Lito Atienza’s electoral protest
BY DUCKY PAREDES
The Asean Charter
REY O. ARCILLA
‘The Philippines originally initiated crafting of the Asean charter way back in 1990.’
EVER since I started teaching seven years ago, I’ve always emphasized to my students the importance of honing their English skills. It’s their passport to getting a good job after graduation.
Last week, leading job search site JobStreet said studies showed 75 percent of employers had turned down jobseekers with poor command of English and that 97 percent of them believe those with good English, both written and spoken, were also more productive.
I was not at all surprised. In this country, business in both the public and private sectors is conducted in English. Even our laws are crafted in English.
I rest my case.
The brouhaha over the alleged plagiarism by a Supreme Court associate justice has unfortunately overshadowed the subject of the case itself which is definitely an important concern as far as our relations with Japan is concerned.
In that "plagiarized" decision, the Supreme Court rejected the plea of 70 elderly "comfort" women for the tribunal to order the Philippine Government to bring their case to the International Court of Justice. The Court said it had no power to compel the government to support the women’s demand for an official apology and reparations from Japan.
I didn’t realize till now that our government had not formally demanded an official apology and reparations from Japan for the heinous crime they have committed against those unfortunate women. Neither am I aware that our government had ever demanded an apology from Japan for all the atrocities they committed against our country and people during WWII.
Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan again, yes, again, apologized to South Korea for Japanese colonial rule from 1910-45.
"For the enormous damage and suffering caused by this colonization, I would like to express once again our deep remorse and sincerely apologize," Kan said.
During Japan’s occupation of Korea, thousands of its people were killed by the Japanese or made to work in slave-labor camps or serve as prostitutes in brothels operated by the Imperial Army.
But so were hundreds of thousands of our people from 1941-45. And Japan has never apologized to us! Do we deserve less? What has our government done or is doing on this matter of national pride and dignity?
Yet, look at the way Japan’s ambassador (proconsul?) here behaves. Citizen Oscar Dizon wrote a letter to the editor of Inquirer last week narrating how he witnessed "a luxury car bearing the Japanese flag (only the ambassador’s car is allowed to carry a flag) and its backup vehicle (with diplomatic plate 2065) ignored traffic rules to get ahead of everybody else on the road."
Geez, you think our ambassador in Tokyo would even think of doing such a thing, much less of actually doing it?
Speaking of violating traffic rules, a gray Toyota Fortuner, with government plate No. SLH 206 counterflowed and was weaving in and out of its lane at great speed on the west service road in Sucat going towards Alabang last Friday (around 8:30 p.m.), endangering the lives of other motorists.
The official to whom that vehicle was issued should be fired. Readers are invited to identify him and inform this column.
President Noynoy Aquino has prohibited the display of his image on any government project. He says he is basically shy. I believe him.
But shy his recycled future ex-foreign secretary, Alberto Romulo, definitely is not. The big tarpaulin showing him being congratulated on his retention in the Cabinet by the unelected president of the DFA Personnel Association has been defacing the DFA Building façade for 48 days now (counting from July 1). Other cabinet members didn’t do that sort of thing. And definitely not Noynoy!
(I was informed that the tarpaulin was removed and replaced with one welcoming Noynoy when he graced the Asean 43rd Anniversary commemoration. After he left, Romulo’s "security blanket" was put back.)
Ano ba ‘yan?!
Incidentally, many have asked me, including DFA insiders, why Romulo was not among those tasked by Noynoy to go to the US to lay the groundwork for his planned visit next month. (News reports said only the finance and trade secretaries went.)
I think I know the answer, but I’ll leave it to the others to draw their own conclusion.
During the Asean anniversary celebration last week, its Charter in Pilipino was also launched.
For the record, it was the Philippines that originally initiated the crafting of an Asean Charter way back in 1990. I was then the DFA Assistant Secretary for Asean Affairs.
What triggered my proposal to have an Asean Charter was when the Association’s application to accede to the Montreal Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer was rejected due to its lack of a legal personality.
I drafted a memorandum for then Foreign Secretary Raul Manglapus to recommend to President Cory Aquino that the Philippines formally propose to Asean the crafting of a charter. He approved it.
Afterwards, he brought me along to the cabinet meeting where he made a brief presentation of the proposal and moved for its approval. After then Trade Secretary Jose Concepcion seconded his motion, President Cory readily approved it.
Shortly thereafter, I tabled the proposal at the next meeting of the Asean Standing Committee in Jakarta.
Unfortunately, before a decision could be reached on what to do with the proposal, I was moved to the Office of UN Affairs and shortly thereafter, left for my next foreign assignment (Austria, Slovenia, Croatia).
I later found out that a working group was established to work on the proposal but it died a natural death for lack of enthusiasm among the members.
It was only about five or six years ago when the proposal for a Charter was revived. The rest, as they say, is history.
A senior DFA official drew my attention to the closing of the service road in front of the American Seafront compound along Roxas Boulevard. He said it has been causing a lot of inconvenience to the DFA personnel who come to work by car as they have to make detours to get to their offices. So do, I’m sure, other motorists.
I asked the senior official what the DFA has done to rectify the situation. I was surprised when he said nothing. It would seem to me that the natural thing to do would have been to ask the Pasay City administration why the street was closed. I understand it has been closed for a while now.
The American compound is securely guarded. I can’t believe it is for security reasons that the street was closed. In fact, the Japanese Embassy is located along the same service road.
If the road was closed on representation of the Americans, it is another example of our subservient attitude towards them. I say the time is long overdue to put them in their proper place on our soil. I cannot imagine the Americans allowing the street fronting our embassy in Washington to be closed for whatever reason.
The Senate should also look into the salaries and allowances of the personnel of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO). It has long been regarded as a milking cow of Malacañang and the chairman and members of its board of directors, as well as the director and staff manning its offices in Taiwan.
Senior citizens’ bumper stickers (courtesy of an internet friend):
"Life is easy. It’s the freakin’ people who make it difficult."
"Young at heart. Slightly older in other places."
"I don’t think about dying. It’s the last thing I want to do."
"I’m speeding because I have to get there before I forget where I’m going."
"Don’t worry about your health. It will go away."
"At my age, ‘getting any’ means sleep!"
"I’m retired. I was tired yesterday. I’m tired again today."
"At my age, happy hour is a nap."
"Be nice to your kids. They will choose your nursing home."
"I’ve been diagnosed with C.R.S… Can’t Remember Shit."
Today is the 112th day of the fourth year of Jonas Burgos’ disappearance.
Email: roacrosshairs@yahoo.com