Victory sidelights

Former Senate President Jovito R. Salonga was my beloved mentor, benefactor, guru, friend, and, many times, surrogate father. I will always cherish his foremost teaching:

It is good to have the things that money CAN buy, like food, clothing, shelter, car, recreation and travel, but never ever forget to prioritize the values that money CANNOT buy, like integrity, honor, dignity, patriotism and love for God as the source of all that is true, good and beautiful.

May he rest in peace.

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Hubris vs humility. Sen. Grace Poe’s phenomenal victory at the Supreme Court was severely criticized, even when the text of the decision had not yet been released.

In fact, on the very day the vote was announced on March 8, some of her opponents instantly crowed over TV-radio that they would file a motion for reconsideration. Without having seen the decision, one had the temerity to say that the nine majority justices committed a “culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust”! If that is not hubris, I do not know what is.

They are, of course, entitled to their opinions, but let me compare theirs with what Poe repeatedly said before the verdict was announced: “I will accept whatever the Supreme Court decides, whether favorable to me or not.” If that is not humility, I do not know what is.

The full decision was released by the high court only last March 11. It clearly highlighted that Poe met the natural-born citizenship and 10-year residency requirements. Let me point out some sidelights:

1) The Supreme Court voted on the Poe case last March 8. It decided the disqualification suit against Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ) on March 3, 2004, a few days earlier in the corresponding election year. FPJ’s case was simpler. It involved only one main issue (natural-born citizenship) while Poe’s case was more complicated as it embraced two main issues (natural-born citizenship and residency). So, we can say that the Court was not remiss in its duty to decide speedily.

2) Like in FPJ’s case, the original ponente wrote a draft unfavorable to Poe, but the majority overturned the ponente’s position and another justice, Jose P. Perez, was chosen to prepare the decision allowing Poe to run. The original draft in FPJ’s case became a dissenting opinion. So, also, the original draft here became a dissent.

3) Poe won 9-6 while her adoptive father won 8-5, yielding an identical margin of three votes for each of them.

4) There is no truth to the rumor that P-Noy has a “secret” candidate. If it were true, why did one of his closest friends, Justice Bienvenido L. Reyes, vote against his alleged “secret” candidate?

5) In fact, two of his appointees voted with the minority (Reyes and Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe) while four voted with the majority (CJ Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno, Justices Marvic M.V. F. Leonen, Francis H. Jardeleza and Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa). I can only ascribe the mélange of votes to judicial independence. I believe the justices, including the six dissenters, voted according to their conscience, knowing fully well they would be judged by history, not by baseless knee-jerk reactions.

6) FPJ won in the Supreme Court but lost in the Commission on Elections count and in the congressional canvass. Similarly, Poe won in the Court, but will she vindicate her father and win in the Comelec count and in the congressional canvass, and become the first foundling president of the Philippines? Abangan!

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Classical music. Amid the adulation for Madonna and Taylor Swift is a noticeable revival of classical music on at least three recent occasions.

First, the Rotary Club of Makati (RC-Mkti) celebrated its 50th anniversary with a memorable

“Vienna Spring Concert” yesterday at the just-opened ballroom of the Shangri-La at the Fort hotel, featuring the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) under Maestro Olivier Ochanine, with songs by Rachelle Gerodias and Byeong In-Park.

During the program, RC-Mkti president Eddie Yap announced the installation of the first air pollution monitoring station in Makati to implement the “Air Quality Monitoring System” he promised during his induction on July 17, 2015. As the guest speaker at that induction, I was so impressed with the project that I immediately gave P50,000 to kick off the fund-raising program. The 120 club members followed suit and contributed P50,000 each to complete the P6 million needed to implement it.

Second, the Johann Strauss Society of the Philippines, led by by its chair Fortune Ledesma (who, as the consul-general of Monaco, was recently elected dean of the Consular Corps of the Philippines) and president Olga Martel, sponsored a “gala concert” of Austrian and German masters on March 2 at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati. The concert featured the PPO under the baton of Maestro Ernest Hoetzl with Cultural Center of the Philippines president Raul Sunico on the grand piano.

Third, Dr. Jose Artemio C. Panganiban III (our only son) took a short break from his job as executive director of the J.P. Morgan Bank in New York to play the “Amazing Brahms” with the Metro Manila Concert Orchestra (MMCO) under Prof. Chino Toledo at the CCP on Feb. 5 as a part of the MMCO’s 15th anniversary concert season, and at the Francisco Santiago Hall at the BDO Center in Makati on Feb. 6 for the Asean Law Association.

After watching these grand performances, I am convinced that our people appreciate the classics like they do pop music. However, I think the sponsors should reach not just the mature and the privileged but also the millennials and the general public.

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