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We offer
our sincerest prayers that former President Cory Aquino
will again overcome this latest crisis in her life. We
may have disagreed on some issues in our politics, but I
have always remained a constant admirer of her
steadfastness, her principled adherence to democracy and
her profound respect for the power of the people. We
hope that the combined prayers of those who wish her
well will help her in this hour of her greatest need.
****
We
congratulate the returning hero Manny Pacquiao for
winning his third crown in the bruising arena of world
professional boxing. Never mind the hecklers; the whole
world applauds you, Manny.
We are
happy to read about the plan of Pacquiao to spearhead a
campaign to eradicate illegal logging in Mindanao and
save the owlish tarsier in the process. Backed by the
concerns of the Environment secretary, Pacquiao will
head an anti-illegal logging team in the south named
Task Force Luwas Kinaiyahan or “Ligtas Kalikasan,” or
roughly “Save the Environment.” It is a cause close to
the heart of Pacman, who hails from General Santos City.
The mountains around GenSan, spreading out through
Butuan
City
and Cagayan de Oro City as seen from above, is bare of
greenery as a result of indiscriminate logging all
throughout the area. Particularly in Butuan City, where
the Nasipit Lumber was based, the economic life of the
people deteriorated after the loggers laid bare the
hills and the mountains, bringing down with it the hopes
of the people for a better life. Perhaps, in tandem with
the campaign to rout illegal loggers, is a program to
replant trees in the uplands and bring back the forests
and the wildlife which made it their habitat.
This
time, will the Pacquiao knockout punch be just as
deadly?
****
We were
not surprised to read of the new Pulse Asia survey
showing VP Noli leading the pack of “presidentiables”
even this early. From the news items in the past, it
appears that Noli is a man that the opposition and many
sectors of our society seem to underrate. Still, the
fellow comes up time and again to force their words down
their throats. He is cool, unaffected by the negative
comments of the opposition, unfazed by the war chest of
would-be rivals, yet, one the opposition cannot rule
out, even if they don’t like him. If Noli can maintain
his No. 1 position in the surveys, it’s something for
the other wannabes to worry about. And they can start
worrying now.
****
The
highest court of the land exonerated Secretary Romulo
Neri in his refusal to answer some questions posed by
the Senate investigating the ZTE deal, saying this could
jeopardize diplomatic relations with China. The High
Court also said that because of the lack of rules and
procedures, neither can the Senate cite Neri for
contempt, nor can he be arrested; the Senate’s previous
order to arrest Neri is an abuse of authority. It is not
only a victory for Neri but for the President, as well,
for it defined for future chief executives their rights,
as contained in the Constitution, which states, among
other things, that, “executive privilege is a recognized
right of the President to withhold from Congress, the
courts and the public, any information regarded as vital
to the national interest.” It is now time for the Senate
to respect the rights of the other branches of
government as the Executive, too, respects the
independence of Congress and the Judiciary. We are very
pleased with this Supreme Court decision because we had
been advocating for this ever since. |
