PHILIPPINE POLITICS HITS AN ALL-TIME LOW

This past week saw Philippine politics at at an all-time low. The Lower House of Congress' members loyal to the administration passed House Resolution No.1109 - A resolution calling upon the members of Congress to convene for the purpose of considering proposals to amend or revise the Constitution, upon a vote of three-fourths of all members of Congress - on the Second Regular Session of the Fourteenth Congress. It has gotten so low that Rev. Fr, Joaquin Bernas, a Jesuit priest lawyer and expert on the Constitution and part of the commission that drafted it called the passing of the resolution as the rape of the Constitution.

What is the significance of this event to me, a Filipino mother of five children who are all of school age? How does this affect me? The legislators do their job, I do mine. They pass bills that become laws that affect the lives of every Filipino and that is where our paths cross. There is a saying that the biggest room in the world is the room for change. But changes to the Charter is not the change Filipinos are hoping for, it is real change in how our leaders govern our land. For if truth be told, it is badly governed. Power and wealth is in the hands of a 'privileged few'. 'The rich is becoming richer and the poor poorer' has become cliche.

After the conquistadores, the Americans, the Japanese and the Americans again, we now come face to face with ourselves and our own demons. We have much to learn from our past as a people. If we have the courage to look deep into our roots and learn, then history may be kind and not repeat itself like a recurring horrific nightmare.

This year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of publication of the novel Mga Ibong Mandaragit(Aves De Rapina). National Artist Amado V. Hernandez started to write portions of this story while he was serving time in prison for trumped up charges of sedition. Feudalism made it possible for large tracts of land to be owned by one family alone. Traces of feudalism remain in the Philippines today. I have read the book in my second year high school class. The country was under oppression then and our teacher found it very apt to the situation even for a fourteen-year-old. It was a story of one very ordinary boy in a feudalistic society who stopped from being ordinary and later helped save his country from tyranny.

Perhaps I will start reading it again before I go to bed tonight.

This is in response to the call from the blog 2010 Presidentiables to link with other blogs/bloggers discussing about the issue of HR 1109.

VISIT OTHER BLOGS AND BE INFORMED.

1. http://notoconass.com/
2. http://conass.wordpress.com/
3. http://2010presidentiables.wordpress.com/
4. http://kritikoradikalestudyante.wordpress.com/
5. http://thechinadoll.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/con-ask/
6. http://daretospeakout.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/traitors-and-backstabbers-in-the-congress/
7. http://lupitnicabring.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/the-ayes-have-it/
8. http://wexistence.wordpress.com/
9. http://scarletbroomstick.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/inglorious-bastards/
10. http://blogbreak.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/hr-1109/#comments
11. http://midfield.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/twin-evils-resolution-1109-and-the-9-11-terror-attack/
12. http://chuvachienes.com/2009/06/05/15182/
13. http://cathcath.com/?p=6137
14. http://filipinovoices.com/con-ass-where-would-this-nightmare-lead-us-to
15. http://rhyan.net/2009/06/05/spread-the-badge-no-to-conass/
16. http://politics.alleba.com/2009/06/03/no-to-conass-badges/
17. http://thepinoy.net/?p=3548
18. http://mav-equalizer.blogspot.com/2009/06/congressmen-assholes-who-voted-for.html
19. http://thewutzup.com/2009/06/05/bro-eddie-plans-huge-rally-to-stop-con-ass/
20. http://blogs.inquirer.net/blogaddicts/2009/06/05/filipinos-take-con-ass-fight-online/
21. http://marichulambino.wordpress.com/2009/06/06/a-piece-of-your-mind-on-the-planned-con-ass-to-change-the-charter/
22. http://makuhari.wordpress.com/2009/06/06/terrorist-act-on-our-constitution/
23. http://boymejorada.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/have-we-lost-our-ability-to-get-angry/
24. http://wakeuphils.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/bernas-they-announced-they%e2%80%99ll-commit-a-crime/
25. http://tatayk.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/indignation-vs-con-ass/
26. http://quierosaber.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/house-resolution-1109/
27. http://pinaynews.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/top-10-reasons-filipinos-in-the-us-should-say-no-to-arroyos-cha-cha/
28. http://pinaynews.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/con-ass-a-path-to-dictatorship-martial-law-bayan-usa/
29. http://kablog2.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/three-days/
30. http://dominoeffect2009.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/will-there-be-a-third-time/
31. http://eriktenedero.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/con-ass-failed-before-session-adjourns/#comment-35
32. http://dominoeffect2009.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/the-chacha-express-has-arrived/
33. http://kapirasongkritika.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/mga-plakard-sa-panahon-ng-con-ass/
34. http://tatayk.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/damn-you-con-ass/
35. http://nochain.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/kick-con-ass-student-councils-denounce-hor%e2%80%99s-move-to-railroad-chacha/
36. http://arnoldpadilla.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/railroading-hr-1109-con-ass-a-scandal-far-worse-than-haydens-sex-videos/
37. http://carlcala.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/charter-change-is-a-disaster-waiting-to-happen/
38. http://cocoy826.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/lets-hope-our-people-have-a-better-understanding-of-democracy-by-the-time-we-go-to-the-polls-again-in-2010/
39. http://danabatnag.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/the-up-college-of-law-facultys-statement-on-the-charter-change/
40. http://firsttimevotersproject.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/first-time-voters-register-protest-against-gma%e2%80%99s-charter-change/

photo courtesy of tinig.com

(lifted from an article in my blog Bolpen At Penpen De Sarapen)