Bitoon (Barringtonia Asiatica) ang pangalang umaayon sa 'misteryosong' bulaklak

Bitoon (Barringtonia asiatica). Photo by Eli J Obligacion

Ayon sa ilang komento tungkol sa naisulat ko kahapon "Anong misteryosong puno at bulaklak ito?", ito raw ay ang tinatawag sa Pilipinas na "Bitoon" (sa Ingles, "Stars", sa Tagalog "Bituin".

Mula sa 'Internet Archive Wayback Machine', ang sumusunod na artikulo ay umaayon sa kalahatan sa mga nabanggit kong katangian ng 'misteryosong' puno at bulaklak na ito.

Pero tulad ng suspetsa ko, wala akong makikitang larawan sa dami ng larawan sa Internet na katulad ng nakabiting cylindrical lantern na kumpol ng bulaklak na nakunan ko ng larawan (nasa itaas). Naroon ang hiwaga. 

Base sa impormasyon, ang ilang bahagi pala nito tulad ng prutas ay ginagamit bilang gamot para sa mga karamdaman tulad ng sakit ng tiyan at rayuma. May gamit din sa mga buto nito.

Para sa ilang traditional users ang scraped contents ng prutas nito ay puwedeng magpagaling sa mga cysts, goiter, tumor, boils at iba pa. May gumagamit pa ng 'miracle plant' patungkol dito.

Ang iba pang tawag dito sa Pilipinas ay bitung, boton at botong.

Image from Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden

Sea Poison Tree

Scientific name: Barringtonia asiatica

Fish Poison Tree, Putat Laut/Butun/Butong/Pertun (Malay)

A large tree that grows on sandy and rocky shores, it has large leaves held in rosettes at the ends of branches. The young leaves are a beautiful bronze with pinkish veins. Old leaves turn yellowish. 

The flowers are delightful puff balls of white stamens tipped with pink. They open at night and attract large moths and nectar-feeding bats with their heavy scent. 

The next morning, the flower stamens are usually found strewn beneath the tree. 

The fruits have a typical lantern shape and float on the water. The fruit can survive drifting on the sea for long distances and for periods of up to 2 years. They were among the first seeds to arrive on the island of Krakatau when it first emerged out of the sea. 

The outermost layer of the fruit wall is green turning brown when ripe. The middle layer is spongy and contains air sacs to help the fruit float. The innermost layer is hard and thick to protect the seed (the layers of spongy and hard coverings are somewhat similar to the coconut). 

Uses: All parts of the tree contain, saponin, a poison. The seeds and other parts of the plant are pounded, pulped or grated to release the poison and used to stun fish in freshwater streams. The floating seeds are sometimes used as fishing floats. A colourful shady tree, it is commonly planted as a roadside tree in Singapore. 

Traditional medicinal uses: The heated leaves are used to treat stomach ache and rheumatism (Philippines); seeds are used to get rid of intestinal worms. 

Role in the habitat: It is among the plants that host the magnificent Atlas Moth. - by Ria Tan, 2001

Bitoon fruits. Photo: Eli J Obligacion

Also read:

Anong misteryosong punong-kahoy at bulaklak ito?

Anong misteryosong punong-kahoy at bulaklak ito?

Photo by Eli J Obligacion 

Tatlumpung taon na akong nakatira sa Brgy. Amoingon, sa isang lugar na tinawag kong Bahaghari dahil sari-saring mga di pangkaraniwang bagay palagi ang nagaganap. Di madaling magkwento tungkol dito dahil mahirap simulan at mahirap na ring matandaan ang pagkakasunod-sunod ng mga kabanata.

Kagabi lamang, nagulat ako dahil may bago na namang kaganapan na maganda. Mga alas-dose ng gabi naisip kong lumabas ng bahay para maghanap ng mas malakas na signal para magamit ko ang cellphone ko. Malakas ang signal sa tabing-dagat pero sinubukan ko na sa likod-bahay na lamang magpunta baka sakaling makasagap doon ng mas malakas dahil gabi na.

Nakaupo ako sa isang putol na tree trunk. Madilim ang gabi, pero kumikidlat at may kalamigan. Napatingin ako sa isang punong kahoy sa  likuran ko na mula ng tumira ako sa Bahaghari ay nandun na siya. Alam kong sa tamang panahon, namumulaklak ito ng pink o puti at sa lahat ng panahon ay nahuhulog na lamang sa lupa. Magandang tingnan tuwing nahuhulog ang mga bulaklak nito, talagang parang shower of beautiful flowers na isa-isang nahuhulog.

May napansin akong bago sa paningin. Tila may nagsabit ng isang cylindrical lantern dun sa puno pero sino kaya at bakit kako. Nilapitan ko ang bagay para maimbestiga at namangha sa aking nakita. Isang cylindrical na kumpol ng bulaklak na kulay puti ang nakasabit. 

Di ko pa nakita ito sa loob ng tatlong dekadang pananahan ko sa Bahaghari. Nakatitiyak naman ako na tinitingala ko ang puno paminsan-minsan. Dahil na rin sa iba pang istoryang narinig ko na tungkol sa punong ito.

Photo by Eli J Obligacion

Kaagad sumagi sa isip ko na dapat kong kunan ito ng larawan dahil baka hindi na abutan ng umaga at ito ay mahulog na sa lupa. (Nasa larawan)

Ang natirang tangkay matapos maglaglagan ang mga bulaklak. 

Larawan: Eli J Obligacion

Kinaumagahan, pinuntahan ko ang puno at wala na nga ang mga bulaklak. Hindi ako nagkamali. Tangkay at receptacles na lamang ng mga indibidwal na bulaklak ang natira. Ang mga petals kasama ang mga di mabilang na eleganteng stamen nito na may pollen pa sa dulo bawat isa ay naglagpakan na.

Mayroon akong sapantaha na mas malamang ay totoo:  sa gabi lamang namumukadkad tulad ng inakala kong 'lantern' ang misteryosong bulaklak na ito. Di mo na maabutan sa umaga dahil basta nakaramdam sila ng banaag at sikat ng araw ay lumalagpak na lamang sa lupa.

May mga okasyon noong mga nakaraang buwan na basta dumaan ako sa ilalim ng puno (may nilagay along tulay sa ilalim  ng puno), ay sumasabay ito sa pagpapakawala ng kanyang mga bulaklak at mapapangiti ka na lamang dahil maginhawa sa pakiramdam at nakakasaya.

May mga panahong kulay pink ang mga bulaklak na nahuhulog mula sa puno. (Nasa larawan na kuha noong nakaraang mga buwan,ilang segundo lamang ang nakaraan bago sila makunan ng retrato). 

Ang problema, di ko alam hanggang ngayon kung ano ang pangalan ng punong-kahoy at bulaklak na ito bagamat marami na akong napagtanungan. Wala silang masagot, kundi "bihira laang yan". 

Pero kung may nakakaalam naman, nakakita na kaya sila ng parol ng bulaklak tulad ng nakita ko noong hating-gabi kagabi? May pagkaduda ako.

Ganito ang dahon ng mahiwagang puno.

Longest night this year in the Philippines, time to reflect on the past

Solstice sunset at Bahaghari

During the Winter Solstice, when darkness looms and the sun appears to almost standstill, so maybe it's time to think about letting go of the old to make room for the new. As a new year looms, it's not just a time to prepare for the holidays but also a time to reflect on the past and plan for the future.

The Philippines has experienced this year's longest night on December 22, with peak darkness slated around midnight, state weather bureau PAGASA said. "Philippine nights will be longer than the daytime" as the winter solstice begins”.

This flower bloomed on solstice morning

The solstice is the beginning of astronomical winter in the northern hemisphere when the nights are at their longest and the days are at their shortest. For the southern hemisphere, it’s the opposite—the beginning of summer.

On Sunday, December 22, 2019—the sun hangs over the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at midday before turning back. As the sun creeps northwards, it will appear higher in the sky above the equator and the days will slowly get longer.

What's left of a picnic hut in my place, Bahaghari, Amoingon that was completely destroyed by a December typhoon is set on fire by these boys before solstice sunset.

From Coral Triangle to Verde Island Passage where the largest concentration of marine life can be found

 People of the Coral Triangle // James Morgan // 1080p from James Morgan on Vimeo.

From the Coral Triangle to its peak, the Verde Island Passage Marine Corridor where lies Marinduque 

(Original post on this blog, Jan. 9, 2013)

The Coral Triangle is known as the world’s center of marine biodiversity. The boundaries of this region are defined by scientists as covering the economic zones of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. A multilateral partnership called the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) was established. 

This initiative safeguards the region’s rich marine and coastal resources through protection from overfishing, destructive fishing practices, unsustainable coastal development, pollution and impacts of climate change. On the other hand, at the heart of the Coral Triangle, the center of the highest concentration of marine biodiversity in the world is an area accounting for 50 percent of the world's coral species. 

Within this center of the highest concentratiion of marine biodiversity is the largest concentration of marine life with a recorded 1,736 overlapping marine species in a 10 by 10 kilometer marine habitat. This is situated within the Verde Island Passage between Batangas and Mindoro, northwest of Marinduque. 

The Verde Island Passage Marine Corridor covers portions of the coastal waters of Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, MARINDUQUE and Romblon.

Amoingon Beach, Boac, Marinduque. Photo: Alex Fellizar

Butuan assembly of National Transformation Council calls for speedy effort for Aquino to step down

The multisectoral movement, National Transformation Council has earlier issued one of the strongest statements against President Benigno S. Aquino 3rd by accusing him of having “damaged the moral fabric of society and has therefore lost the moral right to lead the nation.” The movement includes a chore group of progressive bishops and the laity.

Two assemblies have recently been convened by the group, one in Lipa City (Luzon), and another in Cebu (Visayas). The third assembly was convened yesterday, November 11, 2014, in Butuan City (Mindanao). 

The National Transformation Council believes that the nation's most pressing business "is a regime change and a total overhaul of the electoral system as a condition sine qua non for the holding of the next election". Sympathetic groups on the other hand have likewise expressed that the immediate jailing of those involved in the misuse of the unconstitutional multi-billion peso Priority Development Assistance Fund and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) will bring about the needed regime change.  

The Butuan Assembly, November 11, 2014

Following is the Butuan Declaration:

THE BUTUAN DECLARATION:

PEACE AND GOOD GOVERNANCE IN THE COUNTRY

SHOULD BEGIN IN MINDANAO

Recalling the two assemblies convened earlier by the National Transformation Council in Lipa on August 27, 2014, and Cebu on October 1, 2014, and desiring to seize the momentum and build upon the gains achieved by those assemblies, we who broadly represent the various concerned sectors and constituencies of Eastern and Northern Mindanao, together with our allies from other parts of Mindanao, from Basilan, the Sulu Archipelago, and from Luzon and the Visayas, have come together in Butuan City this 11^th day of November 2014, to proclaim our support for and contribute to the immediate realization of the declared aims and objectives of the National Transformation Council.

We commend the initiatives of the two previous assemblies, express full and unequivocal support for the Lipa Declaration – “AN URGENT CALL FOR NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION”- of August 27, 2014 and the Cebu Declaration—“DEFINING THE FIRST STEPS TOWARD NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION”— of October 1, 2014, and bind ourselves to undertake the necessary steps to help bring them to fruition.

Gathered here in Butuan so close to the First Anniversary of Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda, which flattened Tacloban City and devastated much of the Visayas and the Calamianes on November 8, 2013, and the 7.2 earthquake that earlier destroyed centuries-old churches, public buildings and homes in Cebu and Bohol on October 15, 2013, and on the eve of the Second Anniversary of the floods that killed and injured hundreds of people, and displaced thousands particularly in Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley on December 4, 2012, and sharing the suffering of the victims of these tragedies and their families who have waited in vain for adequate government support in their recovery and rehabilitation, we raise our voices in solidarity with the people of these communities to thank all those who came to their aid and comfort during their hour of greatest need, and to express grave disappointment with the way the Aquino Administration has failed to respond adequately to these crises.

We join the people of Tacloban, the VIsayas, and the Calamianes in demanding a full and accurate accounting of the money and other forms of Assistance, which the Aquino Government has received from foreign governments, multilateral institutions, and other donors, and how, where and when they were used for the benefit of the victims.

At this time of serious difficulties for the people of Mindanao, we express grave concern over the cavalier way the Aquino administration has treated the “Mindanao Problem”. We are determined to find a just and lasting solution to this problem, one that will bring about true and lasting peace, and a radical change for the better in the lives of all our people.

With greast sadness, however, we must say that the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), now pending in Congress, is not the fruit of honest and sincere consultations with our Muslim brothers and their Christian friends and neighbors.

This threatens to falsify our people’s deepest longing for genuine self-management of their own affairs, and instead to create new divisions, disunity and discontent, both among those who are part and those who are not part of the new entity to be created under the BBL.

We therefore ask the National Transformation Council to intensify genuine consultations with all stakeholders in order to come up with  real solution coming from the people themselves rather than from outside sources.

We specifically ask the Council to consider advancing the Federalization Agenda for the entire country as the ultimate measure to ensure the most equitable, simultaneous empowerment and development of all the Regions, and not just of those in Mindanao alone.

As continued hostage-taking for ranson and other criminal activities by the Abu Sayyaf Group in the Sulu-Sipadan area threaten to turn our Region into an ugly counterpart of Somalia, the home country of the most notorious perpetrators of piracy and kidnapping in the Indian Ocean and the Horn of Africa, we call upon the National Transformation Council to demand a creative approach to this problem that will draw the various groups involved in these activities into lawful and lucrative pursuits, with the support of the various communities in the area.

As the worsening energy situation threatens to throw Mindanao back into a new Dark Age, we likewise call upon the National Transformation Council to intervene and demand a solemn commitment from th Aquino Regime that it will put an end to monopolistic activities which is trying to seize control of power distribution in Mindanao and beyond, through the use of political influence, intimidation and force.

In direct relation to the foregoing problem, we manifest our Solidarity with the millions of member-consumers of authentic Electric Cooperatives all over the country, whose rights of ownership by virtue of their capital contribution are being ignored and violated by government officials who act to protect some big businesses rather than the people’s interest. The actuations of the Regime’s officials show their contempt for the cooperative movement and the latter’s function of correcting social inequity, promoting social justice, and enabling their millions of members to attain sustainability in their endeavor to enjoy the basic life-blessings that make for a dignified life of frugal comfort.

In the face of the evident increasingly severe deterioration of the moral, social and political fabric of our society, we call upon the National Transformation Council to speed up its effort to compel President Benigno S. Aquino 3^rd to relinquish his position, so that the earnest work of national transformation could begin. More than ever, we believe that Peace and Good Governance in the country must begin in Mindanao.

DONE IN THE CITY OF BUTUAN, THIS 11TH DAY OF NOVEMBER A.D. 2014 / 18th DAY OF MUHARRAM A.H. 1436.

Artist Raymond Kawataki Go makes a comeback with Of Gods and Patriots

Cevio Art Haus celebrates its 1st year anniversary this month. The gallery is thrilled to invite you to its biggest art exhibition to date, a back to back solo show of two of the most promising contemporary Filipino visual artists, one of them Raymond C. Kawataki Go of Boac, Marinduque.

In his second solo show and comeback exhibition, Of Gods and Patriots, artist Raymond Katawaki Go delves into the question of power and its immanent contradictions by projecting ancient and contemporary images, of the religious and the secular in an attempt to call and respond to myth and reality. These arresting images turn into a social introspection to review the historical past and institutional ideas that are so intrinsic to intervention and inquiry but with a pulse on the present based on the artist’s understanding and impressions of these realities.

After years of hiatus, Kawataki Go makes a comeback with this major show at Cevio that re-registers his remarkable artistic skills and passion for art and instigation of critical thought.

Go is joined by artist Jessie Mondares with Messengers. Mondares' mixed media paintings are rendered with palpable exploit on pen and ink and acrylic. His collocation of elements that are often layers of discernible--- figures and anatomical fragments of humans and animals with expanded limbs and exaggerated forms meshed with patterns, lines and o ther assigned elements and certain motifs morphing in shapes and reappearing liberally in his paintings.

Both exhibitions will run from today, Oct 18 to Nov 1. Reception on Oct 18 starts at 6 p.m. The gallery is open from Monday to Saturday with gallery hours from 12 n.n. to 8 p.m. Press release and photos from Cervio Art Haus and Raymond Kawataki Go.

On Aquino's stepping down: 'Sooner rather than later'

Sooner rather than later
Written by Tribune Editorial
Monday, 06 October 2014 

The Palace is again taking on a fireman’s job amid the spreading call for Noynoy to step down and amid charges of incompetence and outright abuse of power.

The standard response is that Noynoy has not been associated with any corrupt acts or even allegations on it, and that he is honest which are excuses for him to be considered a good leader.

Several civic groups, many of which were ardent Aquino supporters way back even before Noynoy’s mother, Cory, became president in 1986, are now calling for him to step down for various reasons including the crafting of the law that would create a Bangsamoro substate, his support for charter change, or cha-cha, Noynoy’s defiance of the Supreme Court order declaring unconstitutional the Priority Development Assistance Fund, the Disbursement Acceleration Program and the coddling of his corrupt allies.

Presidential spokesman Abigail Valte followed up on Edwin Lacierda’s effort to belittle the National Transformation Council (NTC) raising questions on the backing of the group.

Valte said that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has not acknowledged the Church’s support for NTC nor its aims, despite the laity making up the core of the group.

She added that Cebu Cardinal Emeritus Ricardo Vidal had denied asking Noynoy to resign.

The NTC, nonetheless, agreed with Valte that Vidal did not seek the resignation of Noynoy.

In a statement, it noted that neither the NTC nor Vidal nor the signatories of the Lipa and Cebu Declarations have ever asked Aquino to resign.

“This is contrary to what ABS-CBN, Edwin Lacierda, Franklin Drilon and others have been claiming. What NTC urges President Aquino to do immediately is to relinquish or to step down from his position,” according to the group.

The NTC said there is a difference between resigning and relinquishing power.

“If one asks President Aquino to resign, it means that one acknowledges him to be the duly-elected president of the Philippines, while if one asks him to relinquish or to step down from his position, it means that one is asking him to vacate the post of the President of the Republic of the Philippines because he is not duly-elected for that position by the people of the Philippines,” the NTC explained.

It insisted that Aquino and his allies “were illegally elected in 2010 and in 2013.”

That Noynoy and his allies manipulated the automated elections under his term in 2010 and 2013 was another reason the NTC gave for asking Noynoy to resign.

Semantics aside, the group is seeking a new order in which and Noynoy and his opportunistic allies are removed from power to allow the rebuilding of a government free from the corrupt practices that is said to be deeply ingrained in the fabric of the political system.

Noynoy and the Liberal Party (LP) represent the corrupt system sought to be perpetuated through a manipulated voting process. Valte said that the Palace does not intend to meet with any members of the NTC since they have not reached out to the administration to bring their demands on Aquino.

It seems that the Palace has issued an invitation for the group to be coopted, similar to what has been done to Akbayan, a former reformist group whose officials are either with Congress or have lucrative posts in government and no longer criticize the administration, despite its many criminal and unconstitutional acts committed by Noynoy and its allies.
The call for Noynoy to step down is valid and the complaints raised against him should have been reviewed exhaustively if not for his allies who swiftly dismissed all the impeachment complaints against Noynoy.

All that is being undertaken, including the supposed allegations of corruption against all leaders of the opposition, is in line with efforts to remove all hurdles for Noynoy and the LP to extend their dominance beyond 2016.

Noynoy and the LP should look back in history regarding the tipping point for the seemingly tolerant public.

Either through the vote or street protests, the abusers always end up booted out of power. - The Daily Tribune

Moral Leaders demand Aquino's resignation

"A crisis of unprecedented proportions has befallen our nation. The life of the nation is in grave peril from the very political forces that are primarily ordained to protect, promote and advance its well-being, but which are aggressively undermining its moral, religious, social, cultural, constitutional and legal foundations.”- LIPA DECLARATION, National Transformation Council

From Impact Magazine,
Published by the CBCP Communications Development Foundation, Inc.

Moral Leaders demand Aquino's resignation
By Charles Avila
Impact, September 2014

“Therefore, faithful to the objective moral law and to the universally honored constitutional principle that sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them, we declare that President Benigno Simeon Aquino III has lost the moral right to lead the nation, and has become a danger to the Philippine democratic and republican state and to the peace, freedom, security and moral and spiritual well-being of the Filipino people.

“We further declare that we have lost all trust and confidence in President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, and we call upon him to immediately relinquish his position.”

-- From the August 27th “Lipa Declaration”

We had heard it up and down this beleaguered archipelago. Our moral leaders were about to make a pronouncement on the current political situation, as they did back in 1986 (Edsa I), then in 2001(Edsa II), and of a different kind in 2005.

In 1986 and 2001, as a result of their moral pronouncement, regime change became a moral necessity.

When they cautioned against regime change in 2005, such change did not occur despite Cory Aquino’s taking to the streets to demand that change. With her then were son Noynoy (now President), good friends Butch Abad (now DBM Secretary), Franklin Drilon (now Senate President), Cesar Purisima (now Finance Secretary), Dinky Soliman (now DSWD Secretary), Ging Deles (now OPAPP Secretary) and a few others then and now known as the “Hyatt Ten” but without Cardinal Sin (prime spokesman of moral leaders) who had already died.

The Hyatt Ten (so-called from their number and the name of the hotel of their meetings) needed to be “Thirteen” to apply the Constitutional provision for a “cabinet coup.” In Article VII, Section 11 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution it says: “Whenever a majority of all the members of the cabinet transmit to the President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the Office as Acting President….”

“A majority of all the members of the cabinet” meant thirteen, not just ten.

But though the Hyatt ten failed in 2005, they “made it back to power” five years later--after Cory’s passage to the Great Beyond enabled her to pass on to her son a surge of popularity in the wake particularly of corruption charges then flying uncontrolled against the Arroyo couple.

With the rumours regarding an impending moral judgment on the PNoy government, people were now also asking what principles guide, say, the Catholic bishops of this country to make or not to make regime-changing types of moral pronouncements. Do they have a “book” to go by? In fact, some theologians replied, they do, and it is called the Church’s Social Doctrine.

Basic Pointers from the Church’s Social Doctrine on Politics.

Many years ago, the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace made a “brief” 600-page “Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church” that touched on the whole gamut of topics relative to integral and solidarity humanism, complete with notes from the Bible and tradition and into the updates from Leo XIII to St. John Paul II, through St. John XXIII and Vatican II.

For instance, what does this book say regarding Jesus’ ”take” on political power? Jesus refused the oppressive and despotic power wielded by the rulers of the nations (cf. Mk 10:42) and ejected their pretension in having themselves called benefactors (cf. Lk 22:25), but he did not oppose political authority as such. In his pronouncement on the paying of taxes to Caesar (cf. Mk 12:13-17; Mt 22:15-22; Lk 20:20-26), he affirmed that we must give to God what is God's, implicitly condemning every attempt at making temporal power divine or absolute. At the same time, temporal power has the right to its due: Jesus did not consider it unjust to pay taxes to Caesar. [See par. 379.]

Christian moral leaders have always considered political authority to have been founded on the social nature of the person. “Since God made human beings social by nature, and since no society can hold together unless someone is over all in charge, directing all to strive earnestly for the common good, every civilized community must have a ruling authority, and this authority, no less than society itself, has its source in nature, and has, consequently, God for its author”. [See par. 393]

Political authority is therefore necessary as an instrument of coordination and direction by means of which the many individuals and intermediate bodies must move towards an order in which relationships, institutions and procedures are put at the service of integral human growth.

Political authority, in fact, “whether in the community as such or in institutions representing the State, must always be exercised within the limits of morality and on behalf of the dynamically conceived common good, according to a juridical order enjoying legal status” [See para 394.]

Moral leaders always prefer a “democratic system inasmuch as it ensures the participation of citizens in making political choices, guarantees to the governed the possibility both of electing and holding accountable those who govern them, and of replacing them through peaceful means when appropriate.” Authentic democracy, however, is “possible only in a State ruled by law.” [See para 406.]

In this regard they uphold “the validity of the principle concerning the division of powers in a State: it is preferable that each power be balanced by other powers and by other spheres of responsibility which keep it within proper bounds. This is the principle of the ‘rule of law', in which the law is sovereign, and not the arbitrary will of individuals”. [See para 408.]

For example, for the Executive to habitually buy out and run roughshod over the legislative and the judicial branches of government is indubitably to be out of bounds and in contempt of the rule of law. No matter how allegedly noble the ends, the means of merely following the tantrums or “arbitrary will of individuals” in the executive branch bodes ill for society as a whole.

The Philippine situation is quite a moral challenge: “hocus PCOS” to start with; the most audacious appropriation of more than a trillion pesos a year with neither authority nor transparency, uncontrite and holier-than-thou; a business community in full support so long as the top guy will just let them be, laissez faire. How about the people, the majority populace who get poorer amid the historic economic growth?

Going to Lipa

At first the rumours were that some 300 geographic and sectoral delegates nationwide were travelling in the direction of Lipa City, Batangas upon the invitation of the Catholic Archbishop of that area to hear and discuss important moral pronouncements on the political order.

It turned out, however, that not 300 but four times more -- some 1,200 such delegates, ncluding more than 50 from Muslim Mindanao -- made it on 27th August to the Archdiocesan gym in the premises of the Archbishop’s residence. With Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles were Cardinal Emeritus Ricardo Vidal of Cebu, Archbishop Emeritus Fernando Capalla of Davao, Zamboanga Archbishop Romulo de la Cruz, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Bernardino Cortes, Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos, Evangelical Bishop Arthur Corpus, Muslim Ulamas and Ustadzes, Datu Benjie Mao Andong, and several other moral leaders.

It was definitely a multi-sectoral gathering with the bigger numbers coming from the peasant and worker sectors and representatives of people’s or community organizations. The civilians formed the broad majority but there were as well prominent retired members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines peacefully chatting with equally retired freedom fighters of not-so-long ago.

As they said in their “Lipa Declaration: An Urgent Call for National Transformation,”
to which they affixed their signatures:

“We are Filipino citizens of different personal, professional, social and economic backgrounds and political persuasions and religious beliefs. We have gathered here in Lipa city on this 27th day of August A.D.2014/2nd day of Dhu Al-qa’da A.H. 1435, under the auspices of the National Transformation Council, to reaffirm our deeply held convictions and beliefs about the common good and our highest national interests, in the face of the most pressing challenges.”

Did they spell out these pressing challenges? Yes, they said: “Unbridled and unpunished corruption and widespread misuse of political and economic power in all layers of society have not only destroyed our common conception of right and wrong, good and bad, just and unjust, legal and illegal, but also put our people, especially the poor at the mercy of those who have the power to dictate the course and conduct of our development for their own selfish ends.”

They had earlier stated:

"A crisis of unprecedented proportions has befallen our nation. The life of the nation is in grave peril from the very political forces that are primarily ordained to protect, promote and advance its well-being, but which are aggressively undermining its moral, religious, social, cultural, constitutional and legal foundations.”

Not mincing words, the signers of the declaration went to the heart of the matter by accusing President Aquino no less:

“Far from preserving and defending the constitution, as he swore to do when he assumed office, the incumbent president Benigno Simeon Aquino III has subverted and violated it by corrupting the congress, intimidating the judiciary, taking over the treasury, manipulating the automated voting system, and perverting the constitutional impeachment process; 

“President Benigno Simeon Aquino III has also damaged the moral fabric of Philippine society by bribing members of congress not only to impeach and remove a sitting supreme court chief justice but also to enact a law which disrespects the right to life of human beings at the earliest and most vulnerable stages of their lives, in defiance not only of the constitution but above all of the law, the customs, culture, and conscience of Filipinos.”

Logically exploding the bombshell, the signatories said:

“Therefore, faithful to the objective moral law and to the universally honored constitutional principle that sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them, we declare that president Benigno Simeon Aquino III has lost the moral right to lead the nation, and has become a danger to the Philippine democratic and republican state and to the
peace, freedom, security and moral and spiritual well-being of the Filipino people.

“We further declare that we have lost all trust and confidence in President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, and we call upon him to immediately relinquish his position.”

Then they talked about the National Transformation Council. What is this? What are its functions? Most certainly there was no talk here of one single personality being groomed to replace the erring President; no talk of politicians and political parties; and yet the subject matter was unquestionably political.

The National Transformation Council is that which must:

“Assume the urgent and necessary task of restoring our damaged political institutions to their original status and form before we begin to consider electing a new government under normal political conditions. The role of the council will not be to succeed President Aquino, but
solely to prevent the total destruction of our political system, and to rebuild and nourish its institutions back to health so that all those interested could join the political competition later, without the dice being loaded in anyone’s favor."

“Like a crew whose task is to put everything in order before a commercial carrier, which had earlier developed some problems in midair, is cleared again for take-off, the council’s duty will be only to repair the battered tripartite system [legislative-executive-judicial] and to
make sure that the people are once again able to freely and intelligently elect their own leaders.”

The signatories therefore declared that the Council should:

“Open broad public consultations on the need either to modify or strengthen the presidential system or to shift from the unitary/presidential system to a federal/parliamentary system--endowing such structure with:

1) A totally independent judicial department, free from any kind of intimidation or bullying by either the executive or the legislative department, and with the sufficient wherewithal to clear the backlog of the courts and fast-track all cases;

2) A merit-driven, professional civil and military service;

3) Totally transparent government budgeting, procurement, disbursement, accounting and auditing systems and procedures; and

4) An irreproachably independent and completely dependable electoral system, free from the virus that has corrupted the automated voting system since 2010.

“Whatever the final form of government the citizenry decide to adopt, absolutely indispensable are the integrity and independence of the courts, and the existence of an incorrupt electoral system by means of which we, the people, are able to freely and intelligently choose our own leaders in free and honest elections. Without these we cannot speak of a normally functioning
democratic and republican government.”

There was no doubt among those present regarding the deceitful and fraudulent character of the 2010 and 2013 elections due to the “hocus-PCOS” electoral cheating machines. A presentation by a CPA-Lawyer of the abundant evidence in this regard refreshed everyone’s memory of so much they had been fighting against the past few years.

Hence, they emphasized that:

“Whatever the final form of government the citizenry decide to adopt, absolutely indispensable are the integrity and independence of the courts, and the existence of an incorrupt electoral system by means of which we, the people, are able to freely and intelligently choose our own leaders in free and honest elections. Without these we cannot speak of a normally functioning democratic and republican government.

“Thus we fully support the council’s position that until we have such a fraud-free electoral system, we should refrain from holding any farcical election. But once we have it, we should encourage the best qualified men and women in the country to participate in the open electoral process so that together we could put an end to the stranglehold exercised by the corrupt and incompetent political dynasties upon our elections.”

Then, of course, the transformation they sought was not merely one-dimensional but total; not merely political but, as well, socio-economic and religious-cultural. They were committed both to working on personal conversion and achieving social transformation:

“With political reform there must go hand in hand comprehensive economic reform. With one strong voice, we must now say a vigorous “no,” as Pope Francis has suggested, to an economics of exclusion and inequality, coming from a misguided vision of the human being and of society harmfully acted upon through myopic laws, policies and programs.”

Clearly, then, the National Transformation Council--a revolutionary council initiated by the moral leaders of this country in response to a moral crisis whose effects if not stanched in time would certainly lead to national destruction--is an effort of a non-violent nature, neither illegal nor unconstitutional in character but creatively restorative of a severely damaged constitutional order abetted by an administration chemically clean of any sincere regard for the rule of law.

It is a time of trouble; it is also a time of great opportunity for genuine reform. The movement for national transformation must be protected, defended, warmly welcomed and fostered.

“As the council prepares to embark upon the necessary reforms, we call upon the armed forces of the Philippines, as the constitutional ‘protector of the people and the state,’ to extend its protective shield to the council, and not to allow itself to be used in any manner to undermine the council’s purely transitional and nonpartisan role, nor to allow any armed group to sow violence, disorder or discord into its peaceful ranks.

“Adopted in Lipa City, this 27th day of August A.D. 2014/2nd day of Dhu Alqa’da
A.H.1435.”

Is this the beginning of the end for an administration that has habitually made short shrift of the Constitution and the rule of law, that gloried in high economic growth for the benefit of a very few at the expense of the very many, that corrupted Congress, intimidated the judiciary, took over the treasury, manipulated the automated voting system, and perverted the Constitutional impeachment process? 

Or will all this merely lead to an iron-fisted response from the state? Unquestionably, however, in the end weeks or months from now the only relevant question is: how did the rest of the populace respond? Would they merely say, “Don’t bother us, we’re okay!” or would they not rather ask their moral leaders, “What can we do together?”

Only 3 in 10 Pinoys think Aquino adhered to 'Tuwid na Daan' - survey

By Louis Bacani, Philstar, October 13, 2014

President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers a message at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 in Pasay City on October 10 following his arrival from Bali, Indonesia where he attended the 7th Bali Democracy Forum. Robert Vinas/Malacañang Photo Bureau

MANILA, Philippines - Only 29 percent of Filipinos believe that President Benigno Aquino III fulfilled his promise to follow his policy of "Tuwid na Daan" (straight path), a new Pulse Asia survey revealed on Monday.

According to the latest poll, 36 percent of Filipinos also think that Aquino failed to adhere to his good governance slogan while 34 percent express indecision on the issue.

Pulse Asia said essentially the same distribution of public opinion was observed in Metro Manila (30 percent agree, 33 percent undecided, and 36 percent disagree), Class D (28 percent agree, 35 percent undecided, and 36 percent disagree) and Class E (29  percent agree, 37 percent undecided, and 32 percent disagree).

Big pluralities in the rest of Luzon and Class ABC (45 percent and 43 percent, respectively) are inclined to think that Aquino has failed to adhere to his "Tuwid na Daan" policy.

For residents of the Visayas, the plurality sentiment is mixed (43 percent). In Mindanao, a big plurality of residents (43 percent) say Aquino has fulfilled his promise to follow a straight path as the country's leader.

The survey was conducted from September 8 to 15 when one of the issues that dominated the news were the resignation calls for Philippine National Police Director General Alan Purisima amid the increasing number of crimes involving policemen.

It was also during this period when Aquino expressed his trust in the beleaguered PNP chief.

The poll was also held when Aquino visited Europe and the United States, where he bannered the country's achievements in transparency and accountability under his watch.

Among these achievements were the arrest of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the impeachment of former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Aquino believes that "good governance is making waves across the archipelago."

"In short, we made it clear. Under our administration, one's position, wealth and influence do not enter into the equation. Justice and the rule of law will be upheld," the President said in a speech at the Egmont Institute in Brussels, Belgium last month.

Monsod to Aquino: You're not Superman

PNoy told: You're not Superman

By Kathlyn dela Cruz, ABS-CBNnews.com

'Trust your bosses to pick your successor'

MANILA - A member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission which drafted the 1987 Constitution criticized President Benigno Aquino III for seemingly thinking that he is the only one who can continue to institute reforms in the country.

"We need systemic change. That's more than the capability of one person even if he's a Superman. And he's (Aquino) not a Superman," Atty. Christian Monsod said in an interview with "Mornings@ANC" on Friday.

Christian Monsod, 1986 Constitutional Commission member

Monsod's statement came after Aquino said he was considering constitutional changes, including the adjustment of term limits for officials which may allow him to serve a second six-year term.

He said it is upsetting that Aquino did not sound like his mother, the late former President Cory Aquino, when he issued that statement.

The 1987 Constitution, which limits the President to a single term of six years to prevent a repeat of the Marcos dictatorship, was passed during the term of Cory Aquino.

"The President didn't sound like Cory. He sounded like [former President Ferdinand] Marcos in 1972 on questions of political issues beyond the scope of the Supreme Court... Then he sounded like [former President Fidel] Ramos in 1997 that he is the only one that can continue the reforms," Monsod said.

He said Aquino should trust his "bosses" -- the Filipino people -- that they will choose a leader who can continue his reforms after he steps down from office in 2016.

He stressed that extending Aquino's term is not in line with his "tuwid na daan" governance.

"The problem is the President seems to think he's the only one who can continue reforms. What we need is systemic change, radical, social change that cannot be done by one person alone. He should trust his bosses that they will choose someone who can continue the reforms."

'PNOY IS ILL-ADVISED'

According to Monsod, Aquino, in his last two years as President, should instead focus on implementing social reforms to sustain inclusive growth.

"He has good accomplishments pero to me kakulangan ni PNoy is social reforms."

"We're the only country with the lowest growth in this part of the world. Tayo na lang ang natitira with mass poverty. Tayo ang second highest in inequality. Ang dami nating problema. The solution there is social reform," he said.

He said he believes the President is "ill-advised." He also said he is disappointed with the administration's Liberal Party (LP) for announcing that Aquino is their top bet in the 2016 presidential elections in case the single-term limit is lifted.

"But what do you expect of politicians?" Monsod said.

'TERM EXTENSION WILL WORSEN PORK ISSUES'

While six years may be too short for a good President, Monsod pointed out that six years is too long for a bad one.

Therefore, extending this limit will only worsen the problems the country is facing, one of which is the pork barrel controversy.

He explained that if the President is allowed reelection, there will be strong temptation for him to use his discretionary funds to ensure his victory in the polls.

"It is sad. I don't know kung naiintindihan ng mga tao na pag ginawa yung gusto niya na alisin yung term limits and bawasan power ng judicial review of the Supreme Court, double barrel yan. That will worsen the pork barrel problems," he said.

"If the President is allowed reelection, it's an incentive for him, a very strong temptation to use his discretionary funds to assure his reelection. At the same time, babawasan niya yung judicial review powers of the Supreme Court, anong mangyayari? Then he will have his way in misusing people's money," he added.

Monsod said the high court's ruling declaring several acts and practices under the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) as unconstitutional should not be used by Aquino as an excuse to clip the judiciary's powers.

He said disagreements between the three branches of government are natural and part of the system of check and balance. The President should learn to live with it, he said.

"That is part of the vitality of democracy. There are disagreements, but it is proof of the vitality of democracy... We solve it, our political leaders solve it with introspection and maturity," Monsod said. ABS-CBNNews

'We're the only country with the lowest growth in this part of the world. Tayo na lang ang natitira with mass poverty.'