THE SUPREME Court’s recent decision to throw out the petition of lawyers Oliver Lozano and Louis Biraogo to strike down the plan of the House of Representatives to convene as a constituent assembly without Senate participation has confused citizens. Does it mean the SC is allowing Con-ass? Not at all. The Court only said that it could not strike down something that doesn’t exist yet. While the House overwhelmingly voted for HR 1109, it still has to convene the Con-ass, and only then can it entertain a petition to rule on its validity. There are suspicious minds, however, who opine that the lawyers’ move is part of the moro-moro, and I don’t blame them. Now some House members have found the temerity to say, okay, the SC threw out the petition because Con-ass is still not happening, so let’s make it happen.This reasoning appears to jibe with the House leadership’s plan to convene Con-ass within two or three months. But it’s good to remind the Court that unlike the House members who seem to pride themselves in erratic and aberrant behavior, the magistrates will not only be making a ruling but laying stone upon stone of what should be the majestic cathedral of Philippine jurisprudence, as they do every time they rule. There is no such thing as a decision in isolation. * * * In a recent column timed for the 150th anniversary of the return of the Jesuits to the Philippines on June 14, 1859, I cited how the Ateneo University has sought to participate in the national clamor for democratic and meaningful reforms from the grassroots upward, instead of from the top down. The elite school has not only opened its doors to 1,000 scholars from poor families, it has also been helping raise the standard of public elementary and high schools in Metro Manila such as the one in Payatas – with startling results. It has also devised health modules for local governments. And the third field Ateneo has ventured into is governance, where it seeks to help form ethical and effective local leaders. As a school official stressed to Cecile Alvarez and me, they prefer to work with local officials than those at the national level who leave them with little hope. * * * For instance, the faculty and staff of the Ateneo School of Government have conducted an 18-month program among 16 LGUs in Calapan, Mindoro, as well as in Marawi City and Marikina, offering degrees like master’s in public management, or local government finance, which teaches them how to mobilize resources and investments or hasten business processes such as licensing, to cut down on graft and corruption. In Marawi, the wife of Governor Mamintal Adiong attends classes every Saturday in a 32-hour module. This grassroots revolution is all very exciting. My mother, who sent six boys to the Ateneo, would have been very happy to note that her favorite school has democratized its admission and is leading the revolution to change Philippine society. * * * The Philippine Opera Company, the country’s only opera group, staged three successful evenings of “Harana: A Cultural Journey,” featuring best-loved Filipino love songs and regional favorites last month at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza. Soon after, the opera stars, led by POC president Karla Patricia Gutierrez and Harana producer Ana Feleo, flew to Amsterdam for their first European tour (without tenor Sherwin Sozon whom the doctors didn’t allow to go on the trip). Their date was with the Theater de Compagnie of Amsterdam, timed with the Independence Day celebration of the Philippine Embassy. Gutierrez texted that their performance was graced mostly by Dutch dignitaries, which made the singers worry a bit that they might not be able to understand the mood and meaning of Philippine airs. But they were amazed when even before they began to sing the EDSA “anthem” – “Bayan Ko” – the audience stood up and then gave another ovation after the song “Gaano Kita Kamahal.” Gutierrez said the foreign guests told them that they have begun to understand Philippine culture after that “cultural journey,” a remark that sent Ambassador Romeo Arguelles to cloud nine. What the “Bayan Ko” ovations illustrate is that the EDSA Spirit of over 20 years ago, symbolized by that stirring song, remains fresh in the memory of Europeans. This is not surprising, for European countries were among the first to express sympathy with the Filipinos’ struggle for freedom. The success of our opera singers in Europe also shows they deserve full support as ambassadors of goodwill, although they made this trip with hardly any help from the government. * * * On Friday, June 26, Christendom celebrates the 34th death anniversary of St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei and one of the most renowned saints of the contemporary world. St. Josemaria founded Opus Dei in Madrid on the Feast of the Holy Angels, Oct. 2, 1928, and when he died in its headquarters in Rome 34 years ago, the “Work,” as his disciples call it, had spread to over 60 countries around the world. Masses for his 34th death anniversary on June 26 will be said all over the world. Here’s the schedule of Masses in the Philippines: June 26, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Manila in Intramuros, 6 p.m., with Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales as lead celebrant; at Stella Orientis Chapel, Ortigas Center, 12 noon; at Mt. Carmel Shrine in New Manila, 7 a.m. with Father Chito Reyes as celebrant; at the Holy Spirit Parish, Mariso Subdivision, Angeles City, 6:30 a.m.; and at the Holy Rosary Parish in Angeles City, 5:30 p.m. to be officiated by San Fernando Archbishop Paciano Aniceto and Auxiliary Bishops Roberto C. Mallari and Virgilio S. David. On Saturday, June 27, at 7:15 a.m. there will also be a Mass at Sanctuario de San Jose, Greenhills, to be celebrated by Father Noel B. Magtaas, OSJ. The public is cordially invited. |
