"With the coming holidays, be thankful that your country remains peaceful and safe."
"With the coming holidays, be thankful that your country remains peaceful and safe."
During the weekend while I was in my library, I came across a small book titled “12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help our Country.” It was written by Alexander Lacson and published in 2005.
The 12 things are the following:
Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.
Whenever you buy anything, always ask for an official receipt.
Don’t buy smuggled food. Buy local and buy Filipino.
When you talk to others, especially foreigners, speak positively about us and our country.
Respect your traffic officer, policeman and soldier.
Do not litter. Dispose of your garbage properly and segregate. Recycle and conserve.
Support your church.
During elections, do your solemn duty.
Pay your employees well.
Pay your taxes.
Adopt a scholar or a poor child.
Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and love our country.
Since it was 13 years ago when Alex published his book, with my sincere apology to him, I would like to add other little and not-so-little things a Filipino can do for the country.
If you get stuck on Edsa in a traffic jam, just grin and bear it. Things could be worse. If you take the MRT and get offloaded along the way, thank your lucky stars that the doors did not open.
Don’t use illegal drugs so you do not become a statistic—or worse, become a victim of extra-judicial killings.
If you are in government, don’t commit graft and corruption. The President will fire you on the spot, unless you are a former military man. If this is the case, the President will recycle or even promote you.
If you are a priest of bishop, don’t criticize the President or else he will have you killed. But don’t take him seriously because he is just joking.
If you are a Roman Catholic, don’t believe the President when he tells you to stop going to Church.
If the President tells you about corrupt and lecherous members of the clergy, just pray for him. He is not the first man to condemn the church.
This coming elections, do not vote for candidates leading immoral lives. Don’t vote for those who are just popular, or who are lackeys of others.
This Christmas season, when you are invited to a buffet, don’t waste food. Think of the many Filipinos going hungry.
If you are one of hundreds of thousands of Filipinos whose plates have not yet been delivered, don’t fret or think you have been swindled by your government.
With the coming holidays, be thankful that your country remains peaceful and safe.
* * *
With the acquittal of former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla, there are those who say he still has to return the money he allegedly received from his assistant as kickback from the pork barrel scam.
Father Rannie Aquino, whose opinion I respect, even used an analogy that like somebody who took the wallet of his companion in office with all the money in it, Revilla must return the money he allegedly received from his assistant. Aquino said that the evidence for a criminal case should be different from a civil liability.
For a criminal case, there needs to be proof beyond reasonable doubt. For a civil liability, it’s a preponderance of evidence.
But I do not agree with Father Rannie, even though he is more knowledgeable than I, a two-bit lawyer and journalist.
Since the Sandiganbayan acquitted Revilla for lack of proof beyond reasonable doubt, it follows that he has no civil liability. With all due respect to Fr. Aquino, I think his analogy is wrong.
As for the Anti-Money Laundering Council report that Bong has unexplained wealth, my gulay he could have gotten that from other sources!
* * *
The controversy over the proposed extension of martial law for another year is not too difficult to resolve.
If you are a Mindanaoan, your answer would be yes. Most of the critics of martial law are from Luzon who are too far from the area in question.
The justification for the extension are manifold. Primarily, it’s a good measure to counter communism or terrorism.
Those who are crying out against martial law in Mindanao must first go there.
* * *
We know that the pork barrel system gives lawmakers the opportunity to commit anomalies. They get at least a 20-percent kickback from the projects.
This practice has to stop.
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