I have been talking to a number of members of the House, and the impression I get is that House Resolution 1109, which it passed before adjourning last week, will be implemented even before the President?s State of the Nation Address on July 27. HR 1109 is a subject they would rather avoid, but if pressed to comment, they admit that moves will be made in the next two or three months to force a ?justiciable? challenge before the Supreme Court. To my observation that majority of the people do not want a constituent assembly (Con-ass), some said the negative sentiment was only in the media, adding that in their districts people were quite uninvolved, being more preoccupied with making a living every day. Some noted that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has the support of the local government officials as she has taken care of them well. Others conceded that this is the wrong time to push Charter change, but they seemed to have accepted it as inevitable.
From my conversations with them, it seems that the Supreme Court would be the last resort in stopping Con-ass. If it says it is illegal, then the House would stop, said one representative. Fr. Joaquin Bernas, SJ noted a week ago that the SC must come in as an ?indispensable accomplice? if HR 1109 is to be realized, but he also said that there are justices who cannot be ?complicit in treason.? I wish I could be as confident. Let?s pray the high magistrates would see that a constitutional convention after 2010 would be a far desirable option than pushing a self-serving Con-ass 11 months before the elections.
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Two recent events sent us history tripping. For the second year, Malacańang marked the traditional Independence Day vin d?honneur with more than an exchange of diplomatic toasts between the President and the papal nuncio, the dean of the diplomatic corps. Malacańang has revived the rigodon de honor, an elegant court ceremonial dance that the Spaniards brought to our shores in the 19th century. This year?s line-up of dancers was quite distinguished, and the talk was that each one was picked by Ms Arroyo herself.
The group included several Cabinet members, including Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto and political adviser Gabriel Claudio, two foreign diplomats (Spanish Ambassador Luis Arias was paired with a professional dancer reportedly to make sure she brought out the dancing talent of the courtly diplomat), business leaders, two retired military chiefs of staff, two stately, tanned beauty queens as well as a self-conscious Babe Romualdez of the Philippine Star. Members of the diplomatic corps appeared to enjoy watching the 45-minute dance which, as a Scottish guy remarked, could have been drawn from Scotland or anywhere in Europe. Aside from highlighting the universality of dance and music, it focused on the courtly elegance of a chapter in Philippine history, the pulchritude of Filipino women and the splendor of our terno, especially since the dancers were admonished to understate their jewelry.
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Last Sunday, June 14, alumni and friends of the Jesuits gathered at the Manila Cathedral for a Mass officiated by Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales to celebrate and recall the return of the Jesuits to the Philippines 150 years ago. Afterwards they trooped to the ruins of San Ignacio Church in ?calesas? (horse-drawn carriages) to witness the laying of a time capsule for the reconstruction of the church destroyed by Allied bombs during the last days of the Battle of Manila. It was announced that the church, which was once the repository of the some of the finest wood carvings of famous sculptors such as Isabelo Tampinco, would be reconstructed and converted into a museum housing ecclesiastic art and relics. For this project, P100 million was donated by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts and another P100 million by the Department of Tourism. Another P100 million will be raised through a fund-raising drive.
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A funny moment occurred when Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, noting that the Ateneo?s celebration included sentimental visits to its various campuses such as the defunct Padre Faura campus, asked Ateneo officials to return to where the school began and not to ?abandon? Manila. Lim asked them to build part of its graduate school in his city and challenged PLDT big boss Manuel V. Pangilinan, chair of the Ateneo board of trustees, to buy land in Manila and donate it for that purpose. MVP turned on his customary ear-to-ear grin.
Earlier Lim noted that the Ateneo was off-limits to humble folks like him, and he went on to narrate how he spent his first nine years as an orphan at Hospicio de San Jose. When politicians recall their humble beginnings at every turn, elections must be around the corner. By the way, at the vin d?honneur I ran into Beng Atienza, the organization-savvy wife of Environment Secretary Lito Atienza and I asked her about reports of a mano a mano fight between him and Lim in 2010 and she smiled and nodded.
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At the Palace I ran into Quezon City Rep. Annie ?Rosa? Susano who is so upset about the recent jewelry scam perpetrated by socialite Rosemarie Arenas? former chief of staff, Marilen So-Guisande, who had victimized a number of upper-class women, including Susano?s niece, Doris Deborah Palispis. Susano said she?s appalled that such a scam could be pulled off with the collaboration of some unscrupulous pawnshops. She expressed full support for Sen. Loren Legarda who called for a congressional review of the Marcos-era laws regulating the pawnshop business, which seem to be no longer effective. Susano said she feared for her poorer constituents who had to borrow money from pawnshops and promised to ask for a similar review of the laws in the House of Representatives. With regard to the call for socialite Arenas to demonstrate a sense of responsibility toward the victims who had entrusted their heirlooms to Guisande because of Arenas? personal encouragement, Susano said Arenas should do so under the principle of command responsibility.
