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Filipinos of foreign ancestry who get elected to public office often
risk having their citizenship questioned. The protests, invariably,
originate from rivals who lose in elections—or their underlings.
Yet, nobody questions the citizenship of
campaign contributors, the biggest of whom are often of foreign
extraction. So, it is all right to use the money of supporters who
are not “natural-born,” but those same donors or others like
them have no right to stand for election?
This paradox is just one of several that make
the citizenship requirements of our election laws downright
discriminatory. Why should the accident of birth trump all other
qualifications, including competence, integrity and track record?
Are patriotism and the urge to serve the Republic a monopoly of
self-styled natives?
How ironic for a nation whose difficult birth
was made possible through the sacrifice of life, liberty and fortune
by late 19th century freedom fighters, many of whom were of mixed
blood beginning with Dr. Jose Rizal. In fact, what our founding
fathers envisioned was a nation whose citizens are—to borrow a
phrase from Martin Luther King Jr.—judged not by the color of
their skin but by the content of their character.
This corner can only engage in speculation.
Still, it is probably the patently unfair premises of earlier
rulings made by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and certain
magistrates, which ultimately led the entire Supreme Court to
withhold the promulgation of an earlier decision against Rep.
Jocelyn Limkaichong of Negros Oriental.
Limkaichong’s 2007 election victory was
protested by rival Olivia Paras, wife of former Rep. Jacinto Paras,
over Limkaichong’s allegedly questionable citizenship. Limkaichong
had trounced Mrs. Paras by over 7,000 votes. The Paras couple
belongs to President Arroyo’s political party Kabalikat ng
Malayang Pilipino (Kampi).
The earlier decision, penned by now-retired
Justice Ruben Reyes, was reportedly signed by 14 of the 15 justices.
It sustained a previous Comelec decision nullifying Limkaichong’s
victory over the citizenship issue. Actually, Limkaichong’s father
was a Chinese national who eventually acquired Philippine
citizenship.
In a subsequent en banc resolution, however, the
Court explained that Reyes’ ruling was not promulgated because
nine justices concurred only “in the result.” Therefore, the
Reyes ruling “has no doctrinal value.”
Accordingly, “the justices unanimously decided
to withhold the promulgation of the ponencia of Justice Reyes.”
Limkaichong, meanwhile, has claimed: “I was
born nine days after my father was proclaimed a Filipino citizen;
therefore, I am a natural-born Filipino.”
Stumbling block
The Limkaichong case, however, has evolved way
beyond the confines of the First Congressional District of Negros
Oriental. A copy of the unpromulgated ruling penned by Reyes was
leaked with the all-too-obvious purpose of discrediting Chief
Justice Reynato Puno.
The President’s Kampi party evidently sees
Puno as the biggest impediment to its drive to amend the 1987
Constitution. Widespread is the suspicion that the Arroyo
partisans’ Charter change (Cha-cha) bid aims to lift term limits
and ultimately allow GMA—and her allies—to remain in office
beyond 2010.
With four justices due to retire by May, Puno
will remain as the only magistrate not appointed by Mrs. Arroyo.
Rumor has it that GMA’s Kampi followers in Congress are set to
impeach the Chief Justice, although Speaker Prospero Nograles and
other House bigwigs—as well as the usual Palace mouthpieces—have
issued denials.
Should the impeachment bid prosper the
administration and its House partners risk sparking the sort of
civil unrest that unseated Joseph Estrada in 2001. Lest we forget,
the loudest clamor raised during the EDSA 2 uprising was for all
officials to resign and for then-Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. to
form a caretaker government.
The “resign all” demand was withdrawn only
after then Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin and former President
Corazon Aquino appealed to the protesters to agree to the
constitutional process of succession. Thus, then-Vice President
Gloria Arroyo was catapulted to Malacañang.
The latest intrigue against Puno has only
succeeded in enhancing the Supreme Court’s image as the last
bastion of democracy. Given the unpopularity of the President and
her congressional allies, the “resign all” call is beginning to
have a persuasive ring to it—again.
Environment stress
In the run-up to the celebration of the Feast of
the Santo Niño on Sunday, the streets of Tondo are again festooned
with plastic banderitas, courtesy of numerous commercial sponsors.
The EcoWaste coalition bewailed that the festivities will result in
undue stress on the environment.
“During our visit, we were stunned to see the
outrageous amount of plastic buntings in streets and alleys, which
could easily make Tondo the undisputed banderitas capital of the
country,” said Manny Calonzo, president of EcoWaste Coalition, a
waste and pollution watchdog.
“The wild use of disposable buntings such as
those made of plastic bags, product advertisements and packaging
scraps indicates a sorry lack of awareness regarding the adverse
impact of these single-use fiesta accessories to our environment and
climate,” Calonzo added.
According to EcoWaste Coalition, the banderitas
pose real environmental and climate burdens, particularly in terms
of the large volume of fossil fuels needed to manufacture, transport
and dispose the plastic materials for such a non-essential
adornment.
Instead of banderitas, the Eco-Waste Coalition
suggests the use of environment and climate-friendly alternatives
that can be washed, stored and reused such as reusable buntings from
fabric scraps.
dansoy26@yahoo.com
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