IS SHOOTING WAR BETWEEN THE INTERNATIONAL HEGEMONS IN THE OFFING?

By Bayawanon

The South China Sea does not belong to anyone since it is considered as international waters, because it is classified as international waters every foreign vessel has the right to navigate it. China has long been flexing her muscles on the South China Sea by way of annexing islands being claimed by small neighboring countries at the Spratly group of islands which lie on the said disputed sea. Because of China's domination over the said waters, it seems like she already personally own the same therefore undermining the freedom of navigation of international vessels under different foreign flags.

The international community knows that the Philippines won a legal battle over China in the International Arbitration on the Law of the Seas thereby rendering the claims of China over the said disputed waters moot and academic, but China continues her arrogance by not honoring the judgment of the international arbiters and by relying solely on its super power status as a matter of fact its navy continually patrols the Spratlys and the aforementioned international disputed waters.

In view of this development, it is very clear that the freedom of navigation of many countries which indulge in commerce are highly affected, hence the freedom of navigation and to indulge in international business by some big countries to name a few like the United States, Japan, Australia, Canada, India, Britain, the European Union, etc.,etc. are clearly affected since the Chinese Coastguard and Navy are unequivocally and clearly acting as the international traffic policeman of the said waters.

The economy of the countries plying by way of the South China Sea are clearly affected because of the show of force China is imposing thereat and for them to regain the status quo, they have to ask China to respect International Law and the ruling of the International Arbitral Court of the Law of the Sea IN RE : China vs. the Philippines. Just recently the United States is asking China to respect the same internationally recognized statute and ruling or suffer the consequences of her defiance of such law and decision.

In conjunction to this we should collectively pray that China must follow the internationally accepted principles of the United Nations since the United States and her allies may declare war against her on the grounds being taken and discussed above. We must firmly pray that China will soon step aside her so-called rights over the above-mentioned international waters for her insistence to lord over the South China Sea may result to a shooting war between her and the United States, the two leading HEGEMONS on planet Earth which can be also be a torch for a possible Third World War.

TIME TO CHANGE SOME PAGES OF PHILIPPINE HISTORY?

By Bayawanon

Due to the advent of the hero's burial of the former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and due to the support he is gaining nationally especially by the millennials who did not witness the horrors of Martial Law, I suppose that they have the right to CHANGE PHILIPPINE HISTORY, but who would believe the REVISED Philippine History then when the world witnessed the Philippines being mishandled by Marcos during his reign as president, dictator and strongman for more than twenty years?

Before Marcos assumed power in 1965, the Philippines had a foreign loan of only six hundred (600) million dollars, when he left power almost twenty one years after, the outstanding foreign debt of the Philippines was a gargantuan twenty five (25) billion dollars. It is true that he made some gigantic edifices like the Heart Center of the Philippines, Philippine Kidney Center, Light Rail Transit, San Juanico Bridge etc, but such constructions cannot explain the 24.4 billion dollars the Philippines got from foreign loans during his time.

Marcos was charged for looting the government after he left office as president to the tune of ten (10) billion dollars, such larceny can be corroborated by the seizures of some parts of it by way of the Presidential Commission on Good Government, but his supporters would justify his WEALTH by way of some videos not inspected and affirmed by historians saying that he was really RICH before he entered politics and that because of his so-called accomplishments he can be considered as the best president the Philippines ever had. Now, which one shall we believe, the Philippine History being written by the scholars and historians or the "EVIDENCES" not corroborated by history researchers which are being circulated by his family and supporters?

HISTORICAL REVISION MAY LEAD TO POLITICAL SLAVERY

By Bayawanon

How can a country improve when its people do not know its history? How can a country improve when its people cannot even discern what is a lie from a truth in a historical perspective? I believe that history is the mirror of the past and a vehicle going to the future, but how can we mirror back the past and go successfully to the future when facts of history can easily be fabricated and the same can simply be bought?

When historical facts can be fabricated it means that history can simply be revised, when history is revised without further research and investigation on the part of the public it means that there is something wrong with the people. If there is something wrong with the people because they don't care about there history then they're going to nowhere.

Our national history is also our national identity, if we don't know our history then we don't know ourselves. If we permit powerful and influential people to change part/s of our national history in favor of the personal glory of the few, then we are nothing but a group of ignorant falling as preys to the aristocrats.

Will we permit ourselves to be the laughing stock of the world by letting the few change our history thereby changing our national identity? Will we continue our minds to be poisoned by the few whose only aim and purpose to change our history is to grab power again? I hope we won't let ourselves be enslaved again and I hope further that our IGNORANCE won't be the reason why we would then be under another POLITICAL SLAVERY.

THE DUE PROCESS AND EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSES OF THE PHILIPPINE CONSTITUTION MUST BE FOLLOWED

By Bayawanon

Art. 3 Section 1 of the Philippine Constitution provides "No person shall be deprived of his life, property or liberty without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the law."
In connection to the aforementioned provision of the constitution of the Philippine Republic, does the commendable drug war of the present national leadership in line with the basic law of the land? I believe that the answer must be in the negative since the same national policy is not in line with the due process and equal protection clauses of the Philippine Constitution.

The due process clause of the Philippine Constitution unequivocally provides "No person shall be deprived of his life, property or liberty without due process of law", this constitutional clause is clearly violated by the authorities since the drug suspects nowadays usually cannot reach the courts for they are already executed on the ground that they are drug suspects, that they have allegedly possessed drugs and guns and that they fought back against the authorities. How can they show cause or how can they show their innocence when they are already judged and even executed extra-judicially?

The equal protection clause of the Philippine Constitution which also forms part of Art. 3. Sec. 1 also provides " nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the law", in relation to this, does this constitutional clause also being properly observed by the proper authorities enforcing the law IN RE : DRUG WAR vis-a-vis other crimes? The answer would still be in the negative since the war against criminality is almost limited only to the drug problem of the country. In order for this national policy in getting rid of drugs not to be in violation of the equal protection clause of the constitution, everyone being caught violating the law shall be executed without defending themselves in court too.
Every violator of the law like the drug addicts, drug pushers, drug protectors, prostitutes, pimps, corrupt government employees, thieves, smugglers, tax evaders, wife beaters, rapists, murderers etc.etc. shall be executed outside of the law too because in the eyes of the law all kinds of criminals are equal. Executing the drug addicts and drug pushers ONLY without due process of law would negate the equal protection clause of the constitution for it would make the other classes of criminal special over the drug criminals, hence the war against drugs is actually PURELY AND SIMPLY not in consonance with the constitution.

In conjunction to this, I propose that the state should not just limit itself on its war on drugs, instead there must be a WAR AGAINST CRIMINALITY, but the existing laws like the constitution, the revised penal code, the rules on criminal procedure, the rules on evidence and other special penal laws shall be observed properly in fighting the same for we are living in a government of laws and not of men.