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Thursday, January 22, 2004
Famador: ‘Burgis’ vs. ‘masa,’ part 2
By Joel Famador
Are the commissioners of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) dumb and stupid? Or just playing dumb?
In the disqualification case of Fernando Poe, Jr. in the Comelec, his lawyers have raised the issue of jurisdiction (although in passing, according to the brilliant lawyer Brilliantes).
Now why is the Comelec bent on hearing the case when Tita Cory’s Constitution says that the Supreme Court shall be the sole judge of all contests relating to the qualifications of the president and vice president?
Is it gross ignorance of the law? Of course, not. Majority of the commissioners of the Comelec are lawyers. Chairman Benjamin Abalos is a lawyer and was a former regional trial court judge. So you wouldn’t believe that they missed that basic constitutional provision.
But why insist on hearing the case when, for sure, the Supreme Court will ultimately strike down any judgment that the Comelec will render concerning FPJ’s citizenship?
Maybe the Comelec just wants to confuse the public. Maybe it wants to dissuade the ignorant or unsophisticated voter from even considering FPJ as a presidential candidate.
But why would the Comelec do that when it is supposed to prevent the commission of election frauds (among others) under Tita Cory’s Constitution?
And why is FPJ’s legal panel content on just raising the issue of jurisdiction “in passing”? Maybe they are just opportunists. They use the citizenship controversy to elicit sympathy from the hoi polloi, and at the same time, get enormous media exposure for them and their candidate. For free. Wow. Lawyer Brilliantes is true to form. Brilliant.
So why is the “dumb” Comelec falling for that obvious trap? Do the commissioners really believe that they can convince the hoi polloi that their hero, Fernando Poe, Jr., is a fake natural-born Filipino?
Looks like history keeps repeating itself. During Erap’s time, when he was campaigning for president of this banana republic, he was ridiculed by his opponents for being a high school dropout, for speaking “Carabao English,” for being a simpleton.
But the personal attacks never made a dent on the sentiments of the hoi polloi. Quite the contrary, they felt that they were the ones ridiculed. After all, they thought they and Erap were kindred souls.
So when election time came, the hoi polloi came in droves. With vengeance in their mind, they voted solidly for their “idol.”
And that’s going to happen again this year when the “masa” take the ridiculous attacks against FPJ as if these were made against them, poor souls. Then, the cookie will crumble for the “burgis.” Again.
(January 22, 2004 issue)
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