AS a student of law, I learned that the President, as the primary architect of the country’s foreign policy, and as head of state, is allowed by the Constitution to make preliminary determinations on what, at any given moment, might urgently be required in order that our foreign policy may manifest our national interest.
The role therefore of the President, when it comes to foreign policy, is very clear and there is no second-guessing it.
When it comes to the issue of the plan of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to conduct an investigation on the country’s alleged brutal anti-narcotics campaign during the time of President PRRD, there is no doubt that the voice of the President is the voice of the country.
Recently, the President has been quoted as saying that the Philippine government will not cooperate with the ICC on the anti-narcotics campaign. He said he considers it as a threat to the country’s sovereignty and therefore, the Philippine government will not lift a finger to help any investigation that the ICC conducts. He also said that the ICC investigators can come and visit as “ordinary people” but the government will not assist them.
Any attempt by the ICC at conducting a probe here on the country’s anti-drug campaign is doomed to fail. Which, to me, is not only legal but also practical.
If the country’s leaders allow the ICC to conduct a probe here, that is tantamount to surrendering the primordial right of the country to govern its citizens. That cannot be allowed. And besides, it will also set a dangerous precedent, and there will be no stopping the ICC from regularly conducting then on an “audit” of the country’s records of governance.
Mogawas nga mas gamhanan pa ang ICC kay sa Pilipinas right smack within the shores of the country.
Pagka-dakoas eskandalo kon mao man gani.
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Pagka-dakoas eskandalo nga namugna tungod sa gitawag og PIRMA.
It started when Congressman Edsel Lagman disclosed an attempt by a party-list group in the Bicol region to allegedly “buy” many people’s signatures in order to push the proposal for a constitutional change thru people’s initiative on the process of voting for constitutional change – instead of voting separately, they wanted the Senate and the House of the Representatives to vote jointly for a constitutional change.
Samtang nagtubaganay ang miakusar ug ang giakusar nga namalit og mga pirma sa mga tawo, padayon nga gihimo ang pagtapok sa mga papeles nga gipamirmahan na sa mga lain-laing lugar sa nasod hangtod nga ila kining gi-submit sa Comelec.
Nahimo na usab nga eskandalo kay matod pa, nganong nag-una man og submit sa mga pirmadong mga papeles nga wala pa man gani maka-file og petition for people’s initiative ngadto sa Comelec.
Mahimo diay na nga mag-una ang pirma sa mga tawo kay sa petition, matod pa sa mga nangutana. Kon mao man gani na, susama ra kini og mag-una ang karwahe kay sa kabayo.
* * *
Because they were adversely affected by the “pirma” group’s people’s initiative drama, the Senate leadership was forced to pass a resolution proposing for a constitutional change on 3 economic provisions of the Constitution.
The reason behind the senate move is crystal clear – kon pasagdan lang nila ang “pirma” move, sama sa mag-disappearing act ang mga senador o matunaw ang ilang gahom under the present set-up kay mogawas nga lamyon o kan-on ra ang ilang gidaghanon sa kadaghanon sa mga sakop sa House of Representatives. Sayon ra lupigon sa botohan ang 24 ka mga senador sa 361 ka mga miyembro sa House of Representatives kon usahon ra sila sa pagbotar.
Yes, mogawas nga self-preservation ang rason sa senado.
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Sa tantong tubaganay kon kinsa gyod ang responsable sa gihimo sa “pirma” group, kay klaro man kaayo nga daghan og kwarta ang maong grupo, migawas ang pangalan sa Speaker of the House nga mao kuno ang nag-ulo niini.
Unang miakusar si Senator Bato dela Rosa nga si Speaker kuno ang nag-ulo niini.
This was denied, not only by the Speaker but also by his allies in the House.
Recently, Senator Imee Marcos joined the fray and fired her volley shots at her cousin, the Speaker of the House, as the alleged mastermind of the “pirma” group’s political drama.
Again, this was strongly denied, with a rejoinder to prove it.
Of course, everybody, including Adam, Eve and their cousins, knows that to prove this as a matter of fact is humanly impossible kay matod pa, mga Kongresista man mismo ang nagpaluyo niini.
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Recall the senate resolution that was passed that called for a constitutional change on 3 provisions only, and which was right away given full support by the Speaker.
Matod pa, nindot na unta to kay nagkasabot na ang Senate ug House of Representatives bahin sa pag-usab sa Batakang Balaod pero na-eskandalo na usab.
Ngano man?
Matod pa, gi-suspenso na usab sa senado ang maong lakang tungod sa padayon nga gibuhat sa “pirma” group sa people’s initiatives nga matod pa, nakaabot na sa tukmang gidaghanon ang mga namirma sa kada distrito sa nasod sumala sa gilatid sa balaod.
Unang mihatag sa iyang batikos si Senador Koko Pimentel nga misaway sa gihimo sa Comelec nga pagdawat sa mga pirmadong papeles bisan wala pay petition nga gi-file ug mipasabot nga mahimong mo-kaso ang senado mahitungod niini.
Kon ihapak nila ang isyo ngadto sa Supreme Court, mamahimo na sab kini nga usa ka dakong issue nga legal sanglit dili pa man klaro ang balaod bahin sa people’s initiative.
Samtang lantugion didto sa Supreme Court kon kinsay husto kanila, unsa man kahay mahitabo sa mga importanteng panginahanglan sa nasod, labi na ang isyo sa padayon nga kamahal sa mga palaliton?
Pangutana – kining padayon nga lantugi sa pag-usab sa Batakang Balaod, makaayo kaha kini sa nasod?
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Some members of the House of Representatives are actively pushing for the constituent assembly (ConAss) as the mode of changing the constitution. Under ConAss, the current members of the Senate and the House of Representatives will compose the body that would discuss and propose constitutional changes.
Many people are against it mainly because of distrust, dili sila mosalig nga magbinuotan ang mohimo niini.
The other mode is thru a constitutional convention (ConCon) where an election of delegates will be held and those elected will compose the body that will discuss and propose constitutional changes.
Daghan ang moangay sa ConCon but of course, there are also valid objections against it like huge expenses, political accommodations and the like.
The third mode of amending the constitution is of course thru people’s initiative.
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Meanwhile, there are allegations that some personalities in the province are actively pushing for the break-up of the Aumentado-Tutor alliance.
It started during the barangay elections where it was alleged that the Aumentado group and the Tutor group are supporting contending punong barangay candidates.
But this was doused with cold water when both Governor Aris and Congressman Alexie Tutor maintained the integrity of their alliance and said that they were comfortable with their political alliance.
Pero dili kuno kini tinuod og posible pa kuno nga mabuak ang ilang grupo kay lain-lain ang ilang mga plano sa politika.
I was asked this question recently.
My answer was simple – breaking up the alliance is not feasible at the moment because it is both to their tactical and financial advantage to maintain it.
One, magpadayon ang kalig-on sa ilang tagsa-tagsa ka mga distrito (2nd and 3rd districts), apil na ang probinsiya, kon padayonon nila ang ilang alyansa. In other words, they are politically invincible with the alliance in place.
And two, because of the alliance, it is possible nga wala silay lig-on nga kontra thus, their respective campaign costs would be drastically low.
Kon mabungkag ang ilang alyansa, mas modako ang ilang magasto sa kampanya.
Ergo, for the Aumentado group and the Tutor group, it is better to preserve than to break the alliance.
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These are some of the questions sa mga parokyano that beg for an answer.
Is it correct for the priest to literally “eat” the English words aron mogawas nga maayo siya mo-ininglis and pronounce the word “Jesus” as “jay-sous”?
Is it correct for the priest to sing very loudly as to over-power the combined voices of the choir-members such that masapawan ug di na madungog ang tingog sa choir?
Any volunteer?
