'Playing god'

“Playing god” is an expression used to describe the abuse of power and authority. Its meaning is most obvious when human beings decide who lives or who dies when everyone can be saved. In a broad sense we all play the game at one time or another when we abuse positions of power and authority. But the term is not used often except under conditions when the offending authority is bent on action against those who would not follow its dictum.

Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo not being allowed to travel when the Supreme Court had issued a TRO against it is seen by many as an abuse of authority. In the order of the rule of law, the Supreme Court’s order has precedence over a department order. It is good to be reminded that in every legal decision there are winners and losers. This would not be the first or the last time that the Supreme Court would lay down a controversial decision but once done — the court has spoken.

By ignoring that precedence the justice secretary is “playing god.” The trouble with “playing god” is that it is a two-edged sword. In this case, the justice secretary’s behavior is so extreme it has created a groundswell of sympathy for the former president that she would not have gained if she were allowed to peacefully travel and seek medical treatment abroad. That would have been a non-news and President Aquino would have had the space to exercise statesmanship and would have been in time for the more important job waiting for him in Bali.

Something else may be behind the President’s intransigence about Arroyo. It could be a mistaken identity. He was said to have had strong feelings against the Marcoses for his father’s persecution and the loss of wealth and prestige during the martial law years. Since Arroyo has not inflicted that kind of pain to him or his family, one wonders? Or is it that those who had made it possible for him to become president are the same people who have grudges against Arroyo and now seek to collect by having her punished? He is only being grateful.

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I wonder if government actions may have boomeranged. While little attention is being paid to the 2010 electoral fraud it will now get the attention it deserves because of government’s ‘playing god’ to get at the bottom of the 2004 and 2007 irregularities. The campaign for investigating ‘The Other Poll Fraud” has received an unexpected push with the government’s partisanship. It will now be forced to look at all elections, 2004, 2007 and finally 2010 to be consistent.

The 2010 election issue far outweighs the alleged cheating in 2004 and 2007 because it leads one to conclude that there had been no election at all. The group Tandem (Tanggulang Demokrasya) cited several violations of the automated election law. The Comelec agreed with the foreign Smartmatic-PCOS to disable digital signatures. This violates the law even if the election were automated. Returns have to be transmitted electronically and digitally to be considered as official election results and becomes the basis for the canvassing of votes and the proclamation of a candidate. Without digital signatures, there is no basis for a valid election.

Instead of the alleged crimes of electoral manipulation and plunder, the focus is now on the heartlessness of government and its minions. This is an experience that many Filipinos besieged by powerful government will sympathize with. It does not matter whether it is Aquino during Marcos’ time or Arroyo in Aquino’s time, the cruelty is simply not warranted.

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MISCELLANY: This is welcome news from the Instituto Cervantes: it will launch the first bilingual edition of Noli Me Tangere on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m., at the Instituto Cervantes.

The hefty historical bilingual edition with 912 pages will be a collectors’ item. It is released as part of the sesquicentennial birth anniversary of its author, national hero Jose Rizal. Instituto Cervantes de Manila and Vibal Foundation collaborated to publish the book. The bilingual publication will open the Philippine story in those times to both English and Spanish readers. It reproduces the first edition (edicion principe). Philologist Isaac Donoso has added more than 1,200 notes on both the published Berlin edition and the original manuscript, highlighting Rizal’s additions, deletions, and emendations.

The original Spanish text has been based on Charles Derbyshire’s classic English translation. Expurgated passages have been restored, thus carefully maintaining its fidelity to Rizal’s text.

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Clara Lapuz, my friend of Mama Sita sauces fame, is a tireless advocate for the cause of exporters as well as overseas Filipinos, now both victims of the diminishing value of the dollar. She has invited me to attend a forum organized by the UP Economics Society, the University’s leading economics organization and the UP Alumni Association where the issue will be tackled. The aim is to seek more innovative ways so that those who contribute most to the country’s coffers should not be made its victims. The forum “Towards a New Paradigm on Exchange Rate Management” will be held on Nov. 24, 2011, 3 to 5:30 p.m. at the J. Duavit & Class of 1984 Lecture Room, UP School of Economics Building, Diliman, Quezon City. The speakers in the symposium include Loreto Soriano, CEO of LBS Recruitment Solutions; Dr. Victor Abola, University of Asia and the Pacific economics professor; and Dr. Raul Fabella, University of the Philippines economics professor. 

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So who is at war? It does not seem to be China against the Philippines. As the Chinese have often reiterated they want continuing dialogue and communication to sort our differences. Recently amid stories on the threats of war over Spratlys, China has contributed $30,000 on behalf of the Chinese Red Cross for the Philippine Red Cross. Not much but still a good demonstration of goodwill. The money is to help relief efforts for victims of recent typhoons. 

One of the responsibilities of media is to highlight such acts of friendship. It may be a truism that good news does not sell but we have the responsibility to create a better world that will not be helped by threats of war that fill up our newspapers. It is interesting to note that about 50 journalists signed the “Manila Declaration” during the Regional Media Conference for Southeast and East Asia for the cause.

The forum was organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).