The rains are here. Happily, the kids are not back in school, and if plans do not miscarry, will return only in August, with both Malacañang and parents deeply concerned over the health of their children.
One infected pupil can contaminate an entire class, and will quickly spread and affect everyone on campus.
The President is right. No vaccine, no school.
Education, as proposed, will be online. Great, except for bare reality. We are a Third World country, a vast number of which often default on water and power payments, with complaints that the rates are beyond the pockets of ordinary consumers.
So how can we even afford the price of a computerized gadget?
It is puzzlement, don’t you think?
Before the August moon looms, government must come up with alternatives – getting the ever restless young to do school work without compromising their physical wellbeing and the meager finances of their folks, or whoever is sending them to school.
While Education authorities are hard pressed to come up with solutions, local go-vernment units appear to be indifferent, eagerly hoping that Malacañang and its whiz kids – Roque, Panelo, et. al., will be up to it.
I mean, each time these two open their mouths, everything is fine with the world. Have faith on Boss Digong.
Even the High Court is faced with a similar problem.
On the presumption that most, if not all, lawyers are computer literate and knowledgeable of the laws, guidelines have been provided for court hearings, if only to speed up the wheels of justice.
But therein lies the crux. The principal reason why courts are clogged with cases pending for years is because lawyers often disagree, since their so-called knowledge of the law, is their own interpretation of what the law is, and mostly suited to their client’s liking.
In the Bar exams, answers are either right or wrong, but in court hearings, the issue is what is right and what is wrong, which must be resolved by the presiding magistrate who, unless he manages his court calendar well, could last till hell freezes over, given all the arguments, motions and other pleadings, resetting, and “force majeure,” like the Covid-19.
In his usual plain and simple analysis, the policeman that he is, Senator Bato says we should shelve our constitutional fears over the Anti-Terror Bill, otherwise, terror escalates.
But here’s a short list of those vocally or vociferously advocating the Anti-Terror Bill.
Lawyer Harry Roque, who has metamorphosed from a human rights lawyer in an administration mouthpiece, a case of the prince turning into the frog, or a bee flying from one nectar to another.
Presidential Legal Counsel Sal Panelo, who during his student days, fancied himself as an activist.
Genuine activists didn’t believe him then, more so now.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin. I bet he has nightmares of President Cory turning in her grave.
Between him and Leni, I would rather go for former PNP chief Ping Lacson.
But what exactly is his game plan? Maybe he wants to come upon a police state when he takes over from Duterte.
After all, one can govern better if he is feared rather than loved.
Look at Rodrigo. He has us all tumbling in our boots – “Boljak dito, boljak doon.”
“OK sir, sige po sir, kung ano na ang nararapat.”
But the virus seems to have humbled our rude and foul-mouthed exalted leader.
He is at a loss on what to do, although trying hard to be a miracle worker.
Corruption? Alam ko ang gagawin ko diyan. Crime? Madali lang yan.
Mga gawain illegal – jueteng, illegal logging, smuggling, mayroon akong nakahandang solusyon diyan.
Pero, por Diyos, por santo, kaya kong sugpuin si Joma at mga komunista, and I am no pushover – kung maghahalo na sila Trump, Putin, at Xi, mayari sila dito sa inyong abang-lingkod.
Alas, I can only do so much about the pandemic, and you are even being hard headed and uncooperative, so once again, stay home, put on your masks, and watch your hygiene, for goodness sake.
Maybe I should talk to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines so we can all “hold hands” and pray together, but the bishops will take my action as surrender, so to hell with them.
This is your President talking, appealing to your good hearts to follow quarantine protocol and other health regulations.
Happy Father’s Day!
