A story of true grit

Today is the birthday of our bishop, Monsignor Vicente Navarra. We will not be able to greet him personally now because he is in Manila where he is attending the conference of Philippine prelates. Nevertheless, we wish him a happy birthday and hope that he will get the gift that he has been working on so hard, more advocates against the offensive reproductive health bill.

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It is rather disconcerting to hear, and read in the newspapers reports about the plaint of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court that there seems to be a propaganda campaign against the Supreme Court. Well, there does seem to be widespread disenchantment, but it is not only the Supreme Court that is being focused on, the judiciary in general appears to be losing the high respect and trust that people used to have for its members. If the present leadership of the highest court in the land can do something to improve this image, maybe they will recover that lost regard.

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But people who are just and fair are not among those who slam the court and its members as a whole. They know that it is only a small majority who have managed to give that bad impression. Unfortunately, those are the ones who get media notice, so these are also the ones that the Supreme Court should monitor and sanction immediately once they are proven to be into unbecoming shenanigans. It should be as simple as that.

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Chief Justice Renato Corona should not be in so much angst over this perception. Even if the court is not supposed to be part of the political system, people have drawn conclusions because its justices are appointed by the powers-to-be, and therefore the impression that they are beholden to the appointing authority will persist. Corona is being watched because many believe he should not have accepted the appointment from the outgoing president. In a way, his situation is even similar to that of the Local Government Secretary, Jesse Robredo. Who is not impressed by the credentials of Robredo as a public servant? And yet, because he was one of the first appointees of the new president, the other side of the syndrome, those who do not want to see the administration succeed for their own purposes, are ganging up on him now. That’s the way politics moves in this country.

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The high-profile cases of the abduction and killing of two men in what was supposed to be a negotiation for the sale of vehicles, does not seem to have deterred the gangs and syndicates behind them. More are being reported everyday, and some cases are just luckier for the owners because the criminals stole only their vehicles. How callous those evil men must be. The sight alone of the grieving families, especially at the burials of the victims, would have touched any, but the hardest hearts and consciences. By the way, I was puzzled that there was a Philippine Flag draped over the coffin of Emerson Lozano. Was he a soldier or a veteran?

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The news about Congressman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona who was shot in the head by a lunatic while meeting with her constituents, is getting better and better. Yesterday, a bulletin said she can now open her eyes, move her hands and legs, and was even holding her husband’s hand and pulling his wedding ring on and off. Her husband, Mark Kelly, who is an astronaut, has been at her bedside watching over her since the incident happened. Maybe that is one of the best reasons she has for hanging on.

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During the STAR Christmas party where he was the music man, Bagguer Villaluz told me that he was releasing the seventh volume of his collection of instrumental music soon. “I will give you the first copy,” he said. True to his word, yesterday the CD was delivered to me, and it was really a delightful collection of old favorites like, Moon River, Diana, Speak Softly Love, Spanish Eyes, Some Enchanted Evening, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Unchained Melody, Top of the World, and some Filipino pieces like Gaano Kita Kamahal, and Ikaw.

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The story of Bagguer is actually one of true grit. Unlike most artists, especially in music, he is practical and realistic. When he lost his voice through cancer, he kept on with his music, performing at parties and other social activities where he is very popular. When he plays for the night crowds airing themselves at the Bacolod Government Center grounds, there is a poignant sign on his table: “I am a cancer survivor; I cannot talk but I can hear you.” He has become quite a favorite there, especially of balikbayans and tourists. I think his CDs are available at the Negros Press Club office, for those who want to collect them.*

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