blackshama's commentary on Philippine issues

"Mindanaoan" posted this Twitpic of a weeping father cradling his dead daughter in the wake of the tragic floods that sank Cagayan de Oro city as a result of tropical storm Sendong (Washi) last Saturday evening. The little girl I presume is just a wee bit over two years of age. This is the age of temper tantrums and delightful innocence. Those of us who have children will know. The pain of small children taken from us at this age is unfathomable. And so the photo broke my heart into a million pieces and that too of Mindanaoan. But this is the nightmare that I am waking up to. Environmental catastrophe is now at hand and there are no easy solutions. Whether this be a flash flood (which is the most dangerous of natural hazards) or even the chronic air pollution poisoning Metro Manila, people will die and most tragically children will die. The photo is reminiscent of Roman Catholic iconography of the Mater Dolorosa  or the Sorrowful Mother. Dolorosum (neutral gender) is the ...

Sir Thomas More, The Man for all Seasons The Philippines House of Representatives has the necessary numbers to begin impeachment proceedings against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. In an ironic but wry comment, for the first time a respected constitutional lawyer, the Reverend Father Joaquin Bernas SJ has quoted Sir Thomas More's timeless "the devil and the rule of law" soundbite. But Fr Bernas does not name More as the source of the quote and that is the real downer!  Thomas More isn't your any ordinary lawyer. He is a Catholic saint and martyr. He was once Chancellor of England, which equivalent in our congressional system as the Chief Justice and President of the Senate combined. Ferdinand Topacio Esq will pale by comparison since More won't trade his eggs for mere "lawyer's drivel"! BTW, his wife Lady Alice Middleton was tempted many times to do so! In my commentaries on Philippine politics and the rule of law, I have always allu...