Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Noynoy Aquino continue to inflict their insidious kind of karma on the Filipino nation. In what can be described as a tragicomedy in the making we read that Mrs Arroyo wants to be given the go ahead to seek medical treatment abroad. Since she is a member of the House (and an employee of the civil service like yours truly), she had to apply for the requisite travel authority (TA) from the administrator of that government agency, no other than the Speaker, Sonny Belmonte. This was given and like in any travel authority, it spells out the itinerary and the reason of travel. The TA is a public document and has to been by the immigration officer at the airport. A government officer may demand to see it and one must present it.
Mrs Arroyo unlike most government employees on official business travel, faces suits that haven't been lodged in court (whatever that means, since without them being lodged, they aren't suits but possibly malicious accusations). She faces several possible plunder suits and an electoral sabotage suit all of which are not bailable. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima disapproved her request for travel citing inconsistencies in her request for travel authority and a medical opinion from the chief government physician as claimed by the press, Health Secretary Dr Enrique Ona. Dr Ona read Mrs Arroyo's medical abstracts as sent in by her doctors. He concluded that her medical condition wasn't life threatening. I wonder if Dr Ona is the right government physician to see Mrs Arroyo's medical history. Mrs Arroyo has the right to choose her physicians since she isn't in remand. First of all Dr One is a political appointee and has to toe the Noynoy administration line. In the US, the chief government physician is none other than the Surgeon General of the United States who is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Surgeon General is an admiral of the uniformed services of the United States and thus cannot be political. We cannot say that of the Secretary of Health.
Thus several doctors have told me that Mrs Arroyo's patient's rights have been violated and she can go the Commission on Human Rights. However, I told the docs that if the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) had supported moves for a patient's rights bill (filed by Senator Bong Revilla in 2007) then Mrs Arroyo's rights would have been better protected. It should be up to the PMA to protest on behalf of patients. But many docs opposed the bill.
Hospitals have their "patients rights" notices but these hardly have legal enforcement. But international human rights legislation some of which the Philippines is a signatory protect these rights. Now the bill was filed in the Senate in 2007. If Mrs Arroyo who was then President knew what was in store for her, would she have moved heaven and hell to have it passed? We know she moved hell in order to win the last election she ran as prez!
Well that is what karma is all about and this is found in every religious tradition in human society. Buddhism and Christianity even have the principle in their sacred writings. Contrary to what many Pinoys think, the Divine has nothing to do with karma (although some Hindu traditions say otherwise). It is part of the natural law. If you do good, expect good to come and if bad, expect worse to come! My late "ninang" godmother who studied Hinduism told me that karma is either a high performing investment or a credit card debt. The interest is higher after the fact and as shown in the fine print!
The Divine punishment comes at the Last Day of Judgment when the Divine Judge has to execute the universal law. But before the consequences of our acts are a result of our humanity.
And this is where Mrs Arroyo, Mr Aquino and Atty Leila de Lima are in now. They are playing what their karmic fate would have it
Mrs Arroyo unlike most government employees on official business travel, faces suits that haven't been lodged in court (whatever that means, since without them being lodged, they aren't suits but possibly malicious accusations). She faces several possible plunder suits and an electoral sabotage suit all of which are not bailable. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima disapproved her request for travel citing inconsistencies in her request for travel authority and a medical opinion from the chief government physician as claimed by the press, Health Secretary Dr Enrique Ona. Dr Ona read Mrs Arroyo's medical abstracts as sent in by her doctors. He concluded that her medical condition wasn't life threatening. I wonder if Dr Ona is the right government physician to see Mrs Arroyo's medical history. Mrs Arroyo has the right to choose her physicians since she isn't in remand. First of all Dr One is a political appointee and has to toe the Noynoy administration line. In the US, the chief government physician is none other than the Surgeon General of the United States who is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Surgeon General is an admiral of the uniformed services of the United States and thus cannot be political. We cannot say that of the Secretary of Health.
Thus several doctors have told me that Mrs Arroyo's patient's rights have been violated and she can go the Commission on Human Rights. However, I told the docs that if the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) had supported moves for a patient's rights bill (filed by Senator Bong Revilla in 2007) then Mrs Arroyo's rights would have been better protected. It should be up to the PMA to protest on behalf of patients. But many docs opposed the bill.
Hospitals have their "patients rights" notices but these hardly have legal enforcement. But international human rights legislation some of which the Philippines is a signatory protect these rights. Now the bill was filed in the Senate in 2007. If Mrs Arroyo who was then President knew what was in store for her, would she have moved heaven and hell to have it passed? We know she moved hell in order to win the last election she ran as prez!
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| Move it, I gotta win! |
Well that is what karma is all about and this is found in every religious tradition in human society. Buddhism and Christianity even have the principle in their sacred writings. Contrary to what many Pinoys think, the Divine has nothing to do with karma (although some Hindu traditions say otherwise). It is part of the natural law. If you do good, expect good to come and if bad, expect worse to come! My late "ninang" godmother who studied Hinduism told me that karma is either a high performing investment or a credit card debt. The interest is higher after the fact and as shown in the fine print!
The Divine punishment comes at the Last Day of Judgment when the Divine Judge has to execute the universal law. But before the consequences of our acts are a result of our humanity.
And this is where Mrs Arroyo, Mr Aquino and Atty Leila de Lima are in now. They are playing what their karmic fate would have it
Supporters of Mrs Arroyo and her lawyers released this photo with the former President appropriately crowned with a halo vest. Obviously the photo is meant to elicit the Pinoy sense of "awa" or pity. But as karma has it, it hasn't and will never have it. With hunger increasing in our society and desperation too, pity on these characters will fly out the window. And it has something largely to do with what Mrs Arroyo's public and private conduct when she was in power. Also it has something to do with the next photo
Well we he can also wear a halo vest over his egg shaped head and the Filipino people won't have any "awa" at all! The Filipino people have been inured by the moral decay of their society ever since the Marcos regime imploded into Hawaii!
Mr Aquino's conduct as President and the idiotic comments of his subalterns while appearing opposite that of Mrs Arroyo isn't helping either. Remember the Luneta bus massacre? The central Luzon residents sinking in floodwaters and the presidential absence?
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| Still Imeldific in shades! |
The problem is Mr Aquino appears not to have that sense of compassion like that Mrs Arroyo never had even if she has had those "GMA Cares" plastered everywhere. Thus the Imeldific who alone has survived Gadhafi, Sadat, Mubarak, the Shah etc appears to be a saint or angel in comparison! And one Imeldific fan told me that despite her faults, Mrs Marcos indeed had compassion for the less fortunate. I will have to agree. And perhaps karma had been less harsh, Mrs Marcos only wears shades and not a head contraption that would make an eye turner in a science fiction movie!
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| Karma doesn't care about signs like these! |
The thing is the Filipino people consented and elected these people into power! That is our karmic disaster.
No amount of Feng Shui trinkets and charms can get rid us of these characters from the elite families who have ruined this country for so long. It is up for the Filipino people to remember the Katipunan and what it did!
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