Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao suffered a backlash after he described gay couples as “worse than animals.” Those words could only come from somebody who lacks proper education.
He went on to say: “it’s common sense. Do you see animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female. If men mate with men and women mate with women, they are worse than animals.”
He could have said he was against same-sex marriage and that would have been enough. What he said just infuriated the LGBT community and other sections of society.
Pacquiao is the perfect example of an uneducated man speaking before the public. And Santa Banana, he can actually be a senator!
It could be worse. He may even aspire for the presidency in 2022. All I can say is, God save the Philippines. I will surely be gone by then since I’m already 88 years old, but I pity my children and my grandchildren.
Blame it all on our electorate, many of them stupid and idiotic. Take the case of former Senator Lito Lapid, whose only claim to fame was being a cowboy.
He confessed that he didn’t belong to the Senate since he was so embarrassed he could not interpellate. He finished fourth grade only.
In the case of Pacquiao, his popularity and glamour as a philanthropist have gone to his head. Well, as they say, we Filipinos deserve the kind of people we elect into office.
* * *
Solicitor General Florin Hilbay as “tribune of the people,” chose to side with Mrs. Mary Grace Natividad Kelly Poe Llamanzares in her disqualification cases pending at the Supreme Court.
Hilbay argued that the senator, now running for president, should be presumed natural-born considering the greater number of Filipino children far outweighs the number of foreigners. “It’s common sense,” Hilbay claims.
Either Hilbay doesn’t read the Constitution and would interpret it the way he wants, or that he’s getting orders from BS Aquino III to argue on behalf of Mrs. Llamanzares. I am convinced she is the President’s alternative candidate for May 9, 2016.
Santa Banana, how can Hilbay, who has excellent credentials as a lawyer, presume Mrs. Llamanzares as natural-born? The Constitution is clear and precise that “natural-born citizens are those who are citizens of the Philippines from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect their Philippine citizenship.”
It’s axiomatic in law, Mr. Hilbay, that what the law doesn’t distinguish should not be distinguished. In short, when the law is precise and clear, it should not be presumed.
In the case of residency, Hilbay said that Mrs. Llamanzares has been a resident of the Philippines for more than 10 years which should qualify her for the Senate and for the presidency.
But, wasn’t Hilbay aware of the fact Poe misrepresented herself as qualified, which is a big lie?
My gulay, Mrs. Llamanzares did not only lie once, but twice. She lied on her CoC and she did it again when she filed a claim for dual citizenship and said under oath that she was the daughter of Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces. We all know that Susan never became pregnant.
As I said, some justices of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno seem to stumble all over the court trying to have Mrs. Llamanzares declared qualified to run . Don’t you see the pattern of BS Aquino III’s appointees at the Supreme Court, and now Hilbay as SolGen, supporting Mrs. Llamanzares’ candidacy?
Santa Banana, what better proof do we need to convince us that there’s a hand manipulating everything in Mrs. Llamanzares’ favor?
I admire Mrs. Llamanzares for her fight. She is intelligent and charismatic.
But there’s the Constitution, whose letter and intent should prevail, over the emotionalism generated by her disqualification cases before the Supreme Court.
* * *
I am glad that San Miguel is ready to construct MRT-7, which would allow some one million to two million commuters from the North, passing through San Jose del Monte in Bulacan through a 22.8-kilometer rail system with 14 stations, to connect with the MRT-3.
I have been privy to this project since it was submitted to former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo way back in 2003 by its proponent, Israeli businessman Eli Levin. Levin, a good friend, has been a Philippine resident for the past 40 years. He was at one time married to a Filipino. In other words, MRT-7 awaited its financial closure by government for the past 13 years.
I still have all the papers about the P62.7-billion project which unfortunately did not get the approval of the National Economic and Development Authority then. Levin may not have had the financial and political clout.
Thus, in 2010 when BS Aquino III was elected President, one of his biggest contributors, Salvador “Buddy” Zamora of the Zamora clan, bought out Levin’s share at the Universal LRT Corp. Somehow, the project got through the Neda wringer. The problem was that Buddy Zamora, while having the support of BS Aquino III, lacked financial support.
This led Zamora to sell to Ramon Ang of the San Miguel consortium which was able to complete the funding package for the project.
Now, San Miguel is ready to start the construction of the mass rail sytem.
I congratulate Ramon Ang for having this project realized. This will decongest Edsa.
* * *
Next week, the nation again will mark the anniversary of what people call the People Power Revolution. This is a misnomer. Even without the participation of over a million people, the breakaway group led by then-Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and then Col. Gringo Honasan, who were later on joined by then-PC/INP Chief Fidel Ramos, would have succeeded in topping the Marcos dictatorship.
With Senator Bongbong Marcos now tied with Senator Chiz Escudero for vice president, we can expect Marcos-haters in social media and in the press to unleash materials against Bongbong. But, I doubt all that can stop him in his campaign.
* * *
In my column yesterday about Vice President Jojo Binay leading the presidential race in the latest Social Weather Stations, it appeared I described Binay as “tall and dark- skinned, who does not look at all like an elitist.”
I meant “short.” Apologies to my friend, Jojo.
