A Business Graduate's Random Blog on History and Gossip

September 21 paints a grim picture, especially for what's often called the martial law victims. I remember panicking back when I was 11 years old. It was possible that the late Fidel V. Ramos may declare martial law at any time. However, researching the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines can help. It can help Filipinos determine what needs to be revised to fit the current times.  Article VII Section 18 says the following about martial law: SECTION 18. The President shall be the Commander-in-Chief of all armed forces of the Philippines and whenever it becomes necessary, he may call out such armed forces to prevent or suppress lawless violence, invasion or rebellion. In case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it, he may, for a period not exceeding sixty days, suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or place the Philippines or any part thereof under martial law. Within forty-eight hours from the proclamation of martial law or the suspension of the p...

Some Filipinos who are totally against charter change (or constitutional reform) always use political dynasties as an excuse. It's not enough that some of them should keep saying that economic charter change will mean "selling the Philippines to foreigners". Please, if they realize it, developed countries allow 100% FDI ownership--allowing foreigners to own 100% of their business . Back on the topic, I would like to discuss political dynasties and why they're not necessarily bad . Some people keep talking about the anti-political dynasty law--that is one per family. It might be because they still think the first Marcos Administration was a parliamentary system. Please, evidence has been gathered that it was never a parliamentary system, to begin with (read here )!  It's easy to talk about political dynasties. Some people were citing President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. as a member of a political dynasty. Some people also cite the Dutertes. I even...

Kahimyang Project It's often said by some of the now-old folks that the Philippines was once under a parliamentary system. I had some insults from a close-minded political scientist, some former dancer of an OFW, and others whenever I said, "We must shift to the parliamentary system!" They would say, "Look stupid! We already had a parliamentary system back in the Marcos Years!" I ask for the proof and they keep using Cesar Virata. By using insults, they start to make me doubt their credibility. It's because insults and other forms of Ad Hominem attacks are often the favorite tools of sore losers .  I would like to give this an example. One of their best sources is Cesar Virata. At first, it sounds like, "Okay, we had a parliamentary system." However, we must take note that not every country that has a prime minister, is under a parliamentary system. Some of them are still presidential in nature with parliamentary features . I wonder if Mrs. Raissa ...

Today is Ninoy Aquino Day though the holiday has been moved to Friday. It's to promote the long weekend . I'm ashamed as some people continue to promote the idea that it's a "revisionist thing". Unlike Christmas, Ramadan, New Year, Chinese New Year, etc.--commemorating the death of the late Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" A. Aquino Jr. might be best called a political holiday . I would like to discuss what might remain as a mysterious murder case. There are times when crimes happen and the wrong person is caught. A crime can occur and most people will never know who masterminded it. It may be the case of Ninoy. Some day it was the late Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. and others say it was the late Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco. However, there hasn't been any empirical evidence to justify the claims.  I wouldn't claim to now who committed the murder. I remember growing up believing that Marcos Sr. was the one who ordered the assassination. Another person s...

People who are afraid of shifting to a parliamentary system tend to use the Marcos Years as proof. Fearmongers on Facebook are still up to their old tricks, using the Marcos Years to say, "No to cha-cha!" Never mind that a new constitution had to be written after 1986. If anything, Article XVII was inserted in the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines because it was never meant to be set in stone. Also, the 1973 Constitution of the Philippines was illegal .  Here's a video of the late Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" A. Aquino Jr. and the late Salvador "Doy" Laurel. The words of Laurel here show the problem of Marcos' "parliament". Marcos' "parliament" lacked legitimacy . Where was the sporting chance of the Opposition? If it was a real parliamentary system, Ninoy would've been leading the Opposition in weekly debates against the Marcos-led government. That is if the late Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. was the prime minister. If Cesar Vir...

  It's time to revisit one of the favorite people for people against constitutional amendments or reforms, namely Atty. Hilario G. Davide Jr. (read here ). Yes, the same guy who was also related by marriage to Mrs. Thelma Jimenea-Chiong. Davide's school of thought is in the "uniqueness" of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines as if it's the "best constitution in the world". Davide would mention that the 1987 Constitution is the only one he knows would be the best. A shame really that Davide himself, like Kishore Mahbubani, was once a United Nations representative, and he's saying such stuff.  Article XI of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines writes this in Section 1: Section 1. Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must, at all times, be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency; act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives. Okay, I get it. However...

It's often said that the Philippines doesn't need a change in the form of governance but only a change of governance. It's really something to read the comments section of the GMA-7 Facebook page , concerning Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, where some Filipinos wish that Filipino politicians had that kind of accountability. However, they're also quick to say, "No to charter change! Only character change!" I can talk about why parliamentary systems are superior. However, some still insist that it would mean going back to reliving the horrors of the Marcos Years (all because the late dictator's son Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. is now the president from 2022 to 2024). Once again, do I need to remind people why the Marcos Years weren't under a real parliamentary? Their "proof" was in having a prime minister named Cesar Virata. However, the Philippines was still presidential, even as the late Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. admitted it...

The Vizconde Massacre looks like it's going to be in those cases, still Case Unclosed. Back in the 1990s, the Vizconde Massacre was one of the cases I heard while growing up. I once believed that Hubert Jeffry P. Webb was guilty. I actually wanted to see the man get the death penalty. What shocked me was that after many years, Hubert, along with Francisco Juan "Paco" G. Larrañaga, were both innocent of the crimes they were accused of! Since the crime happened in 1991, and the trial only began in 1995. Right now, it turns out that Jessica Alfaro, the "star witness" is living somewhere in Canada . The rumors of the Chiong Sisters living in Canada can't be proven. However, it's proven that Jessica is living in Canada. From the Asian Human Rights Commission , here's a summary of the Vizconde Case. Since I'm not writing this as a book report in middle school or high school, I'll paste the summary here: VIZCONDE MASSACRE CASE: This case is about th...