Will cha-cha benefit PNoy?

Somebody asked me about the Lemon Law is about, and why that is the name given to it when the lemon is not even a Filipino fruit. I explained that, as far as I know, people say they “got a lemon” when they buy something that is defective or not up to the standards expected. And the term has mostly been applied to vehicles, as when one has the misfortune to buy a car that has a factory defect, or is not functioning well.

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The law recently adopted in this country will protect buyers of vehicles, especially those who are not familiar with the workings of the unit. I know of people who found defects in their new cars, but could not do anything about it because they put up with the malfunctioning, thinking it was part of “breaking in”. Also, some said they were not able to convince the sellers that the defects had not been caused by them, and so they had to put up with, well, a “lemon”, sour though it may be. Now this new law will help them, in case they encounter such problems.

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The pattern seems to be the same in all the high-profile cases in this country. The accused and their lawyers are all relying on the old delaying tactics to buy time for their clients, and, as we can see, their ploys seem to be working. Look at the infamous Ampatuan massacre case. How many years have passed since that dastardly killing of more than 50 innocent people, media practitioners among them, and yet, the case has hardly left the initial stage?

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First there were the changes of witnesses, then the changes of lawyers, until the time came when there were no more lawyers left to be defend the accused. And so, after some time, the court had to provide the lawyers, and guess what is going to happen, aside from the expected further delays? The Ampatuans will only get older, and sicker and then have to be kept in “hospital arrest” from where they cannot be summoned. And the show will be delayed and not go on.

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What’s the fuss about the President saying that he favors cha-cha now? For readers not familiar with the term, it stands for charter (Constitution) change, which has been proposed several times, but always set aside. After all, the last cha-cha was only during the time of the late President Corazon Aquino, which was almost 20 years ago. But it seems the possibility that a new, amended Constitution will extend the term of incumbent President Aquino, is sending jitters into the nerves of presidential wannabes now. But is it now that changes or amendments in any law should not benefit the one under whose term they are made? So what’s the fuss?

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A detainee in Bacolod City bit the policeman who caught him as he was trying to escape from jail. The man must be an ardent football fan and had probably been watching the World Cup games where player Luis Suarez of Uruguay sank his teeth into the nape of Italian player Giorgio Chiellini. Both Suarez and Uruguay paid dearly for that act of mischief – Uruguay lost miserably, Suarez was suspended, and until now has not been forgiven by the World Cup authorities. So, the lesson is: Use your teeth only for eating.

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An MRT train in Metro Manila overshot its station and got derailed, causing injuries to several people, some of them seriously. However, the passengers should still be thankful that they were on a train, with the ground beneath them, because if they had been on a plane, it would have been a much different story. By the way, what is the matter with the police reporting on that accident? It happened the other day yet, but up to about 3 p.m. yesterday, TV reporters were still saying that “dozens of people were injured”. Hadn’t they made an accurate count yet.

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The Holy Father, Pope Francis flew to South Korea yesterday and from footages of his flight, gained more admirers when he used an ordinary commercial flight where he was seen chatting with other passengers and crew, and even laughing heartily at something said. We have seen photos and videos of Popes smiling, but this one does not mind really laughing, like you and me. He delivered a very thoughtful speech before a very serious and respectful audience of officials and, possibly, prominent Catholics in the country where he batted for peace, possibly thinking of the cleavage between the Koreans North and South, and the statement that stood out from his talk was “Peace is not simply the absence of war, but the work of justice”. He should say something like that to the land-grabbing Chinese officials, though it is doubtful that they will listen.*

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