Wasting the celebration NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 06/11/2010

Wasting the celebration

NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 06/11/2010 Makati City’s two-day commemoration of its 340th Foundation Day, June 10 and 11, will be capped by a Grand Parade at 4 p.m. this afternoon. Main roads are closed to traffic; private car and public utility drivers are best advised to continuously check for the latest Internet and radio announcements on what alternative routes to take. The parade shall be followed by a special staging of Aawitan Kita sa Makati at 5:30 p.m., at the 6th floor auditorium of the University of Makati. The episode, entitled “Harana sa Pamanhikan,” features singers Bimbo Cerrudo, Christine Escudero, Raul Montesa, Bangge Mabanta, Miguel Castro, Milay Guinid, Reymond Sajor and Bayang Barrios, is sure to please city senior citizens and guests. Carlitos Siguion-Reyna directs; I will not be in the program following doctors’ orders to rest for at least two weeks after they put a pacemaker in me. Makati celebrates, and among its other achievements is Jejomar Cabauatan Binay, the first local official to get elected into national office. Or, as wags put it, our “first black vice president.” Levity aside, I laud all those behind last Wednesday’s impressive proclamation of the new president and vice president. We’re what we are as a people, so naturally there were speeches and speeches galore. President Joseph Estrada extended felicitations through his son, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada: “I join our people in extending unqualified support to the new President with both hope and prayers he will serve our country faithfully and will perform his duties honorably without fear or favor.” That was the correct venue for Erap to concede, for hey, he was no senator or ordinary tal pulano in the presidential race, he was former president, for heaven’s sake. He deserved being part of protocol and tradition, na ewan ko naman kung bakit hindi maintindihan ng mga detractors who insist that he was merely being churlish or pikon when he wouldn’t concede as fast as the others did. Sen. Nene Pimentel said he’d already edited his speech, but still it was lengthy, buti na lang at nakakatawa in parts, such as when he said the event really had to be mounted in broad daylight, or it would have been hard to see Binay. The comment reminded me of the stealthy crack-of-dawn proclamation of Gloria Arroyo and Noli de Castro in 2004, and I realized that was the other point of the quip, to remind us of the presidency stolen from Fernando Poe Jr. The outgoing senator dutifully took note of the flaws in the automated election system. Talaga namang while we appreciate the speedy poll count, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and supplier Smartmatic still have a lot of explaining to do. House Majority Floor Leader Arturo Defensor made passing mention of the need to amend the Constitution, particularly relating to elections. I believe he meant the long, long roster of party-lists and I agree. The party-lists will have to be limited to the truly marginalized, alisin na diyan ang mga pro-Arroyo groups, like Mikey Arroyo purporting himself to be representing security guards, imagine that. This lola hopes that soon after the euphoria of the proclamation dies down the new government resolves the nitty-gritty and goes down to “brass tacks,” as the cliché-ridden are wont to say, para hindi na uli ganito sa elections of 2013.... MORE     Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100611com4.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Keep your hair on FRONTLINE Letter to VP Jojo Binay FEATURE Putin: Too early to predict my future NO HOLDS BARRED Wasting the celebration SILVER LINING Erap’s humble acceptance DIE HARD III Proclamation: A meaningless ritual