My two centavos worth...

I believe in the personal sincerity of President Noynoy. I do not think him to be himself in any way corrupt.

I am more concerned about motives concealed by less obvious people around him.

I think motions to impeach him is a waste of time; a political distraction that may cost our Republic more in terms of time qualitatively.

As regards to a term extension, I believe he himself should make up his mind, weigh his own personal and political considerations, and not leave it up to the people to decide.

If the President goes ahead with it, succeeds in convincing Congress to amend the Constitution, and receives in 2016 from the Filipino electorate a second mandate in affirmation of the popular efficacy of his platform and policies, he will come out with a much stronger mandate than allowing us to choose it for him today.

This will at least preserve continuity and momentum in the Republic by giving him much political capital to spend at the beginning of that second term.

Personally, I do not think it advisable to amend the Constitution for reasons short of a moral imperative or an ethical crisis - political dictates and its cohort tendencies must never be allowed to override ANY prevailing Constitutional wisdom - whether we at present fully understand it, somehow understand it, or not at all.

Many things in this Republic is built on trust, if we must know. The food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, even the roofs above our heads are built on trust.

Our Constitution above all we must trust and trust in the Republic to duly interpret: Vigilant Trust.

I myself have fallen in love with its Preamble and often find myself trying to penetrate its words to discover their meaning - arising, seemingly ever new.


---<--@

Salutation #77

Let our Banner be unto thyself a symbol of unity, my people,

and let it fly in thy heart out of love of God and Country.

Yea, let this Banner fly in thy heart of hearts or not at all!

For if this one kind of love is absent in the absent heart of Man,

there shall our Country be found nowhere in creation.

- Salutation #10 (Old Defiant)

(Old Defiant vs. Old Compliant)

Peace, I salute you.

I should like to emphasize in us again,

my brothers and sisters of the Promise,

the importance of unity over division -

especially in the midst of this brewing crisis

between our President and our Chief Justice.

Remember,

I am not writing here

about the impeachment trial

- or any external event that must also concern us -

I am writing primarily about you (about us) -

the citizen-servant.

For everything that proceeds in our Republic,

proceeds from the concentrated strength of its spirit

in your soul (our souls).

As regards the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona

and the divisions it is sparking in our nation,

if you are in any way interested

in what I have to think about the matter - personally,

please refer to the running commentary

I have opened here.

However,

if you are still sincerely confused about the matter,

you may inhibit yourselves from participating in the public debate

and remain in the safety of your own areas of service.

It is never fair to have to be made to choose

between two co-equal, independent branches

of our one Republic government

in the Responsible State.

Again,

our central focus here

is to make this an exercise in unity

so do not allow your own mind and heart

to become bitterly embroiled in the politics

and the divisions that must surround this event

- without having a clear mind -

as to where your freedom and your independence truly lies.

Completely refrain from adding your own flame

to the many conflagrations that threaten to consume our Country

but rather add it to the unifying light that gives her comfort and warmth,

bolstering her strength to see us all through this long night;

this longest night...

- selah -

(I am reposting this piece from 20110402.)

Something's missing from my Philippines. Something vital.

Who knows her?

These days, everybody seems to be living for themselves alone. It seems no one remembers her.

By this, she is grieved and therefore, draws further and further away into isolation.

For the spirit of Country, my honorable compatriots, is a spirit of self-belonging. It is a self-cognizant, collective sense of self.

And the Republic is a guardian to a people orphaned by war.

Thus, if the people are divided in their hearts against each other, they are scattered.

And the people are scattered because of those distant and faded hearts; hearts that seem to no longer recognize the spirit of this Republic; hearts that have come to accept the rule of War.

Hence, the spirit of Country is diluted.

And when there is no substance left in our remembrance, when there is no peace left to abide in our belonging, when there is no truth left to empower our will of Country, we shall cease to exist as a nation.

But while our history still fills the hunger in our souls, while there is yet a common longing for better days burning in our hearts, while there is yet those who remember and believe, while there is yet even a few who are brave and true, by the grace of Almighty God, war will never have us.

Truly, my nation, this is not a very good time for the spirit of war. For this is exactly why the colors of our own Country is called Old Defiant.

We have a choice. Let it mean something:

Let us defy division, let us defy corruption, let us defy poverty, let us defy evil and prosper, my fellow Filipino compatriots - together this time.

Let us defend where we must, O my nation Philippines, and leave all else to the invulnerable, omnipotent defense of the LORD, our God, the one Sovereign of all nations.

---<--@

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! God bless us all.

The Truth

Salutation #6

(Gathering Sense)

My fellow Filipino compatriots -

Steering a course for our Republic takes patience and time.

The waters that lay before us are unmapped.

The night is deep and dark.

The sea is restless.

Our vessel is heavy.

And we are weary.

Our President is eager.

His is the Office at the helm of the ship.

The Executive Branch is where the burden of command is heaviest.

We have to be patient.

We have to understand.

We have a responsibility to allow for our choices to take its hold on our history.

And support the prevailing good will of the state.

We have to know when to believe in our own sincerity.

It is something dutiful citizens should be mindful about.

We are governed by the freedoms we have set for ourselves.

We are a free and human democracy after all.

We have to allow for change to master change.

Else we are steering in circles.

And the night shall for us be long indeed.

The problems of our Republic is like an avalanche:

We have a need to assess the present damage.

We have to become intimate with the hopes of generations past.

That we may carry them forward into the present.

To lend its strength to our present labors.

And add to the momentum of the present time.

We have a need to look out into the horizons.

Upon the high mountain peaks of our ascent into completion.

We have to become familiar with our own undertaking of Country.

That we may hope to avoid future catastrophe.

We have to find the peace of our belongings together.

And ascend the mount with the sheltering wings of peace.

From hope to hope and strength to strength.

Until we have pierced the unconsciousness of our native skies.

From truth to truth and love to love.

Until darkness has waned.

And the night has fled our souls forever.

Our Republic is weakened.

It's spirit is diluted by the darkness of War.

The heart of our Country lay divided,

the hopes of our generations lay scattered,

they lay scattered upon the ground.

The nation is wounded.

The people are far away from their sacred remembrances

of God and of each other.

Everywhere confusion is in the heart.

The hopes of the people are restless.

Our generations cry out for shelter -

Where is thy heart, O my people?

Where is thy sheltering wings,

the sheltering wings of thy peace?

Shall we remain in the darkness

engulfed by the void from all sides?

Shall we be swallowed up by the dragon,

the ancient dragon of War?

Shall we harbor in our hearts the serpent,

the serpent of fallen and faded Eden?

Shall we persist in division,

against our own humanity before God?

Finding no shelter from the scattering wind,

they call out to the God in the heavens -

There is none but You, O LORD.

There is none like You, O LORD.

To Whom shall we go, O LORD?

Have mercy on us, O God of All!

Abide with us, steady our spirit.

O LORD, You know all things.

Shall You withhold Your peace forever?

---<--@

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! God bless us all.

Everybody have a great working week ahead!