DT_20190713

Saturday, 13 July 2019
Daily Tribune
“There
are those
of us who
hate to be
reassigned,
to cover
beats
other than
what we
do at the
moment
some
have been
known to
quit and
work at
a rival
newspaper
instead to
remain in
place.
This must have been well before
the turn of the millennium, around
1998, when as financial reporter
at The Daily Tribune with the red
masthead I was sent on an errand
as proxy of the business editor.
Then, as now, the business editor
was busy at the desk and delegated
the task of meeting then Sen.
Gloria Arroyo at dinner. As soon
as I entered the room I already
wanted out because all the big
names in all the news publications
were there with their fine clothes,
their big stories and their hearty laugh. But one
of those guys, Philip Lustre, who hardly knew
me personally, quickly saw that I hesitated and
would have none of what I was planning to do.
He would ask for my name and introduced me
to everyone and when that was done and the
conversation went quickly back to normal, he
would say to my ear, “don’t go small over these
big guys at table. At some point ahead, you,
too, will be editor.”
Philip and I would toast about that aborted
early evening turnabout over his favorite bottle
of beer in Timog many years later. I would
Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares desperately
wants to be in the news as often as possible. The
on-going power struggle for the leadership of the
House of Representatives has relegated Poe to the
sidelines. For almost all of the last two weeks of
June, nothing was heard from her.
In the Senate, neophyte
“Commuters
will be pleased
to know that last
November 2017,
the DoTr officially
terminated its
contract with Busan
Universal Rail Inc.,
the maintenance
service provider
engaged by
the Aquino
administration for
“In a
sense
there is
some truth
to this
assertion
as the
military
often did
express
concern
over
domestic
issues
and did
something
about it.
senators led by Christopher
Lawrence “Bong” Go have
filed so many bills upon
assuming office, enough to
upstage Poe.
Poe is still recovering
from her embarrassment
in the May 2019 senatorial
polls. She was expecting
to reprise her first place
finish in the 2013 senatorial
elections. Alas, the honor
this year went to Senator
Cynthia Villar.
Being dislodged from
the MRT-3 system.
first place was enough to upset Poe, and to make
her assistants regret it. Her failure to make it to
number one indicates that Poe’s plans for another
presidential run in 2022 will not be a walk in the
park after all. Cynthia Villar is now in Poe’s list
of possible adversaries for the highest office
in the land.
Last week, when Poe criticized the
administration of President Rodrigo
Duterte for what she alleged as the slow
pace in the renovation of the mass
transport system in the metropolis,
particularly the MRT-3 train system,
she wasn›t really concerned
about the transport woes of
the citizenry. She simply
wanted to give the public
the wrong impression
that a vital need of the
populace — adequate
transportation — is
being neglected by
LIMBAROK
Jun Vallecera
Is the military restless?
If we are to go by the Mr. Duterte’s
public pronouncements and the subsequent
clarifications by his people, the answer is yes.
The men and women in uniform are agitated,
but not necessarily for the reasons he stated.
In his remarks after holding talks with
the three presumptive bets for the House
speakership, Mr. Duterte said he needed the
House to be quickly in order because of the
urgent need to amend the 1987 Constitution
to avoid an uprising by the military, which,
according to Mr. Duterte, was “really hot on it.”
A rough English translation of Mr. Duterte’s
mix of Tagalog and English remarks reads: “I
said, ‘If you want to change the Constitution,
do it now. I am still here.’ And I can tell the
military, ‘No, no, no. You better… Because
tempers are rising in the military. And I have
told you all the corruption in the government,
its worse in the higher positions.”
As is usual with Mr. Duterte’s often
elliptical and garbled stream of consciousness
pronouncements he did not clearly elaborate
on what he exactly meant.
Mr. Duterte’s mouthpiece Salvador Panelo
subsequently explained Mr. Duterte’s explosive
remarks about the military’s supposed
intentions about giving the jackboot to this
administration.
Panelo speculated the military brass
may have told Mr. Duterte of the growing
dissatisfaction among troops even if both
military and the police publicly assured there
were no plans to oust Mr. Duterte.
Last Tuesday, Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) spokesperson reassured
the public with the usual and appropriate
statement the military “shall remain loyal to
Reporters and editors
remind him of that dinner a few
times since then and he would
always say he does not remember.
But I do.
Among my own set of colleagues
in reporting, very few aspire for
an editing job. Most would rather
remain reporters all their lives.
Recto Mercene comes to mind.
He’s been at it for so long he’s
been said to have “shot” Benigno
“Ninoy” Aquino Jr. on that fateful
day in August decades ago. He
reported on the country’s foreign
policy when the Department of Foreign Affairs
was simply known then as the foreign office
and he knows airlines and airports far more
than anyone reporting on the subject at
present. There are those of us who hate to be
reassigned, to cover beats other than what we
do at the moment some have been known to
quit and work at a rival newspaper instead to
remain in place. There is wisdom in covering
as much of the field as one possibly can, be a
well-rounded reporter, but for some of us the
inertia is just too immense.
In my own time, when I was finally asked
Jackboot
to move up and do desk work, I, too, initially
refused. The thought of sitting on your ass for
the greater part of the day cleaning after other
people’s mess is just too much. I would have
none of it. I said no quite a number of times
then and it was all the guys upstairs could do
to persuade me to change my mind and handle
other people’s copy. What got me in the end was
not the strength of the argument that it is more
professionally rewarding upstairs. To some
extent that is true but most of that argument is
bull. Editing copy at six in the evening knowing
that colleagues are out there drinking beer and
hobnobbing with sources is not my idea of fun.
But I did go, finally, at some point, convincing
myself this was for professional growth, as
confusing as that sounds.
I must admit that I keep looking back. I
remember the editor who would teach me
financial reporting, Ely Lopez, who would not
tolerate factual and grammatical mistakes. He
was one loose to using P.I. curses on a mistake
as important at the proper use of prepositions
and idioms. Then there was Butch del Castillo
who would ask me to explain inflation, GDP and
other economic concepts in Tagalog, unmindful
that my Bisaya tongue that often gets in the
Grace Poe’s undisclosed secrets
the administration.
Poe pretends to be unaware that the Department
of Transportation (DoTr) has arranged for the
purchase and delivery of high-grade rail tracks for
the MRT-3 train system. The tracks were purchased
from Nippon Steel, an industrial giant based in
Japan. A shipment consisting of 50 percent of the
total order will arrive at the port of Manila before
the end of August 2019.
The Japanese-made steel tracks are sturdier
and smoother than the low-grade existing tracks
installed on the MRT-3 system by corrupt officials
identified with
President
Benigno
Aquino III
and his
the flag, to the Constitution, and to the Filipino
people.”
Panelo, however, could not adequately
explain what the military wanted. “It is not
clear what changes in the Charter are being
proposed to specifically solve corruption, drugs,
terrorism and other problems supposedly raised
by the military. When asked about it Panelo
gave two unrelated examples: the removal
of restrictions to foreign investment, and the
solution to EDSA traffic…” as one news report
had it.
Nonetheless, in other news reports Panelo
said “the premise there, under the Consitution
the AFP is the protector of the people. So, if
the military knows there are anomalies and
corruption… they react, why is it like that?”
In all of the above, it is obvious the Palace
wants us to believe that whatever is agitating
the military it is about pressing domestic
concerns like corruption.
In a sense there is some truth to this
assertion as the military often did express
concern over domestic issues and did something
about it.
Recent history bears out this assertion
as the Reform the Armed Forces (RAM) in
the Marcos years, the Young Officers Union
(YOU) in the Cory Aquino and Ramos years,
and the Magdalo in the Arroyo years had the
unmistakable stamp of expressing domestic
concerns, not only about corruption but
also whether or not the military should grab
political power in face of those concerns.
Panelo is also correct to emphasize the
constitutional provision stating the AFP is “the
protector of the people,” a key phrase which
has defined the military’s relations with civilian
government.
cohorts in the now disgraced Liberal Party.
Commuters will be pleased to know that last
November 2017, the DoTr officially terminated
its contract with Busan Universal Rail Inc., the
maintenance service provider engaged by the
Aquino administration for the MRT-3 system.
When the rehabilitated MRT-3 system becomes
fully functional, train capacity is expected to
double to 650,000 commuters daily. There will
be no more endless waits, surprise stops, and
malfunctioning coach doors, thanks to the quality
of the Japanese supplies.
Article II, section 3 of the
Constitution reads: “Civilian
authority is, at all times, supreme
over the military. The Armed Forces
of the Philippines is the protector
of the people and the State. Its
goal is to secure the sovereignty of
the state and the integrity of the
national territory.”
Much have been made out of
this constitutional phrase “the
protector of the people and the State” ever
since the ouster of Marcos. The provision led
to many an acrimonious debate on what is the
military’s exact role in the country’s politics
were and whether or not the provision led
dangerously to military adventurism.
The debates quieted down
“The recent
incident
involving
Filipino
fishermen
left to drown
in the Recto
Bank showed
where the
military
stood.
in recent years owing to the
singular fact the previous
governments have started
modernizing the military.
The military modernization
program is preoccupying the
military as recent as yesterday.
Our recent times, however,
and in particular in face of the
geo-political troubles in the
West Philippine Sea, brought
to the fore the other important
provision that the military is
“to secure the sovereignty of the state and the
integrity of the national territory.”
It is quite obvious the Palace did not
want to stray into that explosive provision
or acknowledge it as another reason for the
military’s supposed restlessness.
One can see many reasons for this, but one
pronounced reason is Mr. Duterte’s view any
COMMENTARY
A5
way to on air discussions, in his mid-day radio
program. He would call without warning, certain
that I could wing whatever it was he requested
explained to his noontime audience. He would
teach me to think fast and to think clearly,
something that I and most others could do only
with practice.
But I would remember
the most about this source
who would not speak to me
for five years, who would go
livid whenever I was in the
room and behave abhorrently
every chance he gets. He was
mistakenly sore at me for
something my own editor did
and would not listen to any
of my explanation. While this
“In my
own time,
when I was
finally asked
to move up
and do desk
work, I, too,
initially
refused.
was happening, my paper would not have the
important stories that can only come from him
and my editor, who started the fire himself,
would continue to push for stories unmindful of
the firestorm he created. But I would tame that
fire after five years and that man would give
me a story that won me a citation as reporter
of the year. The man, who insists on his privacy
even now, taught me patience.
By next year, the tram system
in Metropolitan Manila will be
expanded and major stations will
be interconnected using safe,
durable and reliable rail tracks
and coaches.
Before Poe continuous with
her unfounded attacks against
the administration, she should
engage in some stocktaking
about herself and her political
game plan.
There is still no legal
closure to Poe›s claim to
natural-born Philippine
citizenship. As a
foundling whose
military assertion in the West
Philippine Sea is hopeless and
a useless sacrifice of soldiers’
lives.
But there are indications, all
done in private and not publicly,
the military is not at all happy
about the civilian leadership’s
seemingly lack of resolve,
at the moment, in asserting
constitutional provisions about
protecting resources in the contested seas.
If anything, the recent incident involving
Filipino fishermen left to drown in the Recto
Bank showed where the military stood.
Immediately after the incident came to light
the military brass immediately condemned the
incident in no uncertain terms. It was only
after Mr. Duterte broke his prolonged silence
on the matter that the military moderated its
reactions.
At any rate, I must express caution here
as this is still a quick take on what has been
publicly said so far on the issue. There is still
the matter of what in the journalist trade is
called access journalism, which means making
sources involved in the issue talk. In this case,
reticent soldiers who still loathe having their
view made public.
So, as we anxiously await what soldiers
really say of their wants, what I have just
said can still turn out naively inappropriate
and even untrue. Still, this does prevent us
from making a momentary conclusion that Mr.
Duterte is playing a game of chess with the
military. And whatever comes out of that game
will have a tremendous impact on all of us.
OUT AND ABOUT
Nick V. Quijano Jr.
biological parents remain unidentified
up to today, Poe cannot be considered
a natural-born Philippine citizen
based on the explicit provisions of the
Constitution.
The decision of the Supreme Court
(SC) which her allies cite as a ruling
favorable for Poe is not doctrinal,
which, therefore, does not create
a binding legal precedent. For the
ruling to be doctrinal, it must have
the affirmative vote of at least eight
of the 15 justices of the SC. From all
indications, the ruling has the support
of just seven justices, one vote shy of
the majority requirement.
The de facto Chief Justice Maria
Lourdes Sereno and then Solicitor
General Florin Hilbay were the
only notable legal personalities who
sympathized with Poe. Fortunately,
they are no longer around to corrupt
Philippine jurisprudence.
In other words, Poe›s citizenship
may still be questioned if she runs
for president in 2022.
At the height of the 2016 presidential
campaign, Poe›s American husband
promised to obtain Philippine
citizenship whether or not Poe wins
the presidential election. Poe’s camp
has repeatedly dodged that question
for the past three years.
Instead of criticizing the
administration, Poe should prioritize
her obligation to explain, among
others, the citizenship issues haunting
her and her husband.
Email: nevqjr@yahoo.com.ph
“Poe
pretends to
be unaware
that the
Department of
Transportation
has arranged
for the
purchase and
delivery of
high-grade
rail tracks
for the MRT-3
train system.