Sweeping into Dumaguete

The 108th Silliman University founders day celebration last week was an exciting event, with alumni from different parts of the world bringing

balik-talents,

resources, and ideas into making the institution more vibrant and financially stable. A noteworthy project which I shall write about at length in a subsequent column is “The Tree of Life,” a fund-raising activity that combines initiative, creativity and determination among alumni in North America, and now to include those residing in this country. The celebration theme this year is “Living Justice, Mercy, and Humility with God,” a message set forth in Micah 6:8. 

This columnist congratulates President Ben Malayang, the Board of Trustees (which said farewell to Chair Leonor Briones and welcomed her successor, Juanita Amatong), and faculty and staff for their efforts to make Silliman stand peerless in the hearts of alumni, founders, and friends.

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Into the festive atmosphere in Duma-guete swept the team of Sen. Manny Villar to induct new members of the Nacionalista Party at Bethel Hotel. Clearly, the planning strategies for the campaign period are being drawn up in this highly politicized city. Liberal Party leaders, including former Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Remullo, and banker Jun Balbido, with US-based urban planner Efren Padilla were talking about how Mar Roxas can win the 2010 presidential election.

Manny flew in and stayed a few hours to fly the same plane to Manila, feeling exuberant about the results of the third quarter nationwide survey conducted by the Issues and Advocacy Center from August 18 to 23. The survey covered some 1,200 respondents nationwide from among the different social classes. Ed M. Malay, director of the Center, said that Villar emerged as the favored candidate among nine probable presidential aspirants who may run in the May 10, 2010 national elections.

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Reynaldo “Nandy” Pacheco, Gunless Society founder, has proposed to Chairman J. A. R. Melo and Comelec commissioners not to grant exemptions to the gun ban.

In his letter, Nandy noted that Republic Act No. 7166 mandates Comelec to conduct clean, honest, and peaceful elections, and to act effectively as the sole custodian of peace and order in the country during the election period.

For the safety of everyone and for the common good, the Gunless Society “begs” the Comelec to adopt a new policy of not granting exemptions from the gun ban except to those regular members or officers of the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other law enforcement agencies of the Government duly deputized in writing by the Comelec for election duty who may be authorized to carry and possess firearms while in uniform during the election period.

Exemptions from the gun ban should only be limited to the security of the President, Vice President, Senate President, speaker of the House and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, provided that the security personnel are in uniform and on duty.

The gun ban, writes Nandy, “is meaningless when many categories of civilians and candidates are exempted.” The new gun ban policy, he adds, should be approved as early as possible “in order to warn those who feel threatened have to think twice before filing their certificates of candidacy.”

Nandy lauds PNP Chief Jesus Verzosa for favoring a total gun ban during the election period. “This is something that we have been waiting for a long time. . . If the new policy is approved, the 2010 elections will be the first time ever that there will be no exemption from the gun ban.”

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Deputy Majority Leader of the Lower House Janette Loreto-Garin, (1st district, Iloilo), takes issue with Rep. Ulpiano Sarmiento III of A-Teacher Partylist, who issued a statement saying that the Magna Carta of Women provision that disallows all schools from denying continued employment or refusing enrollment to female students who get pregnant out of wedlock is unconstitutional.

According to Garin, while the good party-list Congressman Sarmiento is correct in saying that schools should enjoy academic freedom, Garin believes that “the said right of academic institutions ends when the impingement on the human rights of individuals begins.”

Garin argues that the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) condemns discrimination against women in all forms. Denying them of their right to education and employment on account of their pregnancy out of wedlock is “a clear discrimination against women.” 

Furthermore, the 1987 Constitution affirms that the state recognizes the role of women in nation-building and shall provide women the rights and opportunities equal to those of men. Garin avers: “Why should we expel or deny enrollment of female students and refuse employment to female teaches who are single parents? What equality are we talking about when these schools only expel the pregnant women and not impose the same to the men who impregnated them?

Rep. Sarmiento, according to Garin, argued that “every Catholic school exists to teach the Catholic faith and to inculcate in its students Catholic morals.” Garin asks, “Is it not a Catholic teaching to forgive and allow these women and young girls to obtain a better future for the sake of the child that they are carrying?”

As a woman, Garin adds, “I take offense to these forms of discrimination happening in schools. . . I laud the President and my fellow policy makers for having the political will to pass the Magna Carta of Women. I sincerely hope that this law will finally bring about positive change at how our society treats its women.

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 Rod Vincent Yabes and James Litton called my attention to a factual error in my last column. Don Benigno Aquino Sr. was Butz Aquino’s father, not his grandfather. Butz’s grandfather was the revolutionary general Servillano Aquino.

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