WHAT A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS GIFT IT WILL BE IF THE QUEST FOR JUSTICE IS DONE ONLY FOR NOBLE REASONS AND FOR THE UPHOLDING OF THE COMMON GOOD ESPECIALLY THAT THERE ARE ONLY 25 DAYS LEFT BEFORE CHRISTMAS.!!!

It has been the practice in this country where the national dailies and giant television and radio outfits talk only most of the time regarding national news from Greater Manila area. Very seldom do news from Mindanao and the Visayas appear at their headlines unless they are as "newsworthy as the Maguindanao masscre or hostage taking like what happened in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur or bombings suspected to be perpetrated by terrorists..The national media has been able for so long make it appear that the life of the country revolves around what happens in Metro Manila.

Everyday our national news lately are almost always related to the charges filed against CGMA regarding electoral sabotage and plunder. The leader of CGMA's camp is CGMA herself while the other side is led by PNoy. CGMA's camp is claiming that she is being persecuted by PNoy out of vendetta while PNoy is claiming that he is doing it, the prosecution of CGMA out of his fulfillment of his campaign promise of the matuwid na daan or straight path.

THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING IS IN THE EATING!!

CGMA will have to defend herself thru her lawyers appearing for her in the Courts and thru her propagandists to prove her point. PNoy on the other hand vows to be relentless in his efforts to prove his point mainly thru the support of DOJ Secretary Leila De Lima and the effective delivery of basic services of the different Departments thru his alter egos the Cabinet Secretaries.

Where shall we position ourselves as the sovereign Filipino people in the above confrontation between the camps of CGMA and PNoy? OBVIOUSLY, we must position ourselves as the owners of the house where there is a struggle between our laundrywoman and mayordomo. If we know our rights we should be rooting for our househelp who is doing the right thing in serving us and our family. IT IS UNWISE FOR US THE OWNERS OF THE HOUSE TO ROOT FOR ONE OF OUR HOUSEHELPS JUST BECAUSE HE OR SHE IS OUR SENTIMENTAL FAVORITE!

Who is doing the right thing? THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING IS IN THE EATING!!

The best option of CGMA is to defend herself and if she can hit the jackpot be able to unseat PNoy and hope his replacement Jojo Binay will be friendly.

The must option of PNoy on the other hand in order to prove his point that what his administration is doing to CGMA is not persecution and vendetta but objective pursuit of justice is to make sure that these same efforts in prosecuting CGMA will also be done to other officials elected or not in the lower levels may they be allies or not simultaneous to what is being done to CGMA. The different constitutional bodies with their respective mandates will be able to do a lot and play crucial roles in his success.  Even if the Commission on Audit, the COMELEC and the Ombudsman are constitutional bodies yet PNoy being the appointing authority, has the moral suasion over these bodies for them to be more pro active, determined and relentless in the exercise of their prosecutorial powers and help give flesh to the matuwid na daan of this administration and the succeeding ones. If Pnoy does this successfully, he will not only be able to prove his point. He will also be able to show to us his Boss that the contention of CGMA and her camp that he is singling her out together with her family and allies is false and without basis in fact!

COA ANNUALLY CONDUCTS THEIR AUDITS AND EVEN POSTS THEM AT THEIR WEBSITE BUT HOW COME THESE REPORTS ARE JUST LEFT THERE AS MERE REPORTS? WHY DO THEY HAVE TO WAIT ON SOMEBODY TO USE THEIR REPORTS IN PROSECUTING ERRING OFFICIALS WHEN THEY CAN DO IT THEMSELVES PROMPTLY SIMILAR TO WHAT COMMISSIONER HEIDE MENDOZA DID TO THE FIRST GOVERNOR OF MAGUINDANAO WHO HAS BEEN CONVICTED WITH FINALITY AND ORDERED IMPRISONED  BY THE SUPREME COURT FOR 161 YEARS FOR A RELATIVELY SMALLER AMOUNT OF GRAFT INVOLVING  21 MILLION PESOS?

COMELEC IS CLOSING ITS EYES BEFORE THE REALITY OF RAMPANT VOTE BUYING AND BURYING ITS HEAD UNDER THE SAND LIKE THE PROVERBIAL OSTRICH, THEY DECLARE THAT THEY CAN NOT DO ABOUT IT. THE ACTING REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF COMELEC IN CARAGA EVEN SAID THE WORSE BY DECLARING THAT NO VOTE BUYING INCIDENCE EVER TOOK PLACE IN AGUSAN DEL SUR!!!FORTHRIGHTLY, I HAVE NO HOPE THAT COMELEC WILL BE ABLE TO REDEEM ITSELF UNDER THE PRESENT LEADERSHIP BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE COMMISSION HAS SIDELINED DIRECTOR RAFANAN DESPITE HIS BEING CLEAN ACCORDING TO THE CHAIRMAN HIMSELF AND THE SAID DIRECTOR IS THE ONLY SENIOR COMELEC OFFICIAL WHO HAS PUBLICLY DECLARED THAT HE WANTS TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM OF VOTEBUYING. THE LOGIC IS BASIC AND SIMPLE, WHY SHOULD THE VOTES GENERATED FROM VOTEBUYING BE COUNTED WHEN THE LAW EXPRESSLY STATES THAT THESE VOTES ARE NOT TO BE COUNTED AS THEY ARE INVALID!!! ADDING INSULT TO INJURY, WE EVEN WANT THEM TO BE COUNTED THRU THE COMPUTERS!!

THE OMBUDSMAN CAN DO A LOT MORE! WAS IT ABLE TO HIRE THE 100 LAWYERS IT WANTED TO HIRE? IF THEY  HAVE BEEN HIRED THEY WILL BE ABLE TO HELP A LOT IF THEY WILL BE HONEST IN THEIR JOBS AND DO NOT ALLOW THEMSELVES TO BE CORRUPTED AS MANY ACCUSED WILL SURELY DO THEIR BEST TO CORRUPT THEM. IF MEDIA PEOPLE ESPECIALLY THOSE IN  TELEVISIONS AND RADIOS ARE ABLE TO HELP PROMOTE GOOD GOVERNANCE, THE OMBUDSMAN CAN DO A LOT MORE AND MUCH MORE BECAUSE THE OMBUDSMAN CAN PROSECUTE AND CAN EVEN PREVENTIVELY SUSPEND ERRING PUBLIC  OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES!

THE MEDIA IS VERY POWERFUL. THEY CAN REPORT THE TRUTH AND THEY CAN EVEN TWIST THINGS SO AS TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT THEY WANT TO APPEAR AS THE TRUTH. THE MEDIA ARE SO POWERFUL AND THANKS THAT LATELY THE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES LIKE FACEBOOK AND TWITTER SOMEHOW HAVE DIFFUSED THEIR POWERS BUT STILL THEY ARE STILL VERY POWERFUL AND ACKNOWLEDGED AS SUCH BY THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR. BUT HOPEFULLY THEY CAN HARNESS THEIR POWER TO BE ABLE TO HELP IN THE SERVICE OF OUR COUNTRY BY FOCUSING EVENLY IN ALL PARTS OF THE COUNTRY IN THEIR REPORTS AND COMMENTARIES. NEWS ON GRAFT AND CORRUPTION AND THE PERSONALITIES INVOLVED ARE NOT ONLY IN METRO MANILA BUT ARE ALSO HAPPENING IN THE OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. NEWS REPORTING IS TRUTH REPORTING AND TRUTHS OR AGAINST THEM OCCUR ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND NOT ONLY IN METRO MANILA. THE MEDIA CAN FOCUS ON THE ENTIRE COUNTRY AS IF IT IS METRO MANILA. MEDIA PEOPLE ARE ALMOST ALL PATRIOTS AND MUST THEY SHOULD BE!

So far, honestly what we outside of Metro Manila experience about the drive of PNoy against graft and corruption are only in the papers and televisions. There are still illegal gambling. illegal logging and corrupt DENR personnels, corrupt policemen, unsolved killings, graft and corruption among politicians and their cohorts and minions and many others indicating that it is as if BUSINESS AS USUAL except, in order to be fair, I personally notice significant positive changes in the Department of Public Works and Highways.

PNOY YOU CAN MAKE THINGS HAPPEN AND DO PERFORM WELL YOUR ROLE AS MAYORDOMO OR AS OUR PRESIDENT!! WE YOUR BOSSES WHOM YOU ACKNOWLEDGED DURING YOUR INAUGURAL SPEECH ARE COUNTING ON YOU!!!

BUT IF BY CHANCE PNOY DOES NOT BRING THE HEAT ON ALL PERSONS WHO HAVE COMMITTED GRAFT AND CORRUPTION REGARDLESS OF POLITICAL AFFILIATION, FRIENDSHIP, STATUS IN LIFE AND BLOOD RELATIONSHIP AND JUST CONCENTRATE ON PROSECUTING CGMA, HER FAMILY AND ALLIES, THEN MANY IF NOT ALL WILL BE CONVINCED THAT HE IS JUST PERSECUTING CGMA FOR WHATEVER REASONS HE HAS.

WHAT A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS GIFT IT WILL BE IF THE QUEST FOR JUSTICE  IS DONE ONLY FOR NOBLE REASONS AND FOR THE UPHOLDING OF THE COMMON GOOD ESPECIALLY THAT THERE ARE ONLY 25 DAYS LEFT BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

A PLEASANT ADVENT SEASON TO ALL OF YOU!