By Alfredo C. Garvida, Jr.
This writer expresses its deepest condolences to the family of the late Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago who passed away last Sept. 29, 2016. She was a bigger than life political leader of extraordinary intellect: known for her biting and fearless rhetoric, sense of humor, awe-striking command of the dictionary, transcending performances in public service, be it in the judiciary or the legislature, legal prowess and deep-seated understanding of her nation's socio-political truths. We will surely miss her presence in the social and political arenas, especially on occasions such as where we are in these days.
Definitely, the fierce and fearless talking intellectual Miriam would not waste a second before injecting her strong views on what is transpiring in our political field now, were she in good health, and perhaps her intercession's impact could steer certain people in government to be not so radical and out of line in their style of governance.
Surely, Miriam would not want to dare western investors to take their businesses out of the country, "if they so desire," and treat them as trade mendicants with childish rhetoric such as " China and Russia are on deck waiting to take your places." Surely, the legal luminary Miriam would not agree with the Philippines' latest stand that the Philippines will no longer join the United States in future military exercises if the Mutual Defense Treaty between the two countries calls for such joint military exercises held at certain scheduled time. Surely, the Christianity-redeemed Miriam would oppose the president and his minions' intent to show in public an alleged sex video tape of Sen. Leila De Lima with her purported driver-lover given its lurid impact on the youth and our women, and more importantly its unlawfulness and non-relevance to the "aid in legislation only" mandate of Congress to conduct investigations.
This writer has called for Ms. De Lima's resignation on account of her adulterous past, and we stand by this call, but for House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and House Committee On Justice chairman Umali and other Duterte-blinkers-wearing politicians, the likes of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Alvarez—who was once fiercely castigated by the late Senator Santiago during the Corona trial in the senate for displaying a scornful act of disrespect to the senate—to threaten to show in public that alleged sex video tape of Ms. De Lima, "in aid of legislation" is just extremely way out of line. This congressional hearing's mandate is merely to determine how government officials got involved in illegal drug activities as well as how lax the national penitentiary has been in managing the incarceration of criminals so that congress, in the end, could form a hypothesis and address it accordingly. These jokers it seems are out to prosecute and persecute Ms. De Lima, not to determine facts and scenarios, be they real or imagined, so that they could correct whatever faulty parts they could find via the treadmill of legislation. Messrs. Alvarez, Aguirre and Umali are united in saying that they want to prove to the public that Ms. De Lima indeed had an adulterous relationship with her driver-lover, which merely unmasked the depth of these jokers' intellect, if we may—because you don't need the public's prior judgment on a matter that is not germane to the issue before you legislate the corresponding measure to this issue.
These out-of-line directions of our government dearly miss the presence of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago in the political spectrum. President Duterte is drastically redefining our foreign policy, as he has now drastically redefined our traditional process of democratic governance. His provocative, profanity-ridden words against the United States, the United Nations and the European Union have put this country into a spinning trance, uncertain of its fate—the future of its children—shrouded by the specter of a communist-allied regime coming its way. We are living in the fast lane on account of our president's foreign policy directions, and imprudent utterances.
Just two days ago, on the very day of the late former Israel Prime Minister Shimon Peres' burial that was attended by world dignitaries, led by U.S. President Obama, which epitomizes the global esteem on this former leader of the Jewish State, President Duterte made an insensitive, uncalled for public pronouncement that he wanted to be called the Hitler of the Philippines. Adolf Hitler, as the world knows, is the most despicable creation of God on planet earth for having waged an unpardonable genocidal campaign against Jews. He put 6 million innocent, defenseless Jews to the gas chamber all because of his personal hatred to this race and Duterte wanted people to regard him as the modern Hitler because he intends likewise to put, according to his count, the remaining 3 million drug-using Filipinos to death.