Mongaya: Viva Sto. Niño

Sunday, January 15, 2012

WHILE it seemed Señor Sto. Niño tested with strong rains the faith of devotees during the solemn procession and Sinulog parade in 2011, we enjoyed fine weather during the celebration last Saturday and Sunday.

Thus, record crowds came out. An estimated 1.6 million people joined the 6.8-kilometer solemn procession. Millions more, I believed, went out to perform and witness the grand parade yesterday.

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Let’s thank the Holy Child for the blessings!

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Unlike previous Sinulog celebrations, I contented myself with just entering and exiting the Fuente Osmeña Circle yesterday afternoon to check on wife Doris and daughter Alya who helped out all day long at the Super Fun Sinulog with Globe Photo Wall.

Before, I used to walk from my mom’s house beside Chong Hua Hospital all the way to the Sun.Star office. I would cross the parade at that building that used to be Belvic theater toward Ramos St. There, I had the option of leisurely walking the whole stretch of Ramos or weaving through the throng on Jones Ave.

While years before the Sinulog parade just passed Fuente at the section fronting Robinsons, yesterday the parade went around the circle. Thus, to get inside and out, one had to wade through the thick crowd of spectators and the parade. There was a need to control people wanting to get in and out of the plaza through two gates–across Rajah Park and the other across the Fuente Police Station.

To prevent the crowd from disrupting the Sinulog dancing, men in fatigue uniforms set up a system where people could cross whenever there was a gap in the parade.

The problem with the system was that no one was assigned to get the growing crowd wanting to cross in line. There were lots of pushing and cursing as we waited for our opportunity to pass through. It was not the place for young children and senior citizens, who, unfortunately, were with us.

At the back of my mind, I had this thought of approaching the commanding officer to assign one or two personnel to ensure disciplined lines of people. But the urge to just get through was stronger. Mag-column na lang. Haha!

***

The camp of Chief Justice Renato Corona is posing as an underdog as his impeachment trial before impeachment senators opens today. With all the investigative reports about his condo and other properties, it seems Corona believes he has a chance of getting acquitted.

After all, the impeachment trial is not a judicial process but a political one. It is not about convicting a chief justice like a criminal. It is about getting Corona out of the Supreme Court with senators sitting as judges and congressmen as prosecutors.

Moreover, under our Constitution, Chief Justice Corona only needs eight senators for an acquittal. These eight need not be convinced of his innocence. Even before the start of the impeachment trial, we already expect the three staunch allies of former president Gloria Arroyo–Senators Joker Arroyo, Lito Lapid, and Bong Revilla–to favor the beleaguered chief justice.

He only needs to win the support of four more senators from the so-called swing votes like the Nacionalista senators Manny Villar, Loren Legarda, the two Cayetanos Allan Peter and Pia and Bongbong Marcos, and the PMP and independent senators like Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada, Miriam Santiago, Tito Sotto, and Edgardo Angara. That should not be too hard for a chief justice, who certainly knows how to play politics.

The pro-Aquino camp in the Senate includes LP senators and their allies Franklin Drilon, Kiko Pangilinan, Ralph Recto, TG Guingona, Serge Osmeña, Antonio Trillanes, Ping Lacson, Chiz Escudero and Koko Pimentel.

Nevertheless, the swing voters should be able to credibly justify their positions in favor or against CJ Corona. The prosecutors, if they do their jobs well along with the accompanying publicity and public support, should make it hard for the swing voters to favor an obviously guilty Corona.

Cebuano volunteer-lawyer for the prosecution Totol Batuhan was quoted in a national broadsheet yesterday saying the evidence shown the public so far is only the “tip of the iceberg.” There are two Cebuanos who volunteered for the prosecution. Atty. Rex Fernandez is helping Rep. Erin Tanada.

But then, the prosecutors, with their limited experience as trial lawyers, are pitted against veterans who are with the defence team.

Obviously, the impeachment process provides Corona with the easy opportunity of clearing himself by just politically winning four senators. Getting two-thirds vote is more challenging for the prosecution.

(inbetweencolumns.wordpress.com)