Today is All Saints’ Day. On this very day the Catholic world is to honor all the saints who have passed this world after their declaration as such by the highest hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
Surprisingly, and by tradition, the Faithful troop to the cemetery and instead remember their dead. Why is this so? Is it because of the notion that all those loved ones who already died have their namesakes in every saint?
Or so we think it is, especially those dead who were born before the onset of the period when the modernization of the world forced the evolution of names of persons to be in sync with the prevailing time.
Of course doing away with tradition is something very difficult especially if such has already been deeply rooted in society. Thus, changing the way All Saints Day is commemorated since time immemorial is something way beyond any man, no matter how powerful he is.
In fact for many, it is even easier to forget the saints who are supposed to be honored on this day, than forget the commemoration.
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Now here is this one opinion writer hiding his or her identity under “Optic Politics” sowing intrigues all aimed at destroying the relation of the Marcos, Jr.’s family with his cousin Martin Romualdez. His or her opinion is posted in social media more prevalently in Facebook.
Of course the objective of his/her tirades and intrigue-laden columns is understandably to destroy the existing relations of the President with his allies. The latest to come out is the opinion writer trying to present the Speaker cousin of PBBM as trying to manipulate the President’s decision in running the government to fit exactly his ambition to be President or prime minister after the 2028 national elections.
This same opinion writer also portrays First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos as solidifying her position as a major component in her husband’s decision making. And such move by the first lady is out to contravene Romualdez own supposedly ill-motivated actions against his cousin PBBM and wife Liza.
Clearly though, in his/her articles it is easy to know who he or she is working with or for. And, whether or not he/she will succeed in driving a wedge among the leading groups in the Marcos, Jr.-led alliance we will know after the result of the 2025 midterm elections come our way.
With the writer’s hiding under the cloak, we are just wondering if this saying by modern philosopher Thomas Paine applies. Yes, according to Paine “He who dares not offend cannot be honest.” Most likely it will not. But perhaps innovating Paine by saying “He who dares not to come out in the open and expose his/her identity cannot be honest,” will.
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During the first Senate Hearing on the Extra Judicial Killings (EJKs) allegedly done during the Duterte administration, a police colonel who was then City Director of Malabon reversed his affirmation of Col. Royina Garma’s affidavit claiming that monetary rewards were given to policemen making the kills.
According to the Police Colonel questioned by Sen. Bato dela Rosa during the hearing, he was forced by Congressmen Dan Hernandez and Cong. Bienvenido Abante to affirm Garma’s claim. According to the police official he was unable to reject the pressure by the two quad committee members. So he did affirm.
But in the Senate hearing he reversed his affirmation by claiming he was forced to follow the congressmen’s order.
But will the Police Colonel’s reversal of statement carry weight in the light of the fact that the one questioning him was the highest police superior in the entire force then? De La Rosa was PNP Director General and was holding the key to any PNP member’s promotion, status quo, or even demotion.
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What could possibly be the implications of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s sort of admission during the Senate EJK probe he attended that there was indeed a death squad when he was mayor of Davao City? Yes, he immediately clarified that the members were not policemen but former rebels and criminals. Death Squad just the same, isn’t it?
Now, will anyone or any group, or the government ever dare to file a case or cases in the courts on the basis of what the former President tacitly admitted?
We believe it is about time that someone or certain groups should do the initiative so that all the hate causing grandstanding will finally come to an end and the legal process of determining whether the former leader of the country is guilty or not.
