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MADRIGAL is supposed to come from a buena familia. Yet, she spews
such words as bastos and gago in both plenary and committee
hearings.
Sen. Jamby Madrigal is now taking on all comers.
First was former Secretary Mike Defensor, followed by Sen. Juan
Ponce Enrile. Then came Sen. Pia Cayetano and the members of the
defense committee of the Commission on Appointments. Last week, she
went against 17 generals and 7 colonels. What’s next? The Armed
Forces of the Philippines? Bring them on!
No doubt, she got encouragement from her high
rating in the latest survey conducted by Pulse Asia. No doubt, too,
she got that high performance rating because of her pugnacity in
Senate inquiries. She feasted on the free television exposure coming
from the live coverage of the inquiries, so much so that she has
forgotten that she is chairman of three committees that are also in
need of her attention.
Recently, Madrigal snarled when Senator Pia
innocently asked her about the status of the bills on the Magna
Carta of Women. So, if you don’t want to get bawled out, don’t
ask Madrigal any question about bills assigned to her committees. As
she had said, she would rather attend investigations on corruption
charges against the Arroyo administration. That is performance
according to her, not the hard work of hearing bills referred to her
committees. How hard? Well, since July, she has not had a single
meeting of her three committees. Oh me, oh my, but she did crow
about her committee hearing—one hearing in fact—on the Magna
Carta of Women in the Thirteenth Congress. Incidentally, for the
uninitiated, we are now in the Fourteenth Congress.
Speaking of Madrigal’s fight against the 24
senior military officers, Rep. Rodolfo Plaza of Agusan del Norte, a
CA member, lamented that she invoked Section 20 of the CA rules in
plenary when she only questioned a few officers during their
confirmation hearing.
“She is already a senator and not some spoiled
brat,” Plaza moaned.
Wait, congressman, one can be both at the same
time!
Madrigal is supposed to come from a buena
familia. Yet, she spews such words as “bastos” or “gago” in
both plenary and committee hearings. Those words regularly come from
so-called palengkera, with apologies to market vendors.
Madrigal said she is looking for the truth. Yet,
she could not recognize the truth when it is facing her—as in the
infamous FGI notation that she insisted was actually FG even when
her colleagues, notably Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., had already
acknowledged that it was indeed FGI. There is no way she can find
the truth if she is wearing blinders.
As regards her “high” performance rating
despite her zero performance in her committees, I am reminded of the
words often said by my late mother: “Praise undeserved is slander
in disguise.”
There is also a Chinese proverb about knowledge:
“He who knows not and knows not he knows not is simple, teach him.
He who knows and knows not he knows is asleep, wake him. He who
knows not and knows not he knows not is a fool, shun him.”
Chiz whiz!
Sen. Chiz Escudero did the Philippines proud by
being included among the 246 awardees in the world-wide search by
the World Economic Form for the Young Global Leaders of 2008. The
awardees, all aged not more than 40 years old, include leaders of
business, government, academe, the media and society at large from
65 countries representing all regions.
Chiz is in a very prestigious company. This
year’s awardees include Hollywood actor Leonardo Di Caprio, CNN
anchor Anderson Cooper, tennis superstar Stefi Graf, King Jigme
Wangchuck of Bhutan, Queen Lala Salma of Morocco, Harvard Law School
Director Daniel Shapiro, and Brendan Hoffman, president of Neiman
Marcus Group.
Chiz has really gone a long way in such a short
while. He is on top of the popularity and acceptance ratings.
What’s more, he can rightfully lay claim to being among the most
industrious in the chamber—he has the most output of reports among
all committee chairmen and the most number of bills approved in
plenary.
The beauty queen’s English
Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Cebu, also the owner of
the University of Visayas, said that as an educator, he found the
video of Miss Philippines World Janina San Miguel’s gaffe
“tormenting to watch.”
“The truth is, if Ms. San Miguel had been
Chinese, Japanese, Spanish or French, nobody would have cared about
her awkward English. But she is Filipino, and English is our highly
favored second language, so people expected more from her,” Gullas
said.
Gullas is principal author of House Bill 305
which seeks to make English the medium of instruction in all school
levels. The bill has already been endorsed by 207 of the 240 members
of the House.
efrendanao2003@yahoo.com
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