similarity with the need for a Washington/Cincinnatus type of messiah for the Philippines. I’m trying to follow the parallelism (if any) of that transition from Etruscan culture to the Kings of Latium, tracking the evolution of consulship to republic to imperium and divinity hopefully reach the intersection of Rome and Judaeo-Christianity at 313 A.D and Edict of Milan. As you surmise just going through hops, skips and steps across histories of civilization and make heads and tails of how we have our current geopolitics. 🙂 🙂
PS. Interesting connection: Chinese-Roman Empire. I have to think about that.
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1. Catiline is the previous tyrant. Thus, Marcos.
2. Caesar is the current tyrant. Thus, Duterte.
3a. Octavian is Caesar’s head (consigliere). Thus, Calida.
3b. Octavian is also Caesar’s heir (and power behind the throne). Thus, Bongbong.
4. Marc Antony is Caesar’s sword. Thus, Lorenzana.
5. Decimus is Caesar’s sinister left-hand man. Thus, Bong Go.
6. Brutus is Caesar’s assassin. Thus, yet unknown.
7. Cicero is the orator and the instigator of Brutus. Thus, Trillanes.
8. Cleopatra was gotten rid of by Octavian (as 3b. Bongbong). Thus, Robredo.
9. Spartacus is a slave rebel. Thus, Joma.
10. The thinker (in the meme) and impatient listener to Cicero (Trillanes), who is denouncing a tyrant, are the Dilawan.
*****
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Shower thought: Gloria is shaping up to be Brutus.
*****
I’ve not seen reports on her popularity. She was pretty well despised as President. I wonder if that has changed. Whatever happened to Brutus, by the way?
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Per Wikipedia, Brutus committed suicide after losing in a civil war to Octavian and Antony.
The insight of my shower thought is that Gloria, a Duterte ally, is actively undermining the President.
o First, by making him look weak at the SONA.
o And second, by demanding the resignation of his economic advisers.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/09/06/18/arroyo-allies-call-for-duterte-econ-managers-to-quit-amid-surging-inflation
*****
Ah, I was not aware of the call for resignations. By her allies, actually, not her directly. But significant just the same. Thanks. Yes, she seems to be exercising her newfound power.
Was granted Amnesty thanks to Mark Antony, things did not go well, he eventually committed suicide.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutus_the_Younger
Too late Edgar already responded, but I provided the link.
Thank you. Brutus, poor guy.
Yes, Popeye kept beating him up after eating spinach.
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🙂
*****
Also, interestingly keep in mind that these Roman folks above were all connected, Julius Caesar’s mistress was Brutus’ mom. Rumor was then that Brutus was Caesar’s illegitimate son. Marc Antony ‘s mistress was Octavian’s mom (among many). While Marc Antony’s wife was the late widow of another senator who Cicero had killed. Marc Antony would eventually marry Octavian’s sister after Caesar’s death.
Adoption and divorce came easy apparently.
So women played prominently in the background, one just needs to read between the lines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcia_(wife_of_Brutus) was the daughter of Cato. So I’m sure Brutus’ eventually deciding to kill Caesar was in part aided (the way only women can 😉 ) his wife (remember Cato was the original anti-Caesar), possibly also Brutus’ mom encouraged.
So pay attention also to the wives of Philippine senators.
Good to have relevant history parcelled here by Lance, Irineo et al. On Evolution, it seems that in the case of humans, non-progress or retrogression seems as much a viable path as progression.
Filipino SPQR flashback to the Catiline days (c) Edgar
..Jun Badoy expressed some disappointment over the fact that Raul Manglapus, the leader of the largest faction in our group, had supported Bert Misa over him in a committee chairmanship fight. Nevertheless he, like me, has remained a member of the Independent-Progressives because of conviction.
Tony Ceniza came to my desk again and talked to me about the devastating column of Apolonio Batalla in today’s Bulletin in which Batalla has enumerated some 157 delegates as “being moved as one by the invisible hand of Malacañang.” According to Tony, this listing has caused for us the loss of about seven votes on the ban resolution; it made some people waver..
Macapagal is the “poor boy from Lubao, Pampanga” – Gloria Arroyo’s father.
Augusto Caesar Espiritu became Ambassador to Bonn in Cory’s time.
An already quite senile Manglapus became Cory’s Foreign Secretary.
The head of Cory’s Presidential Security Group was Col. Voltaire Gazmin.
Gloria’s first appointment was as a USec or Asec by Cory herself 😦
Bert Misa was the uncle of my mother.
A good read for me, Lance. I find interesting your note of the modern day Chinese as acting like the Romans.
@ sonny , the whole China = Rome re lack of originality is mostly just my quick analogy, I’m sure if I had to break down serious China will come up on top. If China is stealing now I’m sure historically speaking it’s just getting even from Europe’s pillage of Chinese IPs waaay back in the 1700s, also further back from silk worms to gun powder to noodles.
re Christianity vis a vis Rome, I too am interested in this. Do share whatever you come across, sonny. What I do know though is that 1st century A.D. year of our lord, as Rome transitioned from republic to empire, Christian persecution was more local ad hoc, ie. if bad harvest, bad weather, bad luck, blame those who aren’t respectful towards the gods. Back then Romans, high borns to plebes, to their slaves, to foreigners, non-Romans et al all worshipped various beliefs and sacraments.
What kept the balance was respect of the unknown, if one grew up worshipping a set of gods, it doesn’t hurt to worship in addition a certain locale’s different set of gods the more there merrier philosophy, for insurance (When in Rome…). Non-zero sum game, as oppose to the zero sum game Christians then and now were espousing. You might be interested in Cicero’s “On Divination” http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cicero/de_Divinatione/home.html to get a feel for pre-Christian Rome.
State level persecution would not come until the time of Marcus Aurelius , so say if we arbitrarily mark Christianity’s rise in the Greek world around 60 A.D. and Marcus Aurelius was emperor 160 A.D. that’s a good century before Christians became an official nuisance. So for sure mad props to St. Paul and his Greek speaking crew. As comparison Scientology became a nuisance within 40 years only— but due mostly to US Tax Code loopholes, on top of them harassing tax agents. The Mormons were a nuisance in the West pretty much since after Joseph Smith was killed in 1844 (Carthage, Illinois).
I think Cicero’s “On Divination” is relevant to my initial post above.
@ edgar , I should’ve added Cato in the cast of characters above. He was the Stoic that figured out Caesar’s game from the git-go. Had more folks listened to him, and had he been in his prime, he would’ve put an end to Caesar’s aspirations waaay before Caesar crossed the Rubicon. He committed Roman seppuku in Africa after losing the Civil War. Brutus, Cicero , et al all groveled back to Caesar. Pompeii was executed by Cleopatra’s brother.
But my point about Cato was that he was a Stoic. Early Christians took heavily from Stoics, as much as from Plato. The only complete works preserved by Stoics though are by Romans, namely Seneca (an advisor to Nero); Epictetus (a Roman slave); and Marcus Aurelius (emperor). All three point back to Diogenes the Cynic, a student of Socrates. Rappler’s chief claims to speak truth to power. My question, are there Stoics in the Philippines now? Who there can speak truth to power at the level of Diogenes and Cato?
p.s. ~ Senator John McCain suckled from Epictetus’ “Enchiridion” while at Hanoi Hilton served by James Stockdale.
@ NH , here’s a great TED video on the Vestal Virgins,
@ Ireneo , great back-grounder. Thanks, all!
You are off my moderation, but if you post three or more links, it sends you there automatically. By the way, I prefer discussion to memes, photos, and videos. They can be useful, but so many makes the blog thread impossibly lengthy.
Noted. Thanks, Joe! Forgot about the 3 links limit. Will limit the memes as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestal_Virgin#Duties
Vestals were, on account of their incorruptible character, entrusted with important wills and state documents, like public treaties;
(did they also keep records of amnesty, was there such a thing in Rome?) Of course one major difference to Rome is that all Roman politicians went through military service..
This is how to confront the criminal maniac in Malacanang.
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I watched this last night.
*****
Huge blunder by the psychopath, he made Trillanes a very effective voice of the opposition.
My article tomorrow morning will make exactly this point.
Sometimes, I wonder, why I still read this two fellas, they make me want to say WTF a lot, ok to remedy that, I will just say WTH or what the fudge or what the freak.
Outrage against Trillanes- grrrr.
https://www.manilatimes.net/filipinos-outrage-breaks-out-vs-trillanes-aquinos-attack-dog/439019/
Digong making a martyr out of Trillanes, is that a threat?
I just learned that witness was derived from martyr.Right, Unc?
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1029660/digong-is-making-a-martyr-of-trillanes
For the Manila Times article, one must consider the source, who is a writer adept at defining new realities. I think the Inquirer article probably is more accurate, but then I’m biased, having watched the Trillanes media briefings the past five days. If people are angry, it is because their idol is being crucified as never before . . . and the press are taking it all in and publishing it.
Agree with you Joe.
I am monitoring the netizens reaction on Trillanes, what Tiglao is saying is the opposite. The negative comments were mostly trolls. Though,I am a bit biased too.
Your bias is for civility, due process, and the Constitution which most people would merely call patriotism.
karl, gaano katotoo ang balita na umuwing bigo daw si Dugyot galing Israel? Ni-reject daw ni Netanyahu ang nakaumang na arms sales agreement?
Yung police deals bigo.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/211378-israel-called-off-police-deal-drug-war-malacanang-mum
Link provided by Joe in an earlier comment.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-said-to-nix-police-agreement-with-philippines-over-bloody-drug-war/
Strange. He was there too when he uncharacteristically apologized to Mr. Obama. Imagine that, gone was the bluster and the hubris.
Must have gotten a stinging rebuke from the house of Judah. “You don’t do that to our friends in Washington and then come here to partner with us in your stupid war”.
That apology was planned to get pogi points with the powers that be in Israel.
Hubris returned in Jordan when he offered a battalion of Filipino soldiers.
Hah! He was basically prostituting the country to the Jordanians. So desperate for foreign investment. What happened to the Chinese money? Thought they’re going to give him guns and military hardware too.
Mabagal daw Chinese money, end of the year pa sila magkikita ni Xi.
Actually, not a bad idea. Most officers in the Arab world are Jordanian. Jordanians right now thanks to the dad nor the son king have the most professional military in the MidEast, sending a battalion to train there, along with NATO troops is not a bad idea at all. I know the Philippine sends troops to the UN, ex. there are (were?) Filipino troops in the Philippines.
But sending troops , like an exchange program, could only help IMHO. Outside of politics, the idea of sending troops abroad for exercise or augment better nation’s military is a plus. Your ambassador there now is tops.
(correction) *and the son king
(correction) ex. there are (were?) Filipino troops in Israel. sorry guys it’s B.C. before coffee here.
Another historical flashback.. American soldiers in the Philippines, 1898.
👍
Karl, there is not much record about what Filipinos back in the days said about Bonifacio around the time Aguinaldo had him tried and executed, but what the group around Aguinaldo said was probably not nice to judge from the little that is known. From the village to abroad, Filipinos will invent and believe all sorts of crazy gossip just because they dislike you or envy you – why should the bayan, the nation with the soul of a village, be any different? About General Luna more is known, that Buencamino and others (yes the ancestor of those we know, but that family has changed, at the latest when they helped defend against Japan) called him arrogant, echoing a lot of what anti-Trillanes people are saying these days..
(Trillanes is right not to leave the Senate, who knows if history repeats itself, similar to what happened to Luna when he went downstairs in Cabanatuan and out the door.. or even arrest can have someone like Galman do the shooting on the tarmac, all is possible..)
https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18990614.2.2.4
GENERAL LUNA IS MURDERED BY AGUINALDO
Put Out of the Dictator’s Way Because He Is Too Ambitious.
Ppf-.ai Dispatch to Th» Call.
MANILA. June 13 —General Antonio Luna, one of the bitterest foes of the Americans in the Philippines, has been assassinated by order of Aguinaldo. Luna has recently found himself in opposition to the chiefs views, and has not only disobeyed orders, but at one time stopped Aguinaldo’s Peace Commissioners while on the way to treat with the Americans.
Aguinaldo ordered his death, and these orders were carried out by the Dictator’s fanatical followers.
The report of the assassination caused great excitement among the Filipinos in Manila, which was added to later when the report was confirmed. The assassination of Luna occurred on June 8, at Kabanatuan, to which place he had gone to confer with Aguinaldo. He had just been promoted to the rank of major general by the Filipino leader. By a preconcerted plan, he was kept waiting at the door of Aguinaldo’s headquarters until his patience became exhausted. After demanding admission several times he attempted to force his way in. He drew a revolver, but before he could use it was seized by Aguinaldo’s guards, and one of them, named Ney, stabbed him several limes. General Luna’s aid. Colonel Ramon, who was near him. rushed to the general’s rescue, but was seized and disarmed and cut to pi-ces with bolos. Luna and Ramon both died a few : minutes after being stabbed.
It is said Luna had become so importunate in his demands on Aguinaldo for power and increased author- ! ity that the Filipino leader decided Luna’s death was necessary for his personal safety and the Filipino cause. The major general’s commission was merely -a bait to throw Luna off nis guard and render the assassination comparatively easy.
There is open rejoicing among the Filipinos here that Luna is no longer capable of making trouble…
This is about Goyo, what is different today?
The cinema was full. The long eerie silence at the end of the movie was quite awkward. I thought we were watching a movie last night, and then I realized that it was more than a film.
It was perspective.
Present Philippine society was perfectly depicted in the movie through the characters such as the indifferent townspeople, the two-faced politicians, the attention-seekers, social climbers, blind followers, and power-hungry leaders who will stop at nothing to keep their seat at the top. Time and time again as well, false heroes have been shoved down the people’s throat to blindly admire, revere, and become a role model for all of us. While we are reminded as well that real patriots and heroes will be killed.
In an uncanny resemblance from the past, the movie reminds us time and time again, how the Filipino people are betrayed. How a noble cause has always been muddied by greed, hunger for fame, fortune, and self-interest. How a nation’s soul was sold and being sold the next master. A nation with a fatal flaw of divisiveness and betrayal easily cowered and conquered by invading forces and never had the chance to get up on its feet.
Unfortunately, loyalty has more weight than true patriotism, says a line in the movie. Loyalists are given rewards and promoted while patriots are labeled as traitors and then killed. Sad, but a reality. A revolution easily turned into a barkadahan by some..
..It begs the question. Do we, as inhabitants of these fragmented islands, really deserve to be a nation? Filipinos were only called as such because of Spanish colonization. Are we just here as servants to these conquistadores, insulares or the traitors that were given power and a taste of fortune to make sure that all other indio would be subservient? Or is it that the country we dreamed of has not yet been born, under these circumstances?..
BTW it does look as if the San Francisco newspaper article about General Luna’s death has an element of “istoryahe” (the Visayan term for made-up stories Cong. Alejano likes to use) but it is amazing how much of it is true, in the days of telegraph and steamboats.
Probably they had a Filipino tsismis source in Manila who made the usual dagdag-bawas to the story, which eyewitness accounts relate otherwise – similar to the movie but not exactly that way. No CIA yet then in Langley – but loose lips always were a Filipino weakness.
Many thanks for the enriching comment, Irineo!
@Irineo
I loved Goyo. I will hold it as the finest of all “patriotic” films about national history for it alone deconstructs the very notion of herois.
It has—underneath—in my opinion, a very existentialist approach (my interpretation; probably not intent of creators of film) to Filipino identity, to Filipino nationalism that sets it apart from the over-compensating angry nationalism (Pinoy Pride! Filipinos are the best! Foreigners can’t understand!) and the other extreme of cynical self-hatred (“This country is so shit! Filipinos will never change!”) that are almost always the only approaches to national identity that one finds among Filipinos.
In a nutshell, Goyo—to me, at the very least—tells us to approach our Filipino identity the way Sisyphus (per Camus) approached the task of eternally rolling a rock up a hill again and again: to embrace the absurdity—the failure after failure, the defeat after defeat of our nation—and from there, summon forth a nationalism, a heroism that is neither cowardice (the self-hatred of us Filipinos) nor madly idealistic bravado (putting the nation on some lofty inhuman pedestal: all virtue, no flaw) but a fully human heroism, a fully human nationalism that chooses to love the nation despite the long history of defeat, not seeking glory but merely the goal of merely living fully.
That is very good, Francis, and is exactly the place I ended up after reconciling all the nonsense going on, and coming to the decision that there is no place better to be, for the richness of it all.
Amen to all the Goyo movie reviews above. I had watched it, too. Worthy of more than once viewing. 5/5, even at just one viewing. Loyalty to then President Aguinaldo by the military, General Goyo, in particular, rather than to the country, is now sadly seen in Duterte’s ‘men/women’. May some of such men/women be inspired by Goyo’s transformation at Tirad Pass.
Yes, Karl. Martyr is from the Greek “martus” for witness.
TY, Unc!
Also in Arabic, sonny! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahid
Weirdly, Hebrew has no witness=martyr concept. I wonder if the Greek concept just simply blended into Arabic, witness=death. The early scribes of the Qur’an were Christians after all. Very interesting.
Sicario, for those who saw Parts I and II, comes from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sica
see Unc, your article about history will never be passé.
Yes, I see what you mean, Neph. Thanks. So then, I should dust off the cobwebs and get to work.
LESSONS LEARNED THESE PAST FEW DAYS FOR OUR CHILDREN
1. MORAL INCOMPETENCE LEADS TO JOB INCOMPETENCE.
Incompetence may be the root of all weevils ((NFA) , but moral incompetence (Calida, Du30) disables all your capacities to do good. On the contrary, you will do a lot of harm. (inflation, cruelty, injustice, dictatorship)
2. IF SOMEONE SAYS HE ADMIRES MARCOS, YOU CANNOT TRUST HIM TO BE A GOOD PERSON.
If someone says he is not corrupt or he dislikes corruption but supports the Marcoses, he is lying.
3. YOU NEVER COMPROMISE YOUR GOOD NAMES (attention: Nene Pimentel, Bert Romulo, Sonny Belmonte) AND SACRIFICE YOUR PRINCIPLES FOR ANY REASON
These were some of the good guys in the anti-Marcos opposition. But Nene’s fetish for federalism, Bert’s admiration for Davao, and Sonny’s empire preservation instincts were likely their reasons for supporting Duterte. But look at what has happened to the country.
Tell these to your children!
Andrew, they may just go the way of these memories, long forgotten by most Filipinos..
https://archive.org/stream/jstor-1832232/1832232_djvu.txt
Mabini about Aguinaldo:
..To sum up: the revolution failed, because it was badly directed; because its director gained his place, not through meritorious, but through opprobrious acts; because, instead of supporting the men of most usefulness to the people, he, jealous of those men, rendered them useless. Believing that the aggrandizement of the people was nothing more than his own personal aggrandizement, he did not rate the merit of men according to their capacity, character, and patriotism, but according to the degree of friendship or kinship that united them with him; and, wishing to have his favorites disposed to sacrifice themselves for
him, he showed himself lenient even toward their faults. For his having thus contemned the people, the people abandoned him..
Mabini about the trumped-up charges against Rizal (long before Calida)
The Liga Filipina, organized by Rizal upon his return to Manila in 1892, but practically suppressed by his deportation to Mindanao almost immediately thereafter. In order to forge a chain of proof of consistent conspiracy against Rizal after the Katipunan outbreak in 1896, the Spanish military prosecutors made out that the Liga had been formed with the express object of working for political independence. This claim was not put forth in 1892, and had not good evidence in its support in 1896. Rizal declared that the object of the league was to
” raise the arts “, stimulate his people to greater activity in things commercial, industrial, and educational — to prepare the people, in short, for greater political liberty ; such broad general aims may, of course, have looked to future political independence of Spain, but that does not make the league an illegal conspiracy to that end, at least under any free government.
Also in three (books that is) is Cicero’s “De Officiis”;
here’s the easiest to navigate is you care to read. I still think no one beats “the Prince”. But here,
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2007.01.0048
“The work discusses what is honorable (Book I), what is expedient or to one’s advantage (Book II), and what to do when the honorable and expedient conflict (Book III). Cicero says they are the same and that they only appear to be in conflict. In Book III, Cicero expresses his own ideas.” Wiki
@Irineo
I strongly suggest you write a piece on why mayors make lousy presidents – from Aguinaldo to Erap to Duterte.
That is true in the Philippines, but not in Germany. Konrad Adenauer and Willy Brandt were both former mayors and excellent Chancellors.
But looking deeper, that might be exactly the answer. A German mayor oversees a modern administrative apparatus. A Filipino mayor – is more like Tony Soprano so very often, exceptions like Jesse Robredo prove the rule.
Tony Soprano is not the right person to take over a Wall Street Company, is he?
Then let’s modity the topic to ” Why Philippine Mayors do not make good Presidents” .
Can you write that for Society of Honor? You have a good grasp of the Aguinaldo days.
*******
I like all 3 lessons.
Lesson 1 is the most important.
People have to realize that politics and the business of government are imbued with morality.
In the Lincolnesque definition of democracy, the purpose of government is “FOR the people.”
o FOR the common good
o FOR the upliftment of the people
o FOR the furtherance of freedom, equality, and justice
To see politics as an arena for the attainment and exercise of power is myopic. Yes, politics can be a game, a power play, and can be robust. But at the end, the noble primary purposes must always be kept in mind.
The tragedy of the Duterte regime and of the people at this time is that these have been forgotten.
*****
https://www.manilatimes.net/is-du30-set-to-make-sen-t-a-major-political-player/439017/
Tatad still hit Pnoy and Delima by making them as examples that a president might not respect a TRO because Delima still prevented Arroyo from leaving despite bring granted a TRO.
He is still correct that Trillanes is becoming a major political player because of this foul-up by Duterte.
Even if he gets arrested eventually this is still big minus points for Duterte, if not, then we have a big problem, especially if we still elect the senate lineup of Duterte.
Everyone should read this, a very intelligent and well written analysis of how Trillanes defeated Duterte.
http://verafiles.org/articles/duterte-loses-trillanes
Done. And many thanks for the alert, AL8.
Thanks for the link.
That Trillanes has gained from this amnesty revocation “battle” seems like a consensus (above 60 percent?). But to say that Duterte loses the “war” to Trillanes at this time when Duterte has at least 4 more years, more flexibility, and an array of arsenal some of which we may not even know about may be overselling Trillanes at this time. That said, I find the article stimulating and a prelude to tomorrow’s TSH Blog.