THE proposal by the alumni group of Xavier University to change the school's name back to Ateneo de Cagayan may seem trivial to most people, but there is a saying that a name is worth a treasure to some, a priceless legacy to another.
Having said that, one wonders whether a change in a school's name would somehow change whatever it is that's plaguing the school in the first place.
Xavier University may not be beset by huge problems, so the move to change its name may be argued not only by its alumni but by its students, who may be intrigued by the name change to Ateneo since it does carry weight within the country's academic community.
That's for them to decide in the proper forum.
No-show
The no-show of the Intelligence Services Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) head before the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) concerning the absence of activist Jonas Burgos along with his lawyer should be ground for seeking a court order demanding their presence during the investigation.
All because of President Arroyo's order banning Cabinet and military officials from attending congressional or committee hearings without the permission of the Palace, these cretins now have the temerity and the brazen arrogance to ignore a call from their counterparts in government to attend an investigation into the disappearance of an activist whose case had been raised before the international community as well.
If they have something to hide and their no-show strongly suggests they do, then the CHR is certainly not the agency to compel these officials to answer charges against them. The case will have to be referred to the Supreme Court, though the immediacy of their response is not guaranteed and the case will drag on for years before any resolution is set.
One certainly cannot refer the case to the Department of Justice (DOJ) whose secretary has bulldog loyalty to the Arroyo administration and is about as arrogant and thick-faced as they come. Which means the Burgos case may have to be shunted to either the Lower House or the Senate, the latter being a more sympathetic and vocal forum.
Otherwise the national government should prepare themselves to be peppered daily by embarrassments and rallies from all over, prompting greater attention and lectures from an increasingly indignant global community as well as the ever-increasing denials from the Arroyo administration's lackeys.
