July 3, 2007

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

In our Political Law I class last week, the Vice Governor (who has scored a reputable 85% in the Bar) brought up the issue of the constitutionality of President Arroyo’s ascent to the Presidency in January 2001 and I was asked what my view is. I wasn’t raising my hand, though, when he called me; he thought I did, anyway.

So I stood up and admitted, to the amazement of the class, that I, along with my friends and dormmates, joined Edsa Dos (which led to President Erap’s ouster and President Arroyo’s instatement to the highest office of the land). I said that the Supreme Court have legitimized President Arroyo’s ascent to the Presidency when Chief Justice Davide administered her oath as President. President Estrada had been deemed resigned when he abandoned Malacañang on that tumultuous day of protests and nationwide clamor for him to resign; and Supreme Court’s unquestionable integrity is guaranteed by the Constitution itself. (That night I went on to read about the Angara Diary which has become one of the bases of the High Court’s legitimization of the Arroyo Presidency). A classmate supplied that Congress itself confirmed the legitimacy of the Arroyo Presidency.

Ace Mana-ay, one of the brilliant, fresh Pol Sci grads in the class, would later sound like blaming me and the others who marched and rallied against President Estrada and thereafter instating the current President, who according to her, “has been causing too many problems now” and is facing a lot of controversies of anomalies in her leadership.

I defended my self when I went to EDSA in January 2001. I told the class that I was only exercising my duty to be abreast of what’s going on in the country and that I was also exercising my right to take part in voicing out our grievances to the government. As students, I told them, glancing at Ace, that we should not just confine ourselves within the four corners of the classroom but also outside of it. That when I went out and joined the other students in EDSA, I was simply being a Filipino clamoring for change amidst the irregularities, chaos and disorder in the government at that time which revealed the Jose Velarde controversy, plunder issues and other questions on President Estrada’s leadership. I told them it’s a lot better than feeling helpless that you cannot do anything about the issues of the day. Being passive and unmindful of the social issues grappling the nation doesn’t make one a true blue Filipino at all.

We also talked about political maturity with the Vice Governor complaining about countless job applicants he has in his office; and many people asking for anything, thinking of an elected official as provider of employment. For my part, I said that political maturity entails the understanding of not what the government can do for the people, but what the people can do for the government, having in mind countless constituents of my father who would ask anything from him, including even their most basic needs. Ours is not a well-off family, but I grew up with Tatay and Nanay giving out to people things and stuffs which are supposed to be ours, and for us alone. They never tired doing it. My siblings and I have long accepted, to our displeasure, the fact that our parents find joy doing it. This might be the reason why Tatay continues to occupy an elected position in our town. Their deeds never enriched us with financial and physical gains, but it enriched us with friends and followers -- from the modest and the well-to-do in the community down to those who are really unfortunate in life -- who know us and look up to us, even if we ourselves do not know them.

So much for this journal entry for now. I’m off to another class of Vice Governor Ponce de Leon tonight. I’m sure it’s going to be another dynamic class discussion.

July 2, 2007 entry

Monday, July 2, 2007

In a local family compound here in Liberty Road where I currently take residence at, I occupy a two-room boarding house I share with Eric, a 3^rd Year Nursing student at HTC who is a nephew of a family friend. The house sits adjacent the house occupied by the family of Leah and Liit, the identical twin sisters who always wake me up with their tiny yet earsplitting, screals, I call them --- screams + wails. They are lovely little girls @ age 4 who go out and sport different dresses but with the same hats covering their both curly hairs. They sing together and smile exactly the same way. If not for their difference in size evident from their monikers, I could hardly distinguish who is who….

“Ang kulet, kulet mo!!”

“Aaaah! Hindi naman ako kulet!!”

“Bad ka!!!”

“Waaaaa! Mama o!! Di ba hindi ako bad?!!”

Again, they woke me up with these screals today. I didn’t even know who was saying what. I couldn’t tell who’s accusing who.

I’m beginning to get used to their screals, though. They serve as alarms for me to get up, have breakfast and start on my readings for the day. I even begin to withstand their screals while am hooked up with my readings.

God bless Leah and Liit.

A Journal Entry

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Today’s the first of the following days that I will be writing a daily journal. I haven’t been doing this for quite some time now, but for the sake of complying with one of Prof. Tabang’s requirements, and maybe, of looking forward to reaping the benefits and joys of writing, notwithstanding my limited creativity (if ever I got a piece of it) and narrow flair for writing, I am scribbling with my pen now..

Well, we have elaborated in our Basic English class the usage and importance of keeping a journal. So, why not do this with gusto then? Here’s hoping I can keep it daily.

---ooOoo---

Baragatan ‘07 just came to a close. I didn’t witness any of its daytime-to-nighttime week-long spectacles. I have been pre-occupied with my reading assignments that I hardly had time to go out and see for myself the fun and colors of this year’s celebration. The celebrations in 2002 and 2003 were the only Baragatan’s I witnessed; but since then I have always looked forward to watching the street-dancing with the extravagant display of each participating town’s dances, motifs and heritage; the nightly concerts and entertainments; and dining and drinking at the capitol grounds.

More than two weeks into law schooling, I just suddenly find myself coping with a lifestyle I haven’t had for ages! Am back here in Palawan and I just missed the recent Baragatan. I also miss beer, watching movies in big screens and a 7-8 hours sleep, and a lot more things and those stuffs that singles at my age do. I gotta re-learn a scholar’s life and that includes disciplining myself and shunning gimmicks which I have become accustomed to. God, it’s going to be upsetting.

But hey, I want to be a lawyer. I need to be a real law student then. I hope though that, time permitting, I will still be able to see to it that I wont be a “dull John”. Let me put my version of that saying this way: All study without getting a break will make Eyom a dreary guy.

For Mam Tabang

In my first semester in law school, I was surprised to find out that a Basic English course is on the list of subjects I needed to enroll in. PSU School of Law must be the only law school that includes this course in curriculum. It's good, though and I have nothing against it. I think it would help a lot re-learning the basics of the universal language especially since our laws and jurisprudence are written in English. And hey, the Bar Exams had never been conducted in Filipino ( Did I hear that story of a very brilliant law student, so brilliant and patriotic, that in the Bar Exams he answered in Filipino to further his clamor of "Filipinizing" our legal system? He did not make it, of course. )

One of the tasks we had in the course was journal writing. And since I really do not write, I would just take note of the subject of my journal entry each day. There were days I forgot to take note of an event or extraordinary thing that happened that I had to recall by asking my classmates. My notes for my journal entries piled up until I crammed my way into submission day.

I would like to post in here some entries of my journal. :) This is for Ma'am Ruth who's always been very understanding of her students and with whom we never had any qualms re-learning the basics of English. We had a meaningful time with you, Ma'am! We know it's going to be the same case in our Advanced English class this semester.

Testing

My shot of the Provincial Capitol Grounds. December 2007.

Meri Krismas and Hapi New Year!

This is the usual greeting of us Filipinos in this time of the year. With the traditional Christmas Day approaching and of course, a New Year upcoming , this greeting is once again in the airwaves; being flaunted by our TV shows; sent to our mailboxes, snail mail or email or a quick sent to our phones' inbox; displayed conspicuously in public places; used ostentatiously by PR and Ad firms for their big time clients-companies; and oh yeah, by government officials, too! At this time of the year, no other gimmick or strategy can be more, I'll say, cost-effective...or yes, profitable (ie. what with those gifts, high and top-grossing sales, millions of pesos worth of PR mileage, constituents' approval rating) than making the most of this too-commercialized-and-politicized greeting.


I know there are still many who would say or make use of the season's greetings for the sake of reminding others of the season's real spirit and of wishing them well. To them I say, Meri Krismas and Hapi New Year! And to the others? --- Well, I say the same. :)

Yearning to be a blogger.

I've started blogging in my Friendster account more than 2 years ago, I think. But for lots of factors and hundreds of reasons (or non-reasons), I wasn't able to do it, I mean to blog, with continuity. On top of 'em all, I don't consider myself a writer.

But what the heck, I want to write now. Am not a writer. But let me discover how to write. Let me be a blogger on my own.