Alot of people, even my own brother, agree with Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita: "If you are to ask me, personally, I think if we know that indeed it will offend the sensibilities of the Filipinos, we being a Catholic country, we should do everything not to allow it to be shown at the least."
This is on the movie "The Da Vinci Code," which is a work of fiction but which some believe paints the Holy Roman Catholic Church in dark hues. The book was a thriller. The movie would probably be one, too. Fiction books and movies are entertainment and not religious expositions to be taken seriously.
Should we ban the movie? George Bernard Shaw’s take on this is the following: "All censorships exist to prevent anyone from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions. All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently the first condition of progress is the removal of censorships. There is the whole case against censorships in a nutshell."
Frankly, I would go with Shaw rather than my own sibling or Ermita. As a Catholic, I do not believe that "current conceptions" about Christianity and the Church to be in error. Because I believe that, I really cannot see how a work of fiction could affect my beliefs.
Amen, Ducky.
More from Dean J. Bocobo:
Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales of Our Ever-Loyal City of Manila has called for its outright ban, together with Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita. Both however are very likely disappointed that the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines would rather not give the film any more of a boost by announcing a boycott. The CBCP refuses to piss in the wind as Señor Ed Ermita and Fray Rosales have.
Wag na yung ban! Pugutan na lang ng ulo yung mga nang iinsulto sa Christianity. Violence works I tell you, Cardinal Gaudencio. Pugutan ng ulo si Tom Hanks at Ron Howard!
-- Lower population growth disputed
SEN. Rodolfo Biazon yesterday disputed the reported slowing down of the annual population growth to 1.95 percent.
Biazon said the National Statistics Coordinating Board could not have conducted a census last year because there was no funding for that activity.
The country’s population stood at 85.2 million in 2005. NSCB projects it would reach 94 million by 2010.
He expressed suspicion the figure was fabricated, noting President Arroyo announced in her state of the nation address last year that she was targeting a reduction in the growth rate to 1.9 from 2.36 percent.
"In the SONA, (Arroyo) stated that the population growth at that time was 2.36 percent, and then she proceeded further that she was targeting to reduce this to 1.9 percent… Meaning in 10 months without implementing a program to support the lowering of the population growth, we achieved it, without the benefit of a census," he said.
Biazon said a census is required conducted every five years, with the last one in 2000.
"There was none in 2005 because the executive department did not submit the funding requirements for the conduct of that census," he said.
Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla has said the figure was "misleading" because it was based on "a mere projection."
Remulla said the NSCB has issued only a projection based on the 2000 census that population growth could go down to 1.95 percent between 2005 and 2010.
Puro panloloko lang talaga ang administration na ito.
More from Malaya Editorial:
Since Gloria Arroyo came to power in 2001, the government has been dismantling the population management programs put in place by previous administrations. The Department of Health has effectively gone out of the business of providing reproductive health education and handing out contraceptive devices. The local governments are supposed to take up the slack. But in Manila, for example, the conservatives have the run of the city-owned hospital and health centers.
Sad but true. And read this article too from Rina Jimenez David last year to find out how retarded Arroyo's family planning policies are.
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Interesting commentary from Randy David on the article written by Angelo Reyes 5 years ago:
ON Jan. 19, 2001, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Gen. Angelo T. Reyes, went up the Edsa Shrine with the service commanders of the AFP to announce their withdrawal of support for their commander in chief, President Joseph “Erap” Estrada. That act tilted the balance against the incumbent president and precipitated his ouster from Malacañang.
General Reyes said that he regarded Erap as a personal friend, and that it pained him to turn his back on his friend at a most crucial point in his political life. He did not want the public to see him as someone who thinks nothing of betraying a friend. And so he felt compelled to write a personal account of what happened. The Inquirer published this in four installments in March 2001, under the title “The 11th Hour Decision.”
This reflective narration discusses in detail how Reyes, who had retired by then and become the new secretary of defense, arrived at his decision. At the time of Edsa II, I took his account at face value and glossed over the many questions that a critical reading would have raised. Reading this document five years later against the background of recent events, I now realize how, indeed, past events acquire new meanings in the light of the present.
Sige, go read the rest of the article.
This is worth taking note though:
First, there was the surprise visit from “Alan Ortiz, a close adviser of then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on economic and security matters.” The purpose of the visit was “to invite me to touch base with the Vice President to reach a common level of understanding should the political situation turn from bad to worse.” Reyes says he turned down the invitation as improper. “I explained to Mr. Ortiz that if I can do that behind the President’s back, then the same thing could happen to Vice President Arroyo should she become chief executive herself one day.” General Reyes says that his guest went away convinced that he was right.
Second, Col. Victor Corpus and Col. Gerry Cunanan had told him about restiveness in the military. “Specifically, they informed me about the earlier reported covert attempts of Marine Lt. Gen. Edgardo Espinosa, prodded by elements within the United Opposition, at organizing troops to move against the Estrada government, as well as reports that the RAM and some retired generals were mobilizing their contacts within the AFP and the PNP.” In response, Reyes says he reiterated the need to keep the chain of command intact. One wonders, however, if he ordered the investigation of General Espinosa, an officer known to be very close to Ms Arroyo.
And this one is funny ha ha in a familiar sense:
Third, following the prosecutors’ walkout at the impeachment trial, Reyes recounts that he received intelligence reports “that New People’s Army (NPA) operatives were coming in from the North and that extreme rightist elements were plotting to set up a military junta.” In response to these reports, he says he ordered the drafting of a contingency plan. But he also contacted “retired General Renato de Villa, one of the closest aides of Vice President Macapagal-Arroyo, to get a picture of the situation from the United Opposition’s point of view.”
So inunahan na niya ang so called "military junta" by siding with Mike ARroyo and Edgardo Espinosa's leftist-rightist coup plotters instead. LOL.
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- Falsification charge vs CHA CHA signature gatherers
A CASE of falsification of documents was filed yesterday by four Makati residents against Akbay Pinoy, a proponent of charter change, and its leaders in connection with the people’s initiative signature campaign.
The respondents were Akbay Pinoy Makati president Carmencita Tabamo, national president Adelaida Lazaro and several John and Jane Does.
The complainants were Edwin Vitalli of Barangay Kasilawan, Hugo Villaroman of Barangay Palanan, and chairman Victor del Prado and Virginia Salega of Barangay Sta. Cruz.
The complainants said they could not have participated in such a drive because they are opposed to the people’s initiative.
Salega said the signature of his father, Barangay Sta. Cruz captain Severino Oliva, who succumbed to cardio-pulmonary arrest on Dec. 24 last year, appeared on the signature sheet.
"How come my father’s signature appeared on the list they submitted for verification?" she asked while presenting a copy of his father’s death certificate and a picture of the tombstone bearing his name, date of birth and demise to attest to the fact.
Haha! Buking! I see dead people's signatures!
More from Sen. Biazon: ‘Don’t drag soldiers into Cha-cha drive’
SENATORS yesterday chided advocates of charter change for dragging soldiers into partisan politics by asking them to help disseminate information on the need to amend the charter.
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, defense committee chair, said pushing charter change among military and police officials would politicize them.
"If Malacañang pushes for charter change (among AFP generals), then we are politicizing the AFP… Do not politicize the AFP," he said.
Sen. Mar Roxas accused Malacañang of seeking to indoctrinate the soldiers with its cha-cha drive.
"There is a world of difference between information and indoctrination," he said.
Leaders of Malacañang’s Advocacy Commission on Charter Change the other day asked the 500-member Association of Generals and Flag Officers during a fellowship meeting in Camp Aguinaldo to help in the information drive as they said they believe that the military is a major political arbiter.
Roxas described the soldiers and police personnel as "true patriots who deserve more than just propaganda about a subject as vital as the Constitution."
And read this too from the Black and White Movement.
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2 comments:
Ginagago ni Angie Reyes ang taong bayan sa mga kasinungalingan niyang pinagsasabi!
Good of you to keep a record of his lies and the lies of the others.
Angie Reyes learned of Espi's planned descent to Manila to attack Malacanang if Estrada didn't resign the in the wee hours of January 21, 2001 ONLY!
1. As Commanding General of the entire Armed Forces, how come he didn't know what was afoot? Simplmy because he was still busy playing footsie with Madam Arroyo who was in the next room while he was negotiating and trying to convince the major service commanders to mutiny with him - Benjie Defensor was proving difficult because he was for a snap election and not to hand power over to Gloria Punggok.
2. We also know that for almost a year prior to the mutniy day, Angie Reyes, Chief of Staff AFP had been in cahoots with the Arroyo tandem to topple Estrada so, who is he kidding? What is this tale of last minute "withdrawal of support" oink oink is he propagating on the basis that Espinoza's marine battalion was on its way to Manila.
Hogwash!
3. As you rightly pointed out, why didn't he have blasted double-dealing Espinoza arrested, shackled and thrown into a cell for trying to break the chain of command. Angie Reyes, a desk soldier of no real warfare experience was nothing but a COWARD of the lowest category!
Instead of sidetracking Espinoza, what did this evil group of plotters, mutineers, coup d'état conspirators do? They awarded Espinoza with a cash cow post in Taipei. This Espinoza, who had never owned a checkbook in his lifetime, thereafter became RICH beyond recognition - he used to boast to his classmates and friends how great it was to have a checkbook.
As we say in French, "que des minables!"
good stuff, anna. espinoza was given a post sa MECO sa taiwan, IIRC.
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