Ill-prepared to prove ill-gotten wealth?

Yesterday the Senate sitting as Impeachment Court ruled against introduction for paragraph 2.4 of the articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. Paragraph 2.4 states that the respondent, Chief Justice Corona, is “suspected and accused of having accumulated ill-gotten wealth”. The memorandum submitted last Tuesday by the defense panel to the impeachment Court last Tuesday claim paragraph 2.4 is “irrelevant, improper and violative of (Chief Justice) Corona’s constitutional rights”

The defence is partly victorious in caucus held yesterday morning because the impeachment court favored the prosecution in its decision to allow the latter to present evidences for paragraph 2.3. Paragraph 3 of the Second Article of Impeachment accused Chief Justice Corona for not including some of his properties in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN). The defense requested to delete from the record any and all of the evidence presented by the prosecution pertaining to paragraphs 2.3 and 2.4 due to lack of ultimate facts.

Defense lawyer Tranquil Salvador III said the entire discussion on Article II shall revolve around the presentation of Corona’s SALN. He said that the prosecution team is trying to amend the second article without the required promulgation of the entire House of Representatives. He added that the prosecution is conducting the determination of the probable cause along with the impeachment proceedings. He added loopholes of the rushed impeachment articles are being revealed while the case is being heard in the impeachment court. 

On the other hand the house prosecution panel claimed that evidences,such as Income Tax Return and bank records could not be obtained without existence of a valid circumstance identified by the law such as when an impeachment case was filed. In return the prosecution castigated the defense for turning the proceedings into a game of technicality. They cite the then Associate Justice Renato Corona’s decision on Marcos’s ill-gotten wealth saying that “  (Supreme) Court has seen fit to set aside technicalities and formalities that merely serve to delay or impede judicious resolution. In that decision, Corona cited Alonso vs. Villlamayor, “A litigation is not a game of technicalities in which one, more deeply schooled and skilled in the subtle art of movement and position, entraps and destroys the other. It is rather a contest in which each contending party fully and fairly lays before the court the facts in issue and then, brushing aside as wholly trivial and indecisive all imperfections of form and technicalities of procedure, asks that justice be done upon the merits. Lawsuits, unlike duels, are not to be won by a rapier’s thrust.”

 

Hello

Hello is the longest word I can say whenever we have chance encounters. This will be replied by a smile, a wave and almost inaudible hello. Hello could be be a cliché that has lost its meaning because we often use it. Hello could be a filler we can use whenever we are cought off guard and we got nothing to say.

What would I say when I see you smile with your eyes as well? My default mode is to smile back, walk away and regret how I spoiled the golden oppurtunity. You might think my “hello” means “Nice to see you but I got to go”. I hope you would not perceive hello as an empty greating because for me this two-syllable word envelopes the little speeches I have been writing on my mind.

“Hello” you will here again when we have another chance encounter. You will catch me gazing at your eyes smile. I will smile back. My feet would bring me away from you because of nervousness. My actions mean the opposite of what I want because I have always wanted to be with you.

 

Pasintabi Po sa mga Kumakain

Ang pagdaloy ng ideya ay para ring paghilab ng tiyan na kailangang tugunan kahit saan ka man naroroon. Hindi man ito kasing dalas ng paghinga, pagkain, pag-inom at pag-ihi. Kung hindi ito gagawin magiging lason ito sa ating katawan.

Ako na siguro ang taong pinakawalang sense of timing, heto ako sa harap ng harap ng simbahan ay nakaisip magsulat. Ito na sana ang pagkakataon para ako ay makipag-usap sa mga kakilala pero heto ako hawak ang diary ko sa kanang kamay at nagsusulat sa kaliwang kamay ang paborito kong ballpen, Uni. Takot ako na makalimutan ko ang ideya na di madalas masumpungan. Pakiramdam ko kung hindi ko magsusulat mabubuang ako o dili kaya ay madadagdagan ang pagkabuang ko. Hirap naman kung bigla na lang akong tatawa o magsasalita.

Bata pa ako ay madalas akong sawayin ng Lola ko, masama raw magsalita ng mag-isa lalo na kung tulog na ang mga kasambahay mo. Kasalanan ito ng Napocor noong kabataan ko, noong presidente pa si FVR, noong sa hapon lang ang telenovela sa tv, noong hindi ko mapakinggan ang paborito kong drama sa radyo dahil sa brown out kaya napilitan akong gumawa ng sarili kong kabanata. Pero ngayong nagkaedad na ako kung kelan dumalang na ang brown out at nawala na ang pagkahumaling sa drama ay hindi kabanata ng drama sa radyo ang nililikha ko sa aking isip kundi ang mga “ano kaya” o “what if” ng buhay ko. Ito ay mga kabanata na malabong mangyari sa totoong buhay. Kunyari hindi ako mag-isang kumain ng hotcake with ham sa Tropical Hut, kunyari may kasama akong pumila sa libreng screening art films sa Edsa Shang at UP Cine Adarna at ano kaya kung may kaahawak kamay akong maglakad sa banketa.

Habang ako ay nagsusulat nakita kong dumaan si A sa aking harap. Pinanood ko lang siyang dumaan. Hindi ko siya tinawag sapagkat di ko naman alam ang sasabihin ko. Hindi ko alam kung kelan ta-timing. Si A na pinakakanais kong makita, ngayon ay dumaan lang sa harap ko na di ko man lang tinatawag. Ngayon ay madadagdagan na naman ang mga what if ng buhay ko. Ganito siguro ang buhay ko punong-puno ng what if. Tulad nga ng nasabi ko kanina kailangan ko ang mga itong isulat sapagkat sa palagay ko ay mabubuang ako kapag hindi ito isinulat. Kahit papaano ay maykakataong may makabasa nito. Magustuhan man ito o hindi ng sino mang babasa. Magsusulat ako sapagkat ito lang ang paraang alam kong maihahayag ko ang aking sarili ng hinndi nauutal at hindi biglang titigil ng hindi tinatapos ang pangungusap.

Tulad ng pagtae ang pagsusulat ay isang seremonyas na kailangan kong gawin para mabawasan ang aking mga daladala. Kailangan kong magsulat para hindi ako matawa mag-isa, magmukhang baliw o dili kaya ay matuluyang mawalan ng bait.

 

 

Late

My body is not yet prepared to the resumption of classes after the two-week Christmas break. During the break, I usually woke up at 1:30 pm to watch All for Juan, Juan for All segment of Eat Bulaga. After watching Eat Bulaga I read two broadsheets I am required to read everyday or photocopies of our required readings but sometimes I would take a nap until 5:00 or 5:30 pm before I run to office for  my 7:00 pm shift.

I had 1:00 pm class yesterday, but I woke up at 1:40 pm. I had a dilemma between coming the class late or be utterly absent. I cannot afford to be absent because we only meet once a week and only three absences are allowed. I chose to come to class and attend at least half of the three-hour class. I arrived at school around 2:30 pm, but I found our classroom vacant. Later I found out that our professor, a professor emeritus from UP Diliman, cannot stand the scent of the fresh paint and was forced to cancel the class.

This is not the first time I was late or absent in a class this semester because I woke up late. During my admission interview, when my interviewer found out I am working in a call center she asked me how I would sleep. I answered, “Bahala na po”. I know before I enrolled that the life of a working student would not be easy. I need to limit some of my activities and allot most of my time and energy to my studies. I no longer go to free foreign film screenings in Edsa Shangrila Plaza and UP Film Institute which usually consumes a big chunk of my time.

Is it not we study to find a job? I got a job already why should I study? I have been in the call center industry for four years and work for three call center companies. The job is financially beneficial but not emotionally fulfilling. At the end of the day you are not viewed as an individual but a machine who generates numbers. They are after for the number of calls you took in a certain number of hours, numbers of customers who gave you passing score in the surveys, number of minutes you spend in a call, number of your overtime, number of minutes you were late, and the counting goes on and on. The number of pesos on my payroll account cannot compensate to the number of times I was cursed, insulted and discriminated. Several times I want to quit but I can not because this is one of the few decent jobs that hires college drop-outs. Getting a college degree is the ticket for me to leave this job.

Leaving the call center industry is not my only motivation to finish college, at 27 I am also planning of having a family of my own. I have hiding feelings for a beautiful lady I met three years ago. I feel inferior she has established career as a writer whereas I am just a college drop-out who works in a call center. I might be egoistic but I just wanted to be someone my future girlfriend or wife will be proud of.

After I found out today’s class was cancelled, I checked the number of units I have to take. I still 84 units left. If I will enroll 12 units each semester it means that I will finish my college in three and a half years. I want to finish earlier than that because it is too late to start career in fourth estate at age 31 so I have to increase my load each semester and take summer classes. My academic adviser would not allow me to add more subjects next semester if I fail any of  the subjects I am taking now. I pray for good health and for provisions in the coming years so that I can finish the Herculean task. May the Lord bless me.

 

Para kay A*

Lulan ako ng jeep papuntang Sucat nang bigla kitang maalala. Ikaw na laging umupo sa gilid. Ikaw na halos minsa ko lang marinig magsalita. Ikaw na lagi kong hinihiling na makita. Ikaw na sa tuwing masasalubong ko ay nasasabihan ko lang ng “hi” at kung minsan nakakawayan ko lang. Medyo napasarap ang pagmumuni-muni at walang trapik kaya kahit iang beses na akong dumalaw sa tiyahin ko sa Sucat ay lumampas ako at sa Bagunbayan na ako nakababa.

Maikukuwento ko kaya ito sayo ng personal? May matatawa ka kaya? Hindi ko alam dahil hindi ko sinubukan. Marahil ay matatagalan pa bago mangyari iyon. Maaari ring hindi na. Malay ko baka makapag-asawa ka na pala ngayong taon.

Kung mabasa mo man ito, maiisip mo kayang patungkol ito sayo. Ilan ba ang Pinay na A ang simula ng pangalan? Aber?! Kung magtatrabaho siguro ako sa diyaryo ay ako ang magsusulat ng blind item. Mahuhulaan mo kaya na ikaw ang tinutukoy ko? Minsan mo nang nahulaan ako si pedbanayad baka ngayon ay mahulaan mong ikaw si A.

 

 

—————————–

* Pasintabi kay Ricky Lee

 

 

 

 

Small Victories

This New Year’s Eve is special because this is the first I do not have a headset on my ears since I started working in a call center. I can still remember my  first New Year’s Eve in the office four years ago, I cannot even get closer to the window to watch the fireworks because I was attending to customer’s concern. Although in the last New Year’s Eve I was not in the office at midnight, it did not make any difference because I have to sleep to gain strength for shift before first dawn of the year breaks. The liberty I have allowed me to watch fireworks outside our apartment’s gate and  record 18 minutes of fireworks footage. I do not know yet where I am going to use it.

My off on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day gave the privilege to look back what my little victories last year.

When I was forced to have a graceful exit, last April, from the previous call center I was working for, I had a fear  of not finding another  company because I am a college drop out and  it was April when I lost my job which means I would be competing with fresh graduates.. I preferred not to work in another call center but most of the the non-call center jobs require a college diploma, so I had no choice but to go back to the job that requires me to be tied to Internet Phone for nine hours a day.  I tried three companies, before I landed an outbound sales representative post. I am not an assertive, which is a must for sales representative post, but I accepted the offer hoping that I would learn the tricks. I stayed with the company for three months because I cannot handle the pressure  to make sales and applied in another call center as a technical support. My short stint with sales taught me two lessons:  I am not good salesman and  I can never be one.

My stay with sales did not only teach me what I cannot do and cannot be but also what I can do. Our trainer is taking his masters in Ateneo on weekends he inspired to pursue my college education while working. I used my savings to book a round trip to Iloilo last July to get  my Transcript of Records from UP Visayas after six years of AWOL. I never believe I could go back UP to get my grades I was so anxious to be seen by my classmates and professors. I do not know how I would answer if they ask how am I.

Last November I enrolled at Kalayaan College, a school run by former UP President Jose Abueva and UP professors. KC practices the academic freedom UP is known for. Male with long hair is common in the campus and we can wear our slippers inside the campus. Although I feel at home in KC because its environment resemble to my former school. Anxiety strikes me whenever I cannot grasp the gist of assigned readings. I might be too old to learn because I lack healthy brain cells. I am currently enrolled in four three-unit subjects while working at night. Jumbling my time for sleeping, work and studying is still an act that I have learn and perfect. I hope I will master time management before the prelims.

I cannot say yet I am successful. I cannot say my work in the call center is my vocation. I am still from being great husband and radio-love-guru I wrote in our high school yearbook. I am still correcting the mistakes I committed six years ago. The only dream that I fulfilled already and I achieved this year is to grow my hair up to my shoulders. I have not reach yet the promised land but the small victories I got last year make me closer it. I can say 2011 is a good year.

 

I just dont know how to write

I am in the same mess again. Sitting in front of my clone desktop, trying to write but nothing sensible enough that came out my sleepy mind. The irony is I am going to major journalism, this coming semester.

There’s a lot of thoughts that running mind but the little critic in me tells me those thoughts are not relevant and even not wholesome. I said what the hell! Who cares if my writings are not good enough. So I decided to write whatever garbage I have. Somehow out from the trash we could dig a treasure.

Three years ago, I stumble upon blog service provided by Microsoft owned website, live.com. I had a huge crush then to a co-worker then who loves to browse. So I decided to write those “electronic palipad hangin” to get her attention. Although she did end up in my arms but I discovered I that I can somehow write. My blog was popular in the office before the eggheads from IT department blocked our access to live.com for security purposes. Then later live.com decided to close their blog service and I was given an option to export my blogs to WordPress.

Lately, I longer write as often as before because of a lot of distractions, stress and poor ventilation of my room. But since I am enrolling to BA Journalism this month, expect that I will write more often to practice. I hope you will continue to make more sense this time.