13 MARCH 2019

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COMMENTARY 4 Wednesday, 13 March 2019 Daily Tribune Daily Tribune WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR Ninez Cacho-Olivares Crispin G. Martinez Chito Lozada Dinah Ventura Aldrin Cardona John Henry Dodson Jun Vallecera Jaimes R. C. Sumbilon Larry Payawal Founding Chair Executive Editor Managing Editor Associate Editors Another Duterte shakes trees “The daughter… is merely doing what the father effectively does, which is to be the sounding board of ordinary Filipinos. Komfie Manalo Business Editor Central Desk The Otso Diretso candidates are not being taken seriously and their rallies appear a poor sideshow to the usually jampacked Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HnP) tour. The surprising draw is not any of the candidates but HnP chairman and campaign manager Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte. It appears that the daughter had inherited all the attributes of the father, including her being a feisty opponent of political rivals. That the HnP candidates were not necessarily the bets that her father’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino supports even in the local race only strengthens the comparison of Sara having the dogged independence of her father. Many have noticed Inday Sara’s spectacular rise during the campaign as she appeared to have metamorphosed from the President’s daughter, who used to accompany Rody to foreign trips, to a potential leader. She has taken over the chores of promoting Rody’s senatorial slate, which is not a simple task since administration critics claim that the midterm polls would be a referendum on the first three years of the Duterte administration. She is weathering all that Rody’s foes had thrown her path, including the controversial statement that all politicians resort to lies which, anyway, is a view that nearly all Filipinos share. Inday Sara, likewise, voiced the belief of many that the opposition Otso Diretso’s senatorial candidates as “lacking in moral ascendancy” due to their inaccurate statements. Members of Otso Diretso’s senatorial slate resort to “tricks and lies and inaccurate statements about their attacks and stand on social issues,” she said in a Calamba, Laguna sortie. “Of course, my God, if we could only, if not for the slow Internet in the Philippines, play the entire recordings of what they have been saying all along. They’re all tricks and lies and inaccurate statements about their attacks, their stand on social issues. Nobody can claim here that they are clean, not even the Vice President (Leni Robredo),” she said. Not since the entry of her father in the “Inday Sara’s statements are only controversial since these are what most Filipinos wanted to tell majority of their elected officials. Patricia Ramos Board Chair Willie Fernandez Publisher and President Special Reports presidential race had anybody shaken the political sphere. The daughter, however, is merely doing what the father effectively does, which is to be the sounding board of ordinary Filipinos and her frank views mirror the common thought. The exchange about honesty was brought about by the supposed questionable school records of one of the HnP candidates to which Inday Sara turned on the loudest accuser, Vice President Leni Robredo, on the allegation that Robredo is a fake Vice President which she based on the people’s view due to her constant assaults on the President and an existing Presidential Electoral Tribunal protest is in progress and that “she may or may not get away with it.” In another headline grabber, Inday Sara said the Otso Diretso campaign is disorganized, depressing and sad, thus earning from her the description of the team as a black hole. A black hole, of course, is a region in space that sucks in all matter, including time itself making it a truly depressing part of the universe. “I am not the secretary of the black holes, so the Comelec (Commission on Elections) has already junked their petition (for a debate),” she said. The Comelec said granting a debate to just the Otso Diretso and HnP candidates may be considered by other senatorial candidates as selective. Comelec also cited time constraints and logistics problem for thumbing down the Otso Diretso demand. Inday Sara’s statements are only controversial since these are what most Filipinos wanted to tell majority of their elected officials who have condemned the country to suffer their abuses. The vicious yellow eyes have lately shifted from Rody to Sara showing the recognition and panic among the administration critics on the rise of a possible successor. “Does the special prosecutor confide to Sabio her cases — whether a preliminary examination or a preliminary investigation result? “Since the composition of the House changes every three years, it is important for the House secretariat to be stable and professional. Trust the Antonio Trillanes lawyer named Jude Sabio to suddenly resurface and bring up what he claims is President Duterte’s case before the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is really not surprising, given that these days are election campaign days and the opposition bets are desperate enough to clutch onto anything that would turn voters against the administration bets. Even Trillanes, Gary Alejano and the yellow gang know that the ICC cannot investigate and prosecute President Duterte over the killings and alleged human rights violations under his administration’s war on drugs, as many experts have already stressed almost a year ago, after Duterte pronounced that the Philippines was officially cutting its ties and membership from the Rome Statute that created the ICC. The latest to echo the reasons, all of which were stated a year ago by constitutional experts, is Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who stressed there is no need for the President to officially respond to whatever complaints as well as charges filed against him before the ICC. Guevarra, as well as others who had earlier pointed out the flaws of the ICC and prosecutors charging Duterte, said contrary to what had been Out of ICC, for good FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares Last week, I found myself in an engaging conversation with colleagues from the Senate secretariat at a lunch hosted by the US Embassy. As a secretariat official from the House of Representatives, it is always interesting for me to compare notes with the Senate officials on our internal processes in a cordial fashion and to complement each other on what we think each other is doing well. Full disclosure: Nothing was discussed on the 2019 budget. The conversation was first grounded on the key differences between senators and House members. Senators are elected nationally for a term of six years, while congressmen are elected by a specific constituency (local) or sector (national) only for a term of three years. Senators usually have had a long career doing legislative work, at times as a congressman or have been previously elected to a local executive position. It is rare for an individual to be elected with no legislative background, e.g. Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson. It is therefore more likely for a senator to bring in a battery of lawyers and researchers given their past background in government service, but with Mayor Rodrigo Duterte breaking the traditional route to the presidency (not having been previously nationally elected), we might be seeing more senators who have not been elective officials before, i.e., “Bong” Go or “Bato” de la Rosa, if they win. This being so, the structure of the secretariats of the House and Senate have some consequential differences as well. For the Senate, the 24 senators bring in around 40 staff and this makes their secretariat smaller. But for the House, the nearly 300 congressmen only have six plantilla coterminous staff each, which explains the larger secretariat staff on whom there is more dependence in the areas of bill drafting, legal and policy research. Special mention was made of the House “think tank” on budget policy, the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department, as it is active in the academe and it publishes claimed by the Trillanes lawyer — who is hardly known in the Philippines as a constitutional lawyer, nor for that matter is he a known criminal lawyer — the ICC cannot take jurisdiction over the case since the justice system in the country is working. Guevarra was quoted as saying in a newspaper report that “as far as our country is concerned, the ICC cannot exercise its jurisdiction to investigate, much less to prosecute, because our own investigative agencies and judicial bodies are functioning effectively, albeit slowly.” He added the “casualties in the antidrug campaign are not comparable to genocide or any crime against humanity, by any stretch of imagination or twisting of settled international law doctrine.” Guevarra said the conviction rebutted the insinuation of impunity by critics of the war on illegal drugs which was a basis for filing of complaints against Duterte before the ICC. A number of policemen charged with the crime of having murdered the teenaged Kain de los Santos and planted drugs on him, to make him look like a drug runner, have been convicted which already proves that the judicial system works. The Palace also cited the principle of complementarity wherein the ICC can only investigate allegations of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes if the domestic courts are unable or unwilling to do so. Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo chimed in, saying: “Our courts are functioning. So, how can (ICC) take jurisdiction? We are willing and we are capable. In fact, it shows we have a robust judicial system. We have been prosecuting people and we have convictions, as well as acquittals.” Thus far, all that the ICC special prosecutor had stated earlier is that she is into a preliminary examination, not a preliminary investigation. However, Sabio can be trusted to spin this, already stating the ICC has already gone into preliminary investigation and, soon, charges will be filed against Duterte. Duterte will be charged before the ICC — if Sabio is to be believed — and, incidentally, he should never be believed, considering his total lack of credibility, even when there was only a preliminary examination done by the special prosecutor and not as yet a preliminary investigation. However, even if there were already a preliminary investigation done by the ICC special prosecutor, just with what crime can she charge Duterte? It has always been Sabio who has been coming up with all these announcements he claims that come from the ICC special prosecutor. In an interview with CNN Philippines last week, lawyer Sabio, who filed the first communication in April 2017, said the ICC may decide to launch a formal probe before 17 March when the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC takes effect. Really? Does the special prosecutor confide to Sabio her cases — whether a preliminary examination or a preliminary investigation result and even discusses with Sabio when she will be filing charges against Duterte? In December 2018, the ICC said in its annual report that its Office of the Prosecutor has been conducting a thorough factual and legal assessment of the information available in order to reach a reasonable basis to believe that the alleged crimes fall within the jurisdiction of the court. In April 2017, Sabio submitted to the ICC a formal communication on the drug war killings, followed by supplemental information from opposition lawmakers Trillanes and Alejano. They alleged that over a thousand were killed by the so-called Davao Death Squad while thousands more were killed in the war on drugs since Duterte became president. This complaint has no bearing on the preliminary examination at all and it is Sabio and his principals who try to make themselves look important when they are or will soon be non-political entities. Drug killings are not part of what the ICC can charge any government individual. Crimes against humanity then? Duterte as president is more humane than the yellow president who did nothing to save his 44 troops from being massacred by the Moros, even as he watched it in real time. House and Senate well-researched pieces monthly. I emphasized that since the composition of the House changes every three years, it is important for the House secretariat to be stable and professional. Questions were propounded by our hosts on our own personal opinions on certain issues, not reflective of our respective institutions, such as the partylist system, the importance of the leadership of the Senate President and Speaker, constitutional amendments and the upcoming midterm elections. Though our answers varied, it was evident that the passion to legislate of both House and Senate officials was very much alive, regardless of the differences in policy and leadership our political principals may have. One burning “When asked on what I can change in the House, I immediately answered that more technology must be integrated in the legislative process. QUO VADIS Darren M. de Jesus topic was the possible inclusion of a provision lifting term limits in the new Constitution. One of the attendees expressed that he is favorable to this provision since it will prevent the practice of having a congressman’s wife or child run in his place after three terms, thereby sacrificing the quality of leadership, since said family member is elected due to name and not credentials. The term limit has also made some politicians to be creative in skirting the law by their orchestrated interruption of their last term which allows them to run under a fresh first term. This explains how some officials end up with a fifth consecutive term. When asked on what I can change in the House, I immediately answered that more technology must be integrated in the legislative process. I mentioned that under the leadership of the Office of House Speaker Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo, the House secretariat is undergoing a project to come up with a world-class ICT Initiative, particularly for the legislative process and we are aiming its implementation before the Speaker steps down on 30 June. “All that the ICC special prosecutor stated earlier is that she is into a preliminary examination, not a preliminary investigation. I also shared that during a visit to Batasan by parliamentarians from Poland last February, the delegates noticed the piles of paper on the desks of the congressmen in the Plenary Hall and shared that their parliament utilizes electronic tablets. Imagine how efficient the legislators will be if this was done in the House but, of course, we would expect some resistance from the less tech-savvy congressmen. The Senate officials said that with their impending move to their new office in Taguig, they likewise hope that they would have a paperless procedure to complement their new modern office. I chided that the entire legislative process would be more seamless only if the House and Senate were physically located near each other, although this will remain a dream since the House would never leave its complex in Batasan. The entire group then daydreamed on how it would have been much better for the country if the original design plan for all government offices to be located in Quezon City actually happened. The session ended on a high note and I was glad to make new acquaintances from the Senate. All this happened in the midst of an ongoing disagreement between our respective principals with regard the 2019 budget. It was said the country will remain on a reenacted budget until August 2019, already way past the middle of the year. This will be prejudicial to our country since a reported P150 million is lost every day due to this impasse and several projects are dependent on the approval of the 2019 General Appropriations Act. While we work to represent the best interests of our bosses, we hope that our legislators will find a way to place their differences and past vendettas aside and place the welfare of our country as the topmost priority. In any case, the President has spoken, prodded Congress to pass the budget, but proclaimed that he will sign no illegal document. The directive has been given — it is now time to settle issues and get back to work. Email: darren.dejesus@house.gov.ph Published daily by the Daily Tribune Publishing Co., with offices at 3450 Concept Bldg., Florida Street, Makati City • Editorial: (02) 831-0496 • Administration: dailytribune@tribune.net.ph, (02) 833-7085 / (02) 551-5148. To advertise and subscribe: ads@tribune.net.ph, dailytribune@tribune.net.ph, (02) 833-7085 / (02) 551-5148. To submit an opinion article, email opinion@tribune.net.ph. To submit a letter to the editor, email: letters@tribune.net.ph • News: news@tribune.net.ph • Metro: metro@tribune.net.ph • Lifestyle: lifestyle@tribune.net.ph • Business: biz@tribune.net.ph • Sports: sports@tribune.net.ph • PR: pr@tribune.net.ph.
Wednesday, 13 March 2019 Daily Tribune Last 25 February, an estimated 1,200 people assembled at the People Power Monument to “Self-centered commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the and EDSA revolution, also known as the People opportunistic Power revolution. outlooks On that fateful day, around two million may indeed Filipinos, from all sectors of society — young students, prayerful nuns and priests, society abound matrons, day workers, militant activists and in Metro political dissenters — massed up to collectively Manila… manifest their opposition to the authoritarian this does regime of Ferdinand Marcos. The despotic not hold rule spanned 21 years, greatly bolstered by true in the the imposition of martial law from 1972 to 1981. provinces Yet even as we marked the 33rd anniversary where the of that “non-violent revolt” that ousted bayanihan a dictatorship, everything seems to have spirit come full circle — with martial law imposed, continues albeit limited to Mindanao, the Marcoses regaining political to flourish. clout beyond the “The way Piñol comported himself in that incident was unbecoming of a high-ranking public official identified with a president who enjoys unprecedented continuing public support. Cinderella was a social butterfly. It was Laurie’s mother who described her as a communal lepidoptera as she was always out with friends, a reason why she imposed rules and why Laurie called herself Cinderella. She had to be home by midnight. That rule did not slow down Laurie, though. In her 20s, she went deep into joining the underground movement at the onset of the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos and was killed in battle by the military in 1975. This rubbernecker was five years old then. I did not know who Lorena Barros was. Or what martial law was. All I knew was Marcos was Philippine president and that he did great things for the country. That was what they taught us, martial law babies, in school. I stumbled upon Laurie long after her death. I could no longer recall how, but our introduction could have been by way of books or reading materials I picked up somewhere, probably inserted in borrowed library readings. Heroines fascinated me long “What women enjoy now could not have happened had they kept mopping floors and cooked their husbands’ before I had crushes. My pre-puberty heroines were not Wonder Woman, Supergirl or Captain Marvel. For this kid then, Tandang Sora and Gabriela Silang rocked. But Lorena Barros, I loved. It was only later that I saw her face when more books about her and the other martyrs of the Philippine Left surfaced years after EDSA. Laurie was not a fictional princess. She was a fighter. Before Laurie, there were other meals. women like her who challenged the existing orders of their times and succeeded. Women’s rights as we know it today have been fought in various ways by women themselves. In 1909 in New York, the Socialist Party of America organized a Women’s Day. The following year, the International Socialist Women’s Conference (born out of the 1906 Congress of German women) suggested that an annual Women’s Day be commemorated. In Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, London and many other places, women dropped their home rags and took to the streets. Many of them called for equal rights, including suffrage then enjoyed only by men. A women’s strike in Petrograd, Russia sparked the February Revolution that forced Emperor Nicholas II to abdicate in 1917. The Great October Revolution followed months later. In the past 25 years, women have made significant progress in health, education and legal rights. In most countries, women have also made great The women I loved How fares Filipino nationalism? Ilocos region and back into the national sphere, corruption still unabated in the bureaucracy, human rights abuses remain unmitigated — the very same issues that impelled the EDSA revolutionaries to come together in 1986. Barely a year after EDSA, “If we can all emulate the Ivatans, then there is hope for us. Aldrin Cardona Asia correspondent James Fallows commented “(T) he EDSA revolution seems emotionally so important in the Philippines not only because it got rid of Marcos but also because it demonstrated a brave, national-minded spirit.” However, for Fallows, the nationalist spirit manifested on EDSA was an exception, even an aberration. “The tradition of political corruption and cronyism, the extremes of wealth and poverty, the tribal fragmentation, the local elite’s willingness to make a separate profitable peace with colonial powers — all reflect He said advances in economic participation, political leadership and security. The Philippines remains largely a patriarchal society. But it would not take long before this would change, too. Women have taken over country’s leadership, too. In the first post-EDSA Senate, we only had two women in Santanina Rasul and Leticia Ramos-Shahani. At present, we have six. The number of female lawmakers in Congress has also grown significantly. There are also more woman local government leaders now as before. Largely, there is a significant improvement in favor of women in the workplace. Several women have also taken over top corporate positions, although it would probably take more decades before we could say the gap in women’s progress toward gender equality has been filled. The bravery shown and the sacrifices made by women of the past have made this possible. What women enjoy now could not have happened had they kept mopping floors and cooked their husbands’ meals. Global data from the World Bank, the World Health Organization, several United Nations agencies and others have reported improvements in women’s access to health care services. Newly born girls can now expect to live past 70. Maternal mortality has dropped to more than 40 percent in two decades. Mortality for infant girls decreased by half and adolescent births by a third. But women — and also men — face new challenges now, including the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Trafficking remains an issue. Bad governance is still a challenge. For them. For us. More women will rise, because they’re better than men. As we celebrate International Women’s Month, we bow to you mothers, sisters, aunts, friends. Thank you for making the world better! Piñol a disgrace to public office, media Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol gave the public a glimpse of his abrasive character two weeks ago at a public forum on rice tariffs held at the Grand Regal Hotel in Davao City where he was the speaker. Maya Padillo, the Davao City correspondent of the Daily Tribune, approached Piñol, politely introduced herself and requested the Agriculture Secretary for an interview concerning the forum. According to another news reporter who was with Padillo, Piñol snapped at Padillo and said, “I don’t want you. You made me a headline! No way. I will not agree to an interview if it will appear in Tribune. I will not allow it!” The reporter also disclosed after Piñol humiliated Padillo, the Agriculture chief turned to the people at his table and screamed, “They made me a headline — Piñol on his way out. They turned me into a project even if they knew the President was only joking.” It appears that Piñol was referring to the headline of the 26 February 2019 issue of the Daily Tribune, which contained the interrogative phrase “Piñol on the way out?” That headline came about after Piñol failed to attend a major event in Pasay City where President Rodrigo Duterte was asking around for him. Piñol eventually relented and gave Padillo an interview, but only after Padillo assured him that the interview will no longer be for the Daily Tribune but for a local publication instead. Since early this year, Piñol has been at the receiving end of intense public criticism for a rice a feeble sense of nationalism and a contempt for the public good,” he said. According to Fallows, the strong family, tribal or socio-ethnic ties of Filipinos diminish any nationalist spirit and “(B)ecause the boundaries of decent treatment are limited to the family or tribe, they exclude at least 90 percent of the people in the country.” Self-centered and opportunistic outlooks may indeed abound in Metro Manila. However, this does not hold true in the provinces where the bayanihan spirit continues to flourish. Consider the Ivatans of Batanes, who embody the bayanihan spirit. One walks the streets of Basco, its public squares and markets and find these clean, free of the ubiquitous trash. Meander through the beaches and discover the shore and its waters clear of the pervasive presence She said Dinah S. Ventura I could never understand why Maria Clara, a character in Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere, was depicted as the ideal Filipina. I grew up surrounded by strong women — and by “strong” I mean they were not “easily fainting,” as Maria Clara often was described. They did not flutter helplessly about, listless and sickly. They did not hide behind fans or escape into a convent when tragedy struck. My grandmother was her town’s first lady mayor. My mother was a doctor, her sister the same and another followed in their mom’s footsteps. Of course, Maria Clara was the product of one’s imagination, but she, I believe, was also a product of the times. Women have survived “We are lucky that Filipino men in general, macho as they are idealized to be, are open enough to treat women with respect, love and support. MOORINGS Salma Rasul shortage crisis, which is believed to have triggered unmitigated hikes in the price of the national staple. Piñol is also facing criticism in Mindanao for his alleged use of the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) program for political gains. His daughter and siblings are candidates for various elective posts in Cotabato in this year’s elections. The Provincial “Nobody forced Piñol to become a public official. He freely and willingly accepted his appointment to public office. Government of Cotabato is likewise at odds with Piñol over SAAD funds. Ironically, Piñol was governor of Cotabato from 1998 to 2007. He tried to run again for governor, but he was twice defeated. Prior to joining politics, Piñol was a radio broadcaster and a writer for a tabloid. He was also connected with the Philippine News Agency. Sadly, Piñol is a disgrace to public office and the media. As a public official — and a high-ranking one at that — Piñol should be open to public criticism, i.e., criticism from the news media — they who monitor public officials for the purpose of providing enlightening information to the Filipino people in whom sovereignty, which is the source of a public official’s political power, resides. It says so in the Constitution and Piñol ought to read it for his own enlightenment. As a landmark ruling of the Supreme Court postulates, public officials should not be thin-skinned. Nobody forced Piñol times of oppression and had played out strong roles in an ever-changing world. They had risen above restrictive social expectations and struggled to identify and shape the concept of femininity. This is why the world celebrates Women’s Day and Women’s Month. In 2019, it is no longer a fight for equal rights but a celebration of what women have accomplished and continue to achieve. The recent Women’s Day events held in Metro Manila honored women whose works have made an impact on society, politics and business, for example. I suspect these women don’t go about with “downcast eyes” though their souls are “pure.” This is not to say Maria Clara was a mistake or an aberration, far from it. Womanity COMMENTARY 5 of plastic. Everybody cares for their environment. Talk to any townsfolk of Basco or Sabtang and be amazed by the pride in their ethnicity, deep love of their community and their conscious collaboration with each other to promote local businesses and trades, due to the need for self-sufficiency to survive Batanes’ harsh climate. It is not a “beggar thy neighbor” mindset for economic growth, but rather “mind thy neighbor, prosper the community,” where local businesses patronize other local businesses. No monopoly here. If we can all emulate the Ivatans, then there is hope for us. We could strengthen a culture of collaboration and empowerment of every individual through cooperation and empathy and encouraging every Filipino to be a responsible citizen — critical lessons for all, including the Bangsamoro. to become a public official. He freely and willingly accepted his appointment to public office. Precisely because public office vests Piñol with a part of public power, he must accept public scrutiny. A saying puts it succinctly — if one can’t stand the heat, he should get out of the kitchen. Being both a politician and an ex-journalist, Piñol was most certainly aware that he was to speak at a public forum where the news media are expected to be present and where members of the news media will surely ask questions and request interviews. Despite that expectation, Piñol chose to humiliate the Daily Tribune correspondent because he was displeased with the way the newspaper reported an earlier story about him. In short, the way Piñol comported himself in that incident was unbecoming of both a high-ranking public official identified with a President who enjoys unprecedented continuing public support and a journalist who is aware of how the news media function in a democratic society. While it may be argued that public officials like Piñol cannot be compelled to give interviews to the news media, public officials must treat members of the news media with appropriate courtesy. By snapping at the Daily Tribune correspondent, Piñol demonstrated that he is an embarrassment for President Duterte. Piñol should have made a run for the Senate with the Otso Diretso sa Impyerno ticket. By being on that ticket, Piñol would have no need to apologize for his rude manners. She was a fictional character born from the author’s real-life ideals and, Jose Rizal being a man, made her out to be a paragon of sweetness and light, her beauty incandescent. I highly suspect it was a woman who described Maria Clara as “greatest misfortune that has befallen the Filipina in the last 100 years.” Not to malign our national hero and his imaginative idealization of womanhood, but the general “demure and self-effacing” description of the character unfortunately seemed to be the only one that stuck. But there was more to Maria Clara than the devout Catholic, the obedient daughter and the beautiful sweetheart. She was kind and faithful, a caring soul with a mind of her own. Trapped by circumstances and tragic turns of events, she tried to keep on until her last hope was taken away. Idealized as she was, Maria Clara represented something women have struggled against for generations — being boxed in. There are still a number of countries that continue to suppress the rights of women, forcing them to remain uneducated, unskilled and practically invisible. In the Philippines today, we are very fortunate that women are free to hold positions of authority both in government and the private sector. It is not such a novelty to see women reaching for and breaking that so-called glass ceiling. We are lucky that Filipino men in general, “macho” as they are idealized to be, are open enough to treat women with respect, love and support. For me, personally, that quality of chivalry is the mark of a real man. Those who are unkind, even cruel, abusive and rude are weaker than the sex they keep trying to lord over. While our society is not perfect, it is not like other cultures where women are oppressed by law and by antiquated social standards. For if the most democratic of them all, the United States, can breed #metoo movements and leaders who are chauvinists and even racists, how much more those who refuse to even let women drive? Celebrating women and their achievements for one month in a year is a worthy activity, but it should remind us that while they have survived many struggles, there are still some to be fought.
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