We never got to see our Lolo Cosme, for he passed away when my father was in high school. But of Salud and Cosme’s grandchildren, I and my two sisters were fortunate enough to have spent more time with Lola Salud than our cousins. We lived in her large house until I was eight. My parents’ house is built on an adjacent lot and a connecting gate allowed Lola Salud to check on us every day. We went to church every Good Friday with Lola Salud. It was the only day she went to church and she would wear her best clothes and jewelry to listen to the Seven Last Words of Christ. Since Lola Salud was too frugal to hire a driver, we would take turns driving her around during school breaks, listening to her favorite CDs– Are You Lonesome Tonight, Only You and Love Letters In The Sand were on heavy rotation.

It’s difficult to write a short piece about a loved one of whom you have so many fond memories and whose numerous admirable traits you can give so many examples of. I am not at all certain how to begin and where to end.

As a young child, I used to sleep in Lola Salud’s bed rather than with my siblings. Lola Salud had a sweet tooth and she always kept a jar of candy by her bedside table. We would listen to the drama program on the AM radio for a while. After that, she would turn off the lights and gently stroke my hair while she, in her soft voice, taught me Visayan songs like Kamingaw Sa Payag and Usahay, and regalled me with war stories that never ceased to stoke the fires of my imagination. But these war stories, as plentiful and as exciting they may be, shall have to be recounted in another blog. Instead, I shall write of the story of how my Lola Salud and Lolo Cosme met and fell in love.

They met in Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. Salud Almendras Ralota was a Pre-Med student, while Cosme Leopoldo Cagas was a member of the faculty (although he was not her teacher). While Salud was doing her experiments in the Chemistry lab, Cosme suddenly sneaked up to her and kissed her without prelude. This was in the early 1930s, and Salud, who was forbidden by her mother to have a boyfriend, broke into tears. Evidently, the weeping was not due to any lack of kissing skill on Cosme’s part, however, for soon, Salud and Cosme became an item. When Salud’s mother, Matea, got wind of her eldest child’s budding love affair, she ordered Salud to cut off any ties with Cosme and go to live with her in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur post-haste.

Despite the distance, Salud and Cosme continued their courtship by mail. Cosme was eloquent in his flowery prose and Salud’s unexperienced and vulnerable heart did not withstand the steady assault upon it by Cosme’s romantic correspondence. Salud was pining for a male protector who could replace the void left by her deceased father that her stepfather failed to fill. She also did not feel at home in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur at the time, having grown up in Danao, Cebu where her mother left her with their relatives. Salud often complained that her mother had found a new family to take care of and that her stepbrothers and stepsisters used to intercept some of Cosme’s love letters and deliver them to Matea instead of her. After a while, Cosme arrived in Santa Cruz to formally ask for Salud’s hand in marriage. He vowed to cherish no other love than Salud’s until the end of his life.

Cosme brought Salud to Dagatan (now San Vicente Alto), Oroquieta City in Misamis Occidental, his hometown, where he introduced her to his  brother, Jacinto, who was a law student at the time. The brothers were flamboyant of character and attracted females with innate ease. Unfortunately for Salud, Cosme had no compunction about returning the favor to the fawning women. To keep her occupied, Cosme encouraged Salud to pursue her college studies  at the Misamis Junior College where she obtained her teacher’s degree.

Nonetheless, Salud and Cosme’s union had its moments of bliss as they were blessed with five boys: Cosmelito, Ruben, Gary, Douglas and Riorito. The couple was also fortunate in their business and farming endeavors. However,  Salud’s wish to have a baby girl was thwarted when her daughter Guadalupe was born too prematurely after a storm rocked the barge Salud was taking on her way home from Cebu to procure dry goods for her store. Hence, my father, who is the youngest in the brood, is named after a female actress and his nickname is Inday.

After the war, the couple busied themselves in the rebuilding effort. Aside from managing their farmlands in the Misamis and Zamboanga areas, Salud and Cosme engaged in separate business endeavors. Salud had her dry goods store in the nearby town of  Jimenez,  while Cosme had his lumberyard in the neighboring town of Tudela. At the same time, Cosme acted as Headmaster of Northwestern Mindanao Academy in Tudela, a secondary school that they also owned. Since the children went to school in Northwestern, only Salud was left in Oroquieta during the weekdays, as the condition of the roads at the time made it impractical for Cosme and the boys to go home daily. Apart from Cosme’s wandering eye, the time apart probably contributed to the deterioration of Salud and Cosme’s marriage. It became clear to Salud that Cosme had forgotten the vows that he made in courtship.

When Cosme suddenly died of a hypertensive stroke in 1959, Salud was not alone in grieving for her man. Salud felt bleakly lonely, but she had five boys to raise. Summoning up her silent courage and indomitable spirit, Salud relocated to Davao del Sur in 1961 to tend to her inheritance from Matea and start a new life.

Lola Salud went on to live for 48 more years after the death of Lolo Cosme. She was a beloved mother who, singlehandedly for the most part, raised five boys into men of substance.

Tucked inside Lola Salud’s passport found in her dresser upon her death, was a love letter from Lolo Cosme. The letter was written in the neat cursive of Lolo Cosme:

Alone 10:00 P.M.

January 9, 1934

Dearest Salud,

Alone, amidst the tranquility of the night when everyone is in sweet dream; alone to disturb the peacefulness of the hour only to breathe the cold breezes; and alone to solemnly meditate how true your words to me—but oh! how in a sudden, I am filled with dismay and disappointment that curtail the candle light of my happiness and dig hole to my lonely grave… at last in the course of time your promise to marry me after three years warms my earnest-dying heart. What a joy to have the key to enter the alluring gateway–! Yes, it is through this fervor that animates my very being so that in this momentous hour I stroll on these pages inscribing in full my sincerest and ever-living testimony and promises upon which I shall, will and should stand, maintain, walk on and live with now and forever. In case, I ever fail to follow all of these, then give no mercy on me, curse me and forsake me for then I will never be worthy of your love and to marry you. And then I will never regret to suffer the cruelties and misfortunes of life. I should not blame you then but I alone to bear.

With deepest sincerity and sacredness, I solemnly promise to you in testimony of my love: that I love you and will always love even to the end of my life. Since, now and then I will not and never will cherish other love than yours—Your heart is the very precious jewel to me more than all other riches in the world.

I promise that I will aspire, as has always been my constant prayer, for a better place wherein I can assure you of comfort and happiness. I should never fail to strive further for your sake and contentment.

I promise that from now and no more than three years after I will take you from the hands of your parents to be my loving wife, pinanga ug pinorong porongan sa akong gugma, linumsan sa akong pagbale ug parayeg. Isaad ko nga ikaw akong lipayon aron nga ikao dili magbasol nga nahimo ikao’ng asawa. Ayaw huna-huna-a nga ikao dili unya kanako malipay. Tongod sa dako kong gugma kanimo, it is my guide to a better place. Better place, yes, it is this that I will prepare for you.

I promise that I will be faithful to my words. I should mean what I say. I should never bold to attempt to take you from other hands if I ever mean to play poker with you. I have a heart who always cherishes your name and is always proud of you. Yes, there are those who are playing on love, but please, in due respect of my sincerity, mention me as not among them. I adorn and worship you with love greatly different from others. The purity of affection seeketh for your only happiness and comfort. If I could realize this then and only then the world will be mine.

Now that you have hinted me to a better course, I am always glad to take it, of course, with you as my only inspiration. I will take it for your sake, for after this, I shall be worthy to marry you and please you. Believe me, that I will take engineering with an ultimate aim that is for your happiness and contentment…

My husband, a veritable news buff, was scanning the dailies on the internet this morning, when he let out a loud whoop and yelled at me to come pronto. I was running late and wasn’t inclined to stop just to read some web article, but he insisted that it could not wait. It turned out that he had come across the full text of an Order issued by Manila RTC Judge Jorge Emmanuel Lorredo in the controversial perjury case filed by Mike Defensor against Jun Lozada.

The first sentence is innocuous enough. But as the lengthy Order went on, I became more and more dubious about the judge’s state of mind.

In his Order, the judge: a) cites “news reports” of Senators’ intentions; b) manifests partiality for the Catholic priests and nuns; c) encourages the amicable settlement of a criminal case (there is no mention that only the civil aspect will be settled); d) makes extraneous statements about Defensor’s political career and dire predictions about his and his family’s health; e) renders several opinions about many other external characters’ healths and lives as well, as if he was scriptwriting a telenovela; f) projects a bias towards Lozada solely by reason of his being protected by priests and nuns and other people; g) anticipates motions and makes predictive rulings on such conjured motions without qualification as to the grounds therefor;  h) resorts to name-calling, e.g., “Mr. Railroadman”;  i) invokes the blockbuster possibility of calling Mayor Fred Lim and Senator Ping Lacson and (gasp!) “Sen. Trillanes and his comrades” to battle against the PSG; and then,  j) ends his Order by praying that he “may be elevated from a Judge to a Justice” in order to please his parents.

Whatever this judge’s motives are – he may simply wish to be forced to inhibit or he may look to claim his fifteen minutes of infamy– I’m wanting to swoon. While some of the personalities that he mentioned may be highly unpopular, still, the Order is shameful, dimwitted and malicious. At the very least, this judge’s ultimate prayer should be DENIED WITH FINALITY.

Read it to believe. Here is the full text of the Order as reprinted in Ellen Tordesillas’ column in Malaya:

“Accused having been arrested, his arraignment is set to May 7, 2009 at 8:30 in the morning.

In view of the pendency of a motion filed by a priest and a nun involving the custody of accused, and in view of news reports that the Senators would also be filing a motion praying for the custody of accused in the Senate, the resolution of the request for commitment order filed by the police is held in abeyance. All these request/motions shall be heard by this Court on Friday, May 8, 2009, at 8:30 a.m.

Catholic priests and nuns as well as the members/leaders of other religious groups are welcome on said date to participate in the court’s morning prayer before the start of court session. The Supreme Court encourages judges to start court sessions with a prayer.

As I have said during the hearing of accused’s motion for release on recognizance which, by the way, I promptly denied, Mike Defensor should have been there so that I could help him and accused settle their differences. After all, the Supreme Court encourages trial judges to help parties arrive at an amicable settlement.

My words designed to penetrate Defensor’s mind and heart will be many. If I say it orally on May 7, 2009, it will consume too much time to the detriment of the other parties whose cases are also set for said date.

Hence, I have decided to include those words in this order for Defensor to ponder on. I hope that Defensor would be able to clearly so that on May 7, 2009 (accused’s arraignment), there could already be peace between him and Lozada.

Why is it safer for Defensor to settle the case?

Defensor has admitted on TV that this perjury case he is pursuing against Lozada is very bad for his political career. I fully agree with him.

Furthermore, I say that it may be very bad for his health and his family as well. If he gets sick like Mike Arroyo, would not that be bad for him and his family?

The presidents that I have known are only Presidents Marcos, Aquino, Ramos, Estrada and Arroyo.

My observation is that of all the presidential spouses, Atty. Mike Arroyo is the one who is very sickly. He has a serious heart disease. He even tries to make us believe that he is in no condition to attend Senate probes.

Imelda was strong during Marcos’ incumbency. Aquino, of course, was a widow during her term. Ming was so healthy and strong during Fidel’s time; and even after Fidel’s term, she was even the president of the Philippine Badminton Association. Dra. Loi was also very strong during Erap’s rather abruptly ended service.

There are those who say that the serious heart disease is some kind of punishment for Atty. Mike Arroyo. I do not know if this is true, for I do not really know how our Lord works, for He does work in mysterious ways. But what I do know is that Lozada is being protected by the Church, by the priests and nuns. That must mean something. Defensor, take note: that must mean something.

I invite Defensor to look closely at the faces of the priests and nuns protecting Lozada; at the faces of the other people openly voicing their support for Lozada. They are guarding Lozada so closely for they feel that what he says is the truth and they fear that the Arroyo administration might harm him because of his expose. That is why his custody during this trial in my court is such a big issue for those who support him.

Now, why are all these so important for Defensor to ponder on? “Simple: if it is true that Mike Arroyo is being punished, Defensor may also be punished with some serious disease. I am sure his loved ones do not want that to happen to him.

But has Defensor not already been punished in some ways? He lost in the last senatorial race because he was perceived to be protecting the first couple during the NBN ZTE deal hearings; because he was perceived to be trying his best to make Lozada stop talking. He used to be presidential chief of staff, now he just has old, dilapidated, rusty trains to play with. At least some of the trains still run. Is Defensor suffering from some kind of political suicidal tendency that he is seeing to it that he will forever be hated by the people and not win in any election at all?

Defensor, on May 7, 2009, when I arraign your enemy, Lozada, you shall have the unique opportunity for cleansing, for healing, for regaining public sympathy. The Court suggests that you do what is right for your sake, for your kids’ sake, for your wife’s sake. I have not talked to Mrs. Defensor, but as an experienced trial judge who deals with human emotions and passions everyday in my courtroom, I am sure that Mrs. Defensor wants peace and good health for you.

Why this case is not to the best interest of the First Couple

Since Defensor is not a trial lawyer, he apparently has not seen the very explosive potential of this case: the First Couple (Gloria and Mike Arroyo) may validly and legally be dragged into the proceedings by Lozada’s defense team. All that the defense team has to do is invoke certain provisions of the Rules of Court. As a fair and impartial judge, I shall have no reason not to grant such request.

It is true that evil, cruel and vindictive regimes can use the law to make their enemies suffer, but it is that very same set of laws that can enable the oppressed (to) fight back. Such is the beauty of the law: that is why many have fallen in love with the law and have become lawyers or judges. As a child, I have dreamed of one day becoming a judge, to apply the law not to destroy lives, but to make lives better. Now, I am in that position, with the help of God. I dispense justice everyday with the aid and guidance I always seek from our Lord.

When this case goes to trial, I will of course allow the prosecution every opportunity to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

When it is the turn of the defense to present evidence, I will also allow the defense every opportunity to raise reasonable doubt or to destroy each and every element of the felony of perjury.

And if there is a motion to present President Gloria or First Gentleman Mike Arroyo as hostile witnesses in order for accused Lozada to establish, I will not hesitate to issue the corresponding subpoena compelling the First Couple to testify as hostile witness for the defense.

If Gloria and Mike refuse to obey the subpoena, I will not hesitate to issue the warrants of arrest against them because it is the constitutional right of Lozada to have the best possible defense. And it is my duty as trial judge to see to it that there is due process in my court.

If the police officers refuse to serve the arrest warrants because Gloria is their boss, then I will be forced to deputize other public officers to serve and implement the arrest warrants.

I need not search hard nor should I wait long, for Manila Mayor Lim and the many senators who wish to take Lozada into their custody may move that they be deputized. Some of these people are lawyers, some of them have extensive police experience, like Mayor Fred Lim and Senator Ping Lacson. They can arrest, handcuff and put behind bars any fugitive.

They are no match against the PSG, the Presidential Security Group? What if Sen. Trillanes and his comrades join the mission to arrest? Get the picture, Mr. Railroadman Defensor?

Defensor, just imagine how powerful a message that would (be) for our people and for the whole world. And just imagine how that would affect the first couple.

I now suggest to Mike Defensor not to think only of himself in his perjury case. The welfare of the First Couple is also involved, as discussed above.

I invite everyone who may come across this order to pray for both Defensor and Lozada, so there may be peace between them.

Please pray also for me, so that I may always be a good, humble, God-fearing and very wise Judge to those who seek justice in my courtroom; and so that I may be elevated from a Judge to a Justice (even though I do not have any political backers) for that would surely make my late father, Jorge Lorredo Jr. (who is now with Jesus in heaven watching me with a smile on his face) and my mother, Mary Lorredo, very proud of their only child.

So ordered.”

My kids are so over their High School Musical DVDs.

For two months now, their musical of choice has been Mamma Mia! which stars  Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and the lovely Amanda Seyfried, who plays  Sophie. Most of the time,  though, they doze off  sometime after Super Trouper. It’s little wonder then, that they are partial to songs that are sung by Sophie, who appears early on in the movie. Chelsea likes the opening song, I Have A Dream, while Wade digs Honey Honey. The ABBA songs are so catchy that I’ve been frequently caught humming them of late. As for me, the men’s Our Last Summer never fails to strike a poignant chord.

Below are the lyrics to Chelsea’s favorite song:

I have a dream
A song to sing
To help me cope
With anything
If you see the wonder
Of a fairy tale
You can take the future
Even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I’ll cross the stream
I have a dream

I have a dream
A fantasy
To help me through
Reality
And my destination
Makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness
Still another mile
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I’ll cross the stream
I have a dream.

Almost nine months after Ex Animo was launched, we hit 5,005.

A year ago today, Hillary was still favored by political pundits to win the U.S. Democratic nomination over Barack Obama. Roger Federer’s topseed status was a given at the Grand Slams (save for the French Open). David Archuleta was still Simon Cowell’s choice for American Idol over dark horse David Cook. Brangelina only had four children back then. Mike Arroyo and kids were yet hatching their plot to oust House Speaker Jose de Venecia and the ZTE scandal was fresh.

Fast forward to current time,  Obama has been inaugurated U.S. President. Rafael Nadal has snatched the No. 1 ranking from Federer, along with the coveted Wimbledon cup. David Cook, the 2008 American Idol, will be replaced soon. With the entry of Kara DioGuardi, there are now four American Idol judges who will rub it in the faces of those who are not going to Hollywood. The Jolie-Pitt family has since expanded to six, with the birth of the twins. Oh yes, the First Family is still plotting on how to perpetuate their power.  But newer scandals–stifling in number and gravity–like those involving contractors of World Bank-funded projects as well as the Department of Justice drug-bribery case, have blotted out ZTE from the fickle memory of the Filipino populace.

It didn’t take a year for Ex Animo to have 5,005 hits, though. Thanks to my loyal subscriber base of–what–ten? 

I wonder if GMA will still be President by the time Ex Animo has 10,000 hits.

I certainly hope not.

My friend Cheche M posted a note entitled “The 25″. It is a list of 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about herself that she wanted to share with her friends. In turn, the friends whom she tagged were supposed to write their own list of 25 and pass it on to 25 more friends.

This is my 25.

1. I’m very idealistic. I work hard to keep myself that way.
2. Sarcasm/dry wit is my kind of humor.
3. I’m not religious but I believe.
4. Heat is my nemesis; migraine, my downfall.
5. I used to have a list of Top 10 men.  The list has since grown to rival Billboard. There are just too many good men.
6. Perfumes fascinate me.  I like the packaging, the bottles, the colors and how they can either change my mood… or give me a headache.
7. I have always loved clothes and shoes. ALWAYS.
8. Vice-less people are weird. You gotta have at least one to be human. I’m sooo human!
9. I constantly worry about spoiling my kids.
10. I outgrew chocolate many years ago.
11. I’d rather be deaf and dumb than go blind.
12. I have a healthy disrespect for authority.
13. The more stressed-out I am, the more mushy novels I read.
14. I abhor pretense. Even in the guise of being nice. I’d rather not hear anything than listen to bull–.
15. Late night CinemaOne has made me a fan of Piolo and John Lloyd.
16. I studied Spanish, French and Italian, but I’m conversant in none.
17. I don’t keep white or brown sugar at home.
18. I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.  And I don’t mean the song.
19. I rarely sleep before midnight.
20. My mom used to cut my bangs in Grade School.
21. I throw up in my mouth whenever I hear people praise themselves. Especially when I know that the truth does not coincide with their version of reality.
22. I was not born with the cook gene. For good food, we still rely on our  super Manang/Ninang Ruth.
23. I excel at both slacking and multitasking. Go figure.
24. I’m proud of my scars  for they reveal my strength and my history. There’s nothing to hide.
25. My biggest dream is to become a rockstar.

As I watched CNN’s coverage of Obama’s inauguration, I couldn’t help but note the seeming lack of patriotism of Filipinos as compared to the Americans who wept and were enthralled by their new president. Then again, it may be that Filipinos have lost hope in our political leaders’ ability to transcend their personal interests for the good of the country. I can only pray that the Filipinos have not lost hope for our nation as well.

I have not yet lost faith in the Filipino. But in the face of clear and convincing evidence of the comparative maturity–I hesitate to use the word “superiority”, although I am inclined to do so–of other countries’ peoples and institutions,  there are times that I have wavered.

Below is the full text of President Barack Hussein Obama’s inaugural address:

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

“Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

To Beloved “Anonymous” Texters Whose Spinelessness Never Ceases To Amaze:

“The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to.” – Thomas Jefferson

Tyrants from all over the world cry: “Let us uphold the rule of law! Down with the rule of the mob!” Marcos and his lawyers and generals used the lore of “the rule of law” to perpetuate their power, lest we forget. The rule of law has been so misused of late–so much so that its status has been relegated to that of a cliche of the most notorious kind.

When the law has failed its purpose or has been twisted by conniving lawyers for the benefit of a few, is there still a “rule of law”? Lawyers and judges do not have the monopoly of defining and invoking the “rule of law”. Laws exist because people consent to be governed by the law. The law is not meant to be a tool to repress. When the people uprise to protest the misapplication of the law, their consent to be governed by such misapplied law is deemed revoked.

Who then is the “mob”? When the people clamor to speak out, are they the “mob”? Are the voices of lawyers louder and saner than the common masa… Or as detractors would call them, “the mob”? If so, we ought to listen to the mob rather than belittle their collective voice, for unlike lawyers, they do not have professional fees to collect at the end of the day.

We can differ and disagree. But let us allow each other to differ and disagree without resorting to devious innuendoes.

Be brave, be candid, take a personal stand. Name names. Fight injustice if you feel like it.

But stop being a coward and stop hiding under the blanket of “the rule of law”. We are all citizens– armed with the freedom of speech and the right to peaceable assembly, gifted by God with the wisdom to know the limits of black-letter law and its potentials for misapplication.

What, no new posts? My blog is at a standstill. Right. I have plenty of things to write about, just not much time to do the writing. My days and nights are full.

But, I highly recommend The Professional Heckler, which never fails to amuse me.

In the meantime, ciao!

I have never lied to any judge. I have never attempted to bribe anyone. And I always–ALWAYS–counsel clients to desist from doing acts that tend to subvert the integrity of our courts–and by extension, the legal profession.

This is why I am extremely disappointed that the Supreme Court merely meted a brief suspension penalty against Justice Jose Sabio. After all, what is two months? Some overworked judges may even be grateful to be allowed a short sabbatical which can be spent drinking piñacoladas aboard a cruise ship.

There was no real difference in the level of impropriety between the acts of Justice Vicente Roxas and Justice Sabio. Both exhibited extraordinary interest in being the ponente for the Meralco/GSIS case. Being only Court of Appeals justices, none of their ponencias were posed to become important jurisprudence that would form part of the law of the land. Normally, lesser mortals have to agonize for several months before their cases (or pending incidents) could be resolved due to the “heavy caseload” of Court of Appeals justices. Yet, here we have two justices belonging to different divisions squabbling over who gets to write the ponencia for the Meralco/GSIS case as if their careers depended on it.

Justice Roxas fabricated a transcript of deliberations that did not take place, so his dismissal was rightfully called for. But Justice Sabio was let off lightly, and unjustly so. He entertained his crony, Francis de Borja, and his brother Camilo Sabio, who both tried to influence him on the Meralco/GSIS case. One communicated to him the promise of monetary consideration, while the other dangled the possibility of promotion to the Supreme Court. Justice Sabio could have refused to talk about the case. He could have denied being the ponente. Howsoever he evaded the intimations made by his friend and his brother is fine, so long as he didn’t talk about the case outside the court and lay himself open to temptation and challenges to his integrity.

Unfortunately, Justice Sabio must have felt beholden to De Borja since he did receive P300,000.00 from the latter many years ago when he was still a trial court judge. In consultancy fees, they say. But wait… Is it proper for a trial court judge to: a) engage in consultancy work; b) for a fee; c) without written authority from the Supreme Court; d) within his territorial area; e) in a matter over which he may exercise jurisdiction should the deal fall through and litigation ensue?

That Justice Sabio is a professor in Legal Ethics should even be considered an aggravating circumstance, as his education should have better forewarned and guided him in his actions. In the final analysis, whether the amount involved in the bribery case was P10Million or P50Million doesn’t matter. What matters is the fact that justices live in a glass house. In wielding the power to deprive any citizen of his life, liberty and property, the members of the judiciary should be acutely and constantly aware that they too, are subject to the same possibility of deprivation for cause. If nothing else, this heightened awareness ought to make them doubly wary of the smallest decisions they make.

In his media interviews, Justice Roxas has not manifested any intention to appeal his dismissal. Maybe he has recognized his fault. But justice has not been fully served since J. Sabio will be back in two months’ time. I wonder: which lessons will the members of the judiciary learn from this episode? I hope that it will be that they stand to suffer the dire fate of Justice Roxas in the event of misconduct. What is frightening is that they may instead remember Justice Sabio’s precedent, i.e., that if you get caught, you get to take a break from your caseload for two months and come back refreshed, ready to resume teaching legal ethics to impressionable law students who will be the next leaders of our nation.

Mildred, who’s now in Boston, found this hilarious video on youtube:

In 1999, I too, took the Bar exams.

The night before that first Sunday, I barely slept. My roomie, Charmaine, and I had agreed to wake up at 4:30 a.m. so we’d have time to scan the “hot tips” slid under our hotel door by the BarOps volunteers. Although we went to bed early, I could hardly contain my anxiety. I kept thinking, this is it. My fate was sealed. Four years of law school condensed into four months of self-review. I wanted to panic and rant, but I didn’t want to disturb my roommate. There was nothing I could do but pray for the solace of slumber to banish my despair. Tick… tick… tick…

I must have slept through Political and International Law, because it zapped by in a blur. I remember that I had to leave one or two questions blank and was unable to finish the exam, since it was quite long. Luckily, I found my second wind after resting a bit. Things got easier for me as soon as I hurdled the first subject. Well, except for Taxation, which got my boyfriend quite worried when he saw me walking out of De La Salle at 3:30 p.m. during the third Sunday. I had finished early and felt that I had nothing else to write on the test booklet. Marc thought I just gave up and walked out of the exam. O ye of little faith…

But then, the Bar exams was nothing compared to Malcolm. 

Four years earlier, I had been a One-L. Everything Scott Turow described in his book, applied to me. Being a law school freshman meant that I had the toughest professors who seemed derisive of anything I said; a full day’s class schedule, which limited study hours to the evening and curtailed weeknight activities; and some feet-high of U.S. and Philippine cases to chew through. Recitation was conducted daily in all of the subjects, so theoretically, one ought to be prepared at any given time. Coming from AS, I was used to U.P.’s four-day school week, where diligence was optional. College was 80% fun and 20% studying; freshman year at Malcolm was the reverse.

In aid of my sanity,  I kept a scribble diary, where I jotted down random thoughts in between cases and hornbooks. My psyche must have been all twisted and dark then, because this is the happiest prose I could find:

III.

Basking in liquid light

surrounded by precarious glory

but not stopping

no longer desiring

no time

for lilies and roses

for blissful blankets of thought

for me

the arched portals of the institution

thief of innocence

philanthropist of naivete

prime executioner of youth

merchant of leaders

vendor of power

jailer of the weak

i submit myself.

Freshman year at Malcolm was when we really started studying for the Bar exams. We were told to ingest and digest our law, so that we could spill our guts four years later. In retrospect, our professors were right.

The madness at Malcolm did not kill me. It only made me stronger.

Onli in da Pilipins? NOT!

Filipinos are not the only ones who are cuckoo about celebrities endorsing presidentiables. The web is full of political ads for both Republican and Democratic U.S. Presidential candidates. While some commercials bear semblance to fact, some have crossed over to the realm of absurdity. Political ads are not about real and meaningful issues at all. Rather, they are about whose spindoctors can produce tv and web-friendly soundbytes.

Barack Obama seems to be ahead of John McCain in the number of celebrity endorsers. But what happens when McCain tries to be cool? Check out his politic-ad:

The Hiltons immediately expressed outrage at McCain’s ad. But then, there’s no one better than Paris at maximizing her fullest potentials. Highbrows may frown at her antics, but she should be credited with knowing how to take advantage of her celebrity status like no other. If nothing else, self-marketing is her No. 1 talent. Remember the sex video that launched her career? It certainly didn’t hurt A Simple Life, which went on for five seasons despite its utter pointlessness.

Paris’ response ad below shows us why Paris is hot and McCain is, well, a guy “from the olden days”.

Born in the summer of wartorn 1902 in Argao, Cebu, Anastacia Fortuna was destined to travel far from her birthplace. Anastacia was tall, slender, and fair-skinned. She had Castillian cheekbones and gray eyes that seemed to knowingly pierce through a person’s intentions.

As was then customary, Anastacia got married at an early age to Jose Geyrozaga. Folklore has it that Jose was so strong that he would wrestle bare-fisted with an obdurate carabao, until the water buffalo submitted to his will.

Eager to search for greener pastures, Jose enlisted as a sacada to be shipped off to one of the plantations in Hawaii. Together with his young wife, they migrated to Hawaii, U.S.A., where their five children were born, namely: Guillermo, Agustin, Primitivo, Francisco and Buenaventurada (b. July 13, 1927).

The couple soon discovered that life as a sacada in a foreign land was no vacation. Working in a plantation meant hard labor and long hours. Anastacia tended to their home and children while Jose toiled from sunrise to sunset. Sometimes Jose would get drunk, tempers would rise, and Anastacia would get feel the brunt of Jose’s strong hand. Nonetheless, they did not return to the Philippines, probably because they hoped that things would get better if they pursued the American dream. After all, this was in the 1920-1930s, when the Philippines was still under U.S. colonial rule.

Sometime in 1935, Jose received a work furlough and returned with his family to the Philippines intending to enjoy a brief vacation. He was eager to introduce his brood to their relatives in Argao. Just before the family’s holiday ended, Jose was bitten by a snake. While the wound healed, the snakebite proved to be ominous. At the time, Argao was a bucolic town, whose methods and facilities dated back to the Spanish era. When a cholera outbreak broke out in one of Jose’s farms shortly thereafter, there was no doctor who could save Jose this time. Fate had dealt the Geyrozaga family a tragic blow.

Anastacia struggled to raise her five children alone. She worked as a grade school teacher in Cebu. Upon her retirement, she accompanied her only daughter, Buenaventurada, to live in Digos, Davao del Sur. By 1979, however, all her children had returned to permanently live in Hawaii. Too old to do the same and already suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, Anastacia was left with her granddaughter, Buenafe, who would take care of her until her death in 1986.

Anastacia liked to smoke a cigarette or two after every meal. Yet, she lived to be 84 years old, cancer-free. Her favorite poem–which she was able to recite until her last days–was a child’s hymn of faith and praise by Cecil Alexander, that spoke of Anastacia’s simple joys and optimism amidst the misfortunes that befell her:

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

There is a dearth of cooking skills in my family. In our kitchen, the cook always happens to be anybody else but us. But there is an abundance of strong women of remarkable resiliency whose lives must be written about at one time or another, if only to preserve the tales orally recounted to me in my youth by my grandmothers. The fogging of my memories is inevitable–the bulk of the story-telling was done some 25 years ago. I cast these memories in this medium, hoping that these accounts of generations past will be retold to my children, never to be dishonored by their oblivion.

This is Matea’s story.

Matea Almendras was born towards the end of the 19th century in Danao, Cebu. She was eldest sister to Sofronia A. Tecala and Paulo Almendras, and was a half-sibling to some others as well. Reputed to be pleasing to the eye and possessed of a vivacious personality, she was first married to Nestor Ralota. They were blessed with two children named Salud (b. June 26, 1912) and Jesus.

Only a few years into their marriage, Nestor contracted leprosy and was sent to Culion, Palawan for compulsory segregation and experimental treatment. Communication with his young wife was probably scarce or non-existent, given that the inhabitants of Culion even had to devise their own internal currency due to the widespread fear by the outside populace of contagion by mere contact with a leper’s belongings. With her husband miles away in strict isolation and with scant hope of him ever returning to Danao, Matea became lonely.

She began seeking solace with dashing Miguel Batoto, who was then married to a first cousin. Since Matea belonged to a prominent clan in Danao, the unavoidable rumors of their frequent assignations spread like wildfire. To escape censure, Matea eloped with her paramour, venturing to the frontierlands of Davao. Soon, their affair produced a son, Cesar.

Not long thereafter, Matea was introduced to a Davao native by the name of Amancio Bendigo. It is said that Amancio was Matea and Miguel’s farmworker when they met. Upon Miguel’s early demise, Matea and Amancio wed and settled in Sta. Cruz, Davao. Their union resulted in five children: Amancio Jr., Dominador, Rodrigo, Rebecca and Liliosa.

When Matea died in Sta. Cruz, Davao in 1961, she was wealthy, landed and accorded the portentous title of Doña. Her remains lie in what used to be the grandest mausoleum in Sta. Cruz built on a large family cemetery. A major thoroughfare in Sta. Cruz is named after her.

But what had become of Nestor? When my Uncle Cosme visited Culion, Palawan in 2001, he requested to be allowed to check the archives for Nestor Ralota’s records. There, he discovered evidence that Nestor never did leave Culion. Nestor’s death records prove that he died in 1917–after the marriage of Matea to Amancio Bendigo.

Matea and Nestor Ralota’s marital ties survived long enough to render Matea’s subsequent marriage to Amancio Bendigo void. But in reality, Nestor’s final kiss when he was shipped off to the colony in Culion, never to cast eyes upon Matea again, proved to be more fatal to their sacramental vows than death itself.

After a week of forced introspection, I catch myself at home on a Friday night without the company of my kids. My husband is entertaining a few guests by inundating them with alcohol, which excuses me from the rather arduous task of making more small talk. I am, therefore, absolutely free for the moment–which is a rarety nowadays.

There is seldom anything good on TV on Friday nights, as the programmers probably expect most people to actually have a life worthy of the society pages. After a week of pleading work, and contemplating my heavy trial load on Monday, I am no mood to read either. A senseless historical romance novel would have been exceptionally welcome to sweep me off to never-never land, but I don’t have new ones at hand. Searching for old, forgotten books in dusty cabinets isn’t particularly appealing for the moment.

So I turn to music to heal and fill my soul. My playlist for the moment consists of Grey’s Anatomy songs from the Volumes 1 to 3 soundtracks and everything Coldplay. The most poignant songs from some relatively unknown indie bands competing for airtime on my speakers with the biggest band of the season.

True, Patrick Dempsey’s doleful eyes flash before me when I recall some Grey’s Anatomy scenes from the music. Admittedly, it does help cheer me up. But more than the McDreamy factor, the three Grey’s Anatomy soundtracks are like mix cds that give me that warm fuzzy feeling of home, belonging, comfort and the assurance that everything will be all right. You don’t hear most of the songs on the radio or see the bands emoting on MTV, which adds to the albums’ charm. Everything is transient and forgettable, but for the four minutes or so that each song is played, I feel much lighter and satisfied. Call it chicken soup music, if you want. Podworthy are City by Joe Purdy, Breathe In Breathe Out by Mat Kearney, and Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol.

With the Coldplay albums, there is no forgetting that they are currently on top of the charts. Think Yellow, Fix You, Viva La Vida, to name a few. In typical big band fashion, scruffy English frontman Chris Martin is married to Gwyneth Paltrow (whom my daughter thinks is the real Barbie doll). But, despite their mainstream appeal, Coldplay’s songs have retained a certain anti-pop flavor, albeit of the truffle, caviar and lobster variety characteristic of a supersized alternative rock band. Nonetheless, I have to credit the band for having kept their zeal for dissidence and experimentation intact.

In shuffle mode, my Grey’s Anatomy soundtracks and Coldplay albums did make for a sizzling Friday night date. Uhmmm…hot tub?