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Articles by Jun Sula
Your move, Chiz , Punto! Central Luzon
Filipino lawyer Lorna Kapunan, the feisty, veteran litigator is not known to be a chess expert , in or out of the country, Until recently. In comparison, the American Bobby Fischer is a well-known chess genius . worldwide . He was known to think of his chess moves several times ahead of his opponent. Kapunan, however, is probably a genius all her own, a sui generis like the impeachment proceeding where she plays as a private prosecutor, pro bono or for free.
Kingdom , Punto! Central Luzon
In some sense, a community of politically organized populace is a kingdom even if it has no king or queen. So 32 miilion people who enthroned Sara Duterte as vice president of more or less 100 million people is a kingdom. The mandate of one third of a natin isn’t something too sneeze at even if the Constitution provides a way to wrestle that mandate from her legally. It’s the heart of the political argument of Sara’s defense team at the start of the impeachment trial. Why not?
Now we know why
When he was still so crazed about being powerful, so powerful indeed no one could stop him from wielding it every which way he wished, former President Duterte said that meeting an auditor on the stairway would be an unpleasant experience for the latter. Or words to that effect. Maybe it was meant prophetically to be that way to make it less interesting to keep the impeachment trial away from public enthusiasm.
Will Sara survive the impeachment?
She said she would; she’s unconquerable, after all. She may be bludgeoned and bloodied, borrowing a line from Henley’s “Invictus”, but unbowed. She’s also the captain of her soul, an exception to John Stuart Mills’ fear that some politicians may suffer from low intellectual problem. No way, she had an 80 per cent grade in the bar exam, higher than many lawyers, before and after her.
An impeachment denouement
Suddenly, it looks like the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte might turn out to be an easy task, a walk in the park , so to speak, for the House prosecution. It seemed it would go the ho-hum way. The vice president promised it will be more exciting with a bloodbath though. The sixteen top notch lawyers hired to defend her indicated that the vice president must not be taken literally or even prophetically, although hindsight makes some sense in a mysterious way.
Playing the long game
Begin with the end in view—Stephen Covey, Seven Habits of Effective People One of the sweetest and pleasant things the Senate does before its session is to require its small choir to sing a kind of prelude before it gets down to serious business. No doubt, it adds solemnity to its sacred performance. Its current president has also added a new feature to bring further solemnity to what legislators do. Senate President Allan Peter Cayetano also begins the session with an opening prayer.
Playing the long game
Begin with the end in view—Stephen Covey, Seven Habits of Effective People One of the sweetest and pleasant things the Senate does before its session is to require its small choir to sing a kind of prelude before it gets down to serious business. No doubt, it adds solemnity to its sacred performance. Its current president has also added a new feature to bring further solemnity to what legislators do. Senate President Allan Peter Cayetano also begins the session with an opening prayer.
Tales of two ambushes, fake or not
If tales were a DNA, you could come down pat on why Senate President Alan P. – kumpanero, he thoughtfully made it clear during bis oathtaking– has mentioned with nostalgia a former Senate President with a term of endearment. He longingly called the late JPE – Juan Ponce Enrile, to many on both sides of the political fence, as a beloved uncle. He owed him big, politically and financially.
Politics versus institutions
By now, we know by heart, if not by brain, why we are the way we are as a nation: politics has got the better part of our institutions. The sorry and pathetic sight the other day of a senator falling on all fours at the stairs ,while running away from pursuing law agents about to bring bad news ,turned out to be an inevitable truism about an English poet warning on a tricky deception.
“Sinful” Co is coming to town
You better watch out, you better not cry Or maybe you should, I’m telling you why “Sinful” Co is coming to town He’s making a list,checking it twice Gotta be sure who’s naughty or wise “ Sinful” Co is coming to town He dreams of you when he’s sleeping He knows where to escape He knows when you’re been good and twice as bad To be good or bad means lots of cash Oh, better not cry or maybe you should Better hide now I’m telling you why “Sinful” Co is coming to town President Bong Bong Marcos is...
Here we go again
Many years ago, when the former dictator in the heyday of his leadership of the country under martial law, an unsettling rumor hit the fan: the emperor was ill. It was no simple sickness. It was alarming. The public was jittery. What’s the real score? Even back then, many people knew that the highest official of the land had a Constitutional duty to inform the public of the top leader’s state of health.
Metanoia in Congress
After President Bongbong Marcos had exposed the massive flood control mess that bled the country’s coffers dry by new and old kleptocrats in government uniform, also known as “ the big fish”, a huge mea .culpa was expected from those already named behind the historical crime or recycled crime. Instead of owning up the crime, or sin, if you will, most of those accused have since issued plain denials.
Sleepwalking , Punto! Central Luzon
“Whatever was written in the past, Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, “was written for our own instruction that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” In this time of unmitigated crisis, felt by most people as not just as a noun but as an adjective, hope is top of mind, like the recent survey that has kept people at a loss as to why the ratings make the public confused and incredulous but not the pollster.
How do you a solve problem like Bato?
The highly muscular senator is a tough nut to crack. It has been ages since he has made himself scarce in the Senate. Some people must have forgotten him already or don’t care that he’s got a sacred duty to the nation, not play hide- and- seek. Catch me if you can isn’t a perfect dare or game. The law, after all, has proverbially a long arm. Senator Roland Dela Rosa might just make it as the longest absentee legislator on the Guiness Book of World Record.
Culture versus choice
“Excuse me,” retired Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, the one who ordered that Senator Joel Villanueva be dismissed but the Senate blithely ignored it,” politely interrupted the President’s grievous narrative. President Bongbong Marcos a.k.a PBBM , she said matter of factly, did not discover public works corruption three years ago. The discovery was probably made (known?) much earlier.
The end of cynicism
Scratch any cynic, said American social critic George Carlin, and you might find a disappointed idealist. There has never been a time of more cynics or idealists- pick your preference- in the Philippines than when unspeakable corruption nearly erased the country’s moral standing from within or from without last year.
Almost a heroine
She could have been the country’s beloved Santa Claus this year: she knew who were the country’s naughty and nice. She could have told the nation ,well before President Marcos’ deadline for the country’s colored-feathered crooks in public works anomalies expired. Blow the trumpet. It would have been the loudest nation’s biggest sigh of relief instead of a mixed grief and more profound mystery about the greatest unwieldy heist in government thievery that has gripped an impoverished people.
Doubt - Punto! Central Luzon
With a tad over a week before Christmas, the President may not be able to make it to his timeline or deadline to throw into the slammer corrupt officials, big fish or not. Some of them—certainly not all of them – must go to jail, as planned, before noche buena begins, as if it’s a political pivot. , “ASK NO QUESTION and you’ll be told no lies,”Charles Diclens wrote in the Great Expectation. The time and season for questions and lies were unparallel in a Marcos experience.
A rare gift or grit
If the fight against public works corruption is a race against time, President Bongbong Marcos gives the unmistakable impression that his government will be up to speed to end it, probably once and for all. You may add, friends, foes and family, political or otherwise, will not be spared to do that, to be sure. The public says, so be it, or amen , even alleluia if he can achieve a difficult objective, meaning politics is such a rarefied field the commitment could also mean political hara kiri.
The evolutlon of Bong bong
The big rally last November 30 was a day which marked the death of a national hero who stood against political corruption of his own in his day. The Bonifacio Day event this time,triggered by the massive rot in government anomalies unearthed by this current administration, may have been the last of the latest political mania or “wokeness” There was a more intimidating gathering previously, ostensibly religious, unmistakably political. All is well that ends well.
The challenge - Balen Porac Pampanga
The President thinks, or so it seems, that he’s up to the challenge of his time. It’s an enviable one; quite dicey, too. The odds of keeping his throne are very much at stake here. For one thing, he and his followers do not want a repeat of People Power 1986. The visceral memories of that historic event hurt profoundly he needed two things to erase it from the mind— of the family’s and the nation. The dictator’s reputation had to be restored first.
The challenge - Punto! Central Luzon
The President thinks, or so it seems, that he’s up to the challenge of his time. It’s an enviable one; quite dicey, too. The odds of keeping his throne are very much at stake here. For one thing, he and his followers do not want a repeat of People Power 1986. The visceral memories of that historic event hurt profoundly he needed two things to erase it from the mind— of the family’s and the nation. The dictator’s reputation had to be restored first.
It’s philosophy, or it’s politics
The 19th century German philosopher Nietzsche said that adversity builds character. “ That which doesn’t kill you , he said,”will make you strong.” This much was conveyed by Jose Rizal in his prophetic “The Filipinos, A Century Hence.” His people, he said, will emerge eventually, triumphant from the yoke of colonization. It didn’t occur to him that massive corruption will be front and center in the nation’s life in the future.
Secret deal - Punto! Central Luzon
It sucks, says newly minted Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, almost sounding off like it’s obscene by decent ethical standard, assuming that there’s still such a thing in this neck of the woods. Remulla decries the alleged secret order signed with his body and soul by his predecessor Samuel Martires as a free pass to Sen. Joel Villanueva, who has been burning at the seams at the allegations of corruption, then and now.
The French have a word for it
A rocambolesque story. It’s a modern story that would have aptly, succinctly portrayed what has been dubbed as an unprecedented account of corruption in the Philippines. In English, rocambolesque means extravavagant, fantastic, incredible, fabulous. Any adjective would have fit the extraordinary sad, shameful narrative to a T. The French , and the rest of the French speaking world, would have said oui.
Who stole our Chiz or shame?
Nights are getting longer these days, daylights shorter. The message is unmistakable: the longest season in the world has just begun, unofficially or otherwise, except perhaps the spirit, not withstanding that a Jose Mari Chan’s popular tune is increasingly hummed. People would prefer that darker days, metaphorically, gets shorter or far and few between, given the givens.
Too many crooks spoil the broth Original
President Bongbong Marcos must have been nonplussed when he opened –accidentally discovered, so they say—a Pandora’s box in public works anomalies when some crooks hiding in plain sight confessed their big time shenanigans, or “sins” if you will. That is said as a concessional understanding of most Fiipinos’ theology given that the Philippines was allegedly the first Christian nation in Asia.
A logical conclusion
The moral pain has been there in our neck of the woods for a long, long time, says the new kid in the public works agency. In fact, you have to go back easily in the decades of a marinating corruption in the agency, Secretary Vince Dizon said, unequivocally and courageously. His earlier encomium as Pampanga’s man of the year by this paper was prophetic. Offhand , he was as angry and unforgiving in his call to whittle down his new department to size.
A logical conclusion
The moral pain has been there in our neck of the woods for a long, long time, says the new kid in the public works agency. In fact, you have to go back easily in the decades of a marinating corruption in the agency, Secretary Vince Dizon said, unequivocally and courageously. His earlier encomium as Pampanga’s man of the year by this paper was prophetic. Offhand , he was as angry and unforgiving in his call to whittle down his new department to size.
It’s a dystopic truth, maybe even ectopic, too
It times of deceit, the British author George Orwel said, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. We are in in that crucial or critical time, a revolutionary time as part of the truth telling in our society. It’s a crazy time, nobody knows if passing or failing the lie detector test will help in resolving the grand infection called corruption that has contaminated at least two-thirds of the government – the legislative and the executive.
Aroma of corruption
The great Juan Ponce Enrile, a.k.a the alleged architect of martial law in the time of Marcos the Elder, used to nonchalantly mouth a quick yardstick: if it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, it must be a duck. Can Marcos the Younger use the same principle to ferret out the truth in ongoing new revelation about who’s who in the recent floodgate that threatens the government anew about the insufferable, unconscionable corruption in high places of trust?
Hubris and polemic
For a time, and that must be quite a time, the conjecture was, Philippine politics was on or under John Stuart Mills natural operative facts. It was the British thinker’s mind that representative government, or democracy,if you will, ran its engine on a much lower intellectual fuel. Whatever or however, no harm, no foul.
The overarching message - Punto! Central Luzon
Gone are the days when “hiya” was a powerful moral force in the life :of the Filipino society. To borrow the word of President Marcos in the 4th state-of-the-nation address (SONA), that the controlling moral guide, equilibrium, if you will, has vanished from the imagination of the Filipino people, especially among its leaders. There was time when “hiya” was an important theme in education.
Thanks to the heads -up
He’s no hypocrite, Sen. Ronald“Bato” dela Rosa, who could be the last man standing when the going gets really rough for his principals– not the “ we the people” preambled in the Philippine Constitution– but the father and daughter tag team of the fighting, feisty Duterte clan. Ergo, he will not attend the forthcoming 4th state-of-the-nation- address (SONA) of , who else, but the number one nemesis or spoiler, if you will, of his now-and-forever benefactors, the one standing between now and 2028.
Thanks to the heads -up
He’s no hypocrite, Sen. Ronald“Bato” dela Rosa, who could be the last man standing when the going gets really rough for his principals– not the “ we the people” preambled in the Philippine Constitution– but the father and daughter tag team of the fighting, feisty Duterte clan. Ergo, he will not attend the forthcoming 4th state-of-the-nation- address (SONA) of , who else, but the number one nemesis or spoiler, if you will, of his now-and-forever benefactors, the one standing between now and 2028.
The nation’s menu
What’s on the a la carte nowadays is not inviting. In fact, you may say items on the menu are kosher. The cuisine has never been so gross. What’s scribbled like strange grafitti on the table top comes straight from Paul’s letter to a young pastor Timothy. It warned all and sundry that the love of money, not money per se, is the root of all evil. There had been a corporate killing of some 100 sabungeros, More is not mere potential.
The nation’s menu
What’s on the a la carte nowadays is not inviting. In fact, you may say items on the menu are kosher. The cuisine has never been so gross. What’s scribbled like strange grafitti on the table top comes straight from Paul’s letter to a young pastor Timothy. It warned all and sundry that the love of money, not money per se, is the root of all evil. There had been a corporate killing of some 100 sabungeros, More is not mere potential.
A tricky path - Punto! Central Luzon
Let us all be sane – and be safe–, and be done with the political crackpot on the nation’s plate. The most important word in the Constitution, “forthwith”, has never been most critical in our history. In plain language, let’s get over with the current political brouhaha real quick before the world sees us a laughable people. Or a big joke. To start off, let’s consider the plain thing, which can be the main thing.
Simon says - Punto! Central Luzon
“ At its best, man is the noblest of all animals. “ Aristotle said. “Separated from law and justice, it is the worst.” Will the Senate, the 19th which is on the way out, or the 20th, which is forthcoming, rise to the occasion or simply fade away in shame? There is both good news, and bad news, so far. The journalist cum satirist Malcolm Muggeridge said, the new one is the same the old one, which is a fair warning. Things can go either way as the Greek philosopher had predicted man can become.
Pariah or patriot?
“The route to success often has a pariah phase along the way” wrote Steven Magee, an American technocrat. Senator Chiz Escudero,a veteran politician and lawyer, is probably treading dangerously at this phase of his career. His patriotism now is writ large over his little head over the continuing political brouhaha on the impending impeachment trial of the vice president.
A welcome move - Punto! Central Luzon Original
In politics, stupidity is a not a handicap, according to Napoleon Bonaparte. This apparently universal rule can help explain some phenomenon in politics, particularly the Philippine variety . To start off, a former Philippine senator and world boxing icon, was widely criticized by well-known spin masters for capitalizing on it in his messaging in the recent senatorial race. His buzz to the electorate: ibalik ang bobo sa Senado. Naturally, the electorate didn’t buy his feckless marketing pitch.
Bad blood and blood bath
President Marcos as Sigmund Freud, not as Machiavelli— love is okay with him as a leader but he prefers to be feared more—is a good shrink. He senses the need for a catharsis as therapy for the seemingly self-destructing path his vice president is on or is moving forward. The latest threat or treat, if you will, from the legendary woman politician vis-a-vis the impeachment trial in the Senate is blood bath .
Message in 2025 - Punto! Central Luzon
The handwriting is on the wall. A marquee event In Philippine political history will dramatically follow the midterm election in May like an anticlimactic sequel; from the get go, everything seemed to have been set in motion toward its predictable conclusion ; but it is shaping up to be a big surprise. The visible hands are known, the invisible hand seems to be more sovereign and immovable. How historic it ‘s going to be depends on what or who upsets the apple cart, so to speak.
Madness as a political tool
Madness or insanity has been said to be a not a medical condition but a political one. ‘Tis the season of inane politics and the Commission on Election has been issuing show cause orders left and right- but strangely not from top to bottom– to those who apparently have unmoored themselves from the normal ethics and behavior of decency becAUSE of mere exuberance ,or lust, for power. In showbiz as in politics, the show must go on.
The underdog - Punto! Central Luzon
The American humorist Mark Twain once said that it is not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. What’s unfolding now on the world stage at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has both the drama and spectacle of exactly like that.
Imee’s argument - Punto! Central Luzon
In the last three Senate hearings, the President’s senator- sister, Imee, has repeatedly argued her point: the former president has been planned all along by his predecessor to be surrendered to the International Criminal Court. Countless facts and legal opinions by expert and pundits, objective or not, have confirmed this. The senator-sister wouldn’t relent like Don Quijote against the strong windmills.
The game changer
In the land of the blind, the one=eyed is king. He used to be the king of the jungle, the fearsome predator who, the unbridled narratives show ,preyed on the poor, the weak and the helpless in the now infamous war against drugs. Finally, the long arm of the law stretched from a thousand miles away and caught him virtually flatfooted and is now in custody in an international court.
A nation in angst
For the first time, in a long long while, cheap rice or its supply, isn’t in everybody mind but the fate of a former president who’s now in the hands of an international court. Historic you can say. The eventual verdict can only be guilty or not guilty. Some, presumably those on the suspect’s camp, may already be sleepless, haunted and inhabited by all sorts of imaginary possibilities. It’s a national angst.
The long road to nowhere?
The impeachment is supposed to be a short, clear road toward a certain political objective. Whatever the outcome, conviction or acquittal of the vice president, it has now become a fork in the road to uncertainty. Others think the current route is fraught, especially with a naughty or mischievous aggressive neighbor ,not merely watching but even working to influence the outcome.
A pollyannaish tycoon
Hope springs eternal in the human breast, especially during elections, for a number of reasons. In the case of a prominent businessman, there is the economy per capita and small-and-medium industries. In a sense, the future. In a nation with more than 50 percent of its people who have rated themselves poor, hope is more than just an abstract concern.
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