PARENTHESES

Ayon sa isang kanta ni Jess Santiago,

“doon po sa amin, tatlong klase ang panahon, tag-ulan, tag-init, at saka eleksyon”

Oo mga kapatid, tag-eleksyon na naman. Madali natin itong maramdaman dahil malinaw pa sa sikat ng araw at kinang ng kalbo ang mga palatandaan nito:

1. Nag-uumpisa nang maging mabait at palangiti si Senador, Kongresman, Gobernor, Mayor at lahat ng kanilang mga amoyong(mga sidekicks).

2. Nakangiti na rin si Barangay Tsirman dahil tiyak uulanin na naman siya ng biyaya galing kay Sir at Ma’am.

3. Magbabago na naman ang kulay ng ating mga lansangan dahil babanigan ito ng mga makukulay na posters ng mga Pulitikong naka close up smile.

4. Tataas na naman ang mga insidente ng KFR, carnapping, bank robberies at iba pang election fund-raising activities.

5. Papatak sa mga balita ang mga kuwentong “Si so-so kandidato inambus o tinangkang ambusin”, “Si so-so kanditato may death threats”, “Si so-so kandidato nagkasakit at nahospital dahil sa pagod sa Public service”, … at marami pang ibang pang-Oscar awards gimmicks. Kasabay nito maraming expose ang maglalabasan.

6. Uso na naman ang mga surveys and polls.

7. Maraming mga nasa pusisyon sa burukrasya at militar ang mabibigyan ng promosyon – mga belated pamaskong handog. Marami rin ang masisibak o sapilitang tatanggalin sa pusisyon.

8. Ang PNP at AFP commands sa mga rehiyon at probinsya ay magkakaroon ng balasahan.

9. Dilubyo ang eleksyon, babagyo ng mga pangako, maglalandslide ng putik-pulitika at siyempre babaha ang….

10. Pera..

Kaya payong kapatid, sa panahon ng eleksyon….tanggapin ang pera, iboto ang nasa konsensya! Ano nga naman ang mapapala natin sa eleksyon…may karapatan nga tayong bumoto, wala naman tayong kapangyarihang maghalal, at the end of the day…ang COMELEC pa rin ang magtatakda kung sinong mananalo.

Hay, kantahin na lang natin ang kanta ni Jess Santiago…Ay…ay…ay…ayayayay buhay!

This was the news, a year ago.

In the news today, Former COMELEC Commissioner Virgillo “Garci” Garcillano is cleared by the Department of Justice by dismissing the perjury and falsification of passport charges against him. Garci is now on the go to run as Congressman for the First District of Bukidnon in the coming May 2007 elections.

Am I Surprised!!

Are you?

Last week I viewed this video and pondered on its parody;

Then last Sunday, July 23, I read this paid ad of Sigaw ng Bayan that says in part:

Mark Chapter 5 (The Holy Bible, King James Version)

[8] For he (Jesus) said unto him (the demon), Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
[9] And he (Jesus) asked him (the demon), What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

Are these just scary coincidences or is this an Omen?

According to Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary: “OMEN, n. A sign that something will happen if nothing happens.”

If there’s one thing highlighted during GMA’s State of Another Nation Address yesterday, aside from presenting a Brochure than a speech, was a lesson on geography. Only this time it was the geography of a mythical land you come to realize later on was the Philippines.

But before I get my knowledge on Philippine geography muddled by GMA’s Super-Regions, I would rather watch this video for a refresher. I bet you this is far more original, enjoyable and educational than GMA’s powerpoint presentation.

Heto ang orig!

See, walang binatbat ni katiting ang presentation ni GMA!!

In the present order of things no one really knows what reality is. Truth is no longer available.

Consider these statements from Government:

“There is no cheating, I called only to protect my votes”

“There is no job shortage, only picky Filipinos who want high paying jobs.”

“There is no illegal arrest and abduction, the suspects were just kept to preserve public order.”

“There is no killing spree on activists, only Communists killing their own.”

“There is no deal with the Marcoses, only a negotiation for compromise.”

“There is no shortage of Classrooms, only a wrong formula used”

In order for you to know the truth, take the red pill and remember this:

Boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Boy: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Boy: Then you’ll see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.

There is no spoon. There is no spoon. There is no spoon.

Ah, “There is no Government, only an illusion that there is one!”

“Dort, wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen.”

I just couldn’t believe what I read in the news today. A bonfire, fueled by Dan Brown’s books and pirates’ copies of movies based on it, was lit at the Bonifacio Shrine at a prayer rally organized by youth and religious groups calling Dan Brown’s work a sin against Christianity. The book burning rally, initiated by members of the St. James Parish in Ayala, Alabang, drew about 500 people, mostly students, from schools and universities in Manila.

The group said it was meant to dramatize their sentiment against the book and the movie. The Book Burning movement was an idea and lead by an Ateneo Alumnus, Jesse Paredes. Manila Mayor Lito Atienza embraced the idea and agreed to hold the prayer rally in the city. “God is big in Manila,” Paredes said.

Whats going on with our country today? We’ve got a government that can lie barefacedly and eliminates opposition by illegal arrests, kidnapping, abduction and liquidation, now we’ve got an ignorant citizenry who wants to resurrect and perchance institutionalize a NAZI practice of book burning. And they’re doing it in the name of God!

To translate the German phrase above by Heinrich Heine, from his play Almansor in 1821, it means, “Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings.” Heaven forbid!

Monday, May 22, 2006:

Virgilio Eustaquio, Ruben Dionisio, Jim Lucio Cabauatan, Dennis Ibuna and Police Officer 3 Jose Justo Curameng — all supporters of former President Estrada were taken from Eustaquio’s house in Kamuning by armed men who did not identify themselves.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006:

Families of the abducted persons went to the ISAFP compound in Camp Aguinaldo searching for their missing kin but ISAFP guards told them the missing men were not inside. On this same day AFP Public Information Chief Col. Tristan Kison denied the five men were being held by the military.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006:

The Commission on Human Rights slammed “a pattern of impunity” that had marked violence against political militants and the Amnesty International deplored continuing human rights abuses in the country.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita was quite emphatic. The administration had nothing to do with the disappearance of five supporters of ousted President Joseph Estrada, whom their relatives had reported missing. Ermita told Malacañang reporters: “They will always point the blame against the administration but rest assured that we are not doing it because it would only cause destabilization. Why would we choose those belonging to the opposition, we don’t want to do that. The government is always the natural suspect when these things happen.”

Two hours after Ermita made the statement yesterday, the military confirmed the government had the five in custody.Colonel Tristan Kison, said the five had been in ISAFP’s custody since their arrest.

The police had filed rebellion charges against the five for allegedly plotting to assassinate four Cabinet members — Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor, Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales – a plot conspiracy between rightist elements and communist rebels. “They allegedly hatched the assassination plot in furtherance of rebellion … to paralyze the government … and sow chaos and anarchy,” said Senior State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco.

One of the victims, Dionisio, removed his shirt and showed alleged marks of torture when he and his four companions were presented to media last evening. He said electric shocks were applied to his genitals and he was forced to admit to involvement in the plot.

State Prosecutor Velasco denied this claim, he said it was normal for accused people to claim torture.

Well, would you still believe in a Government that can lie to you barefacedly?