My mistake, giving Chiz Escudero the benefit of the doubt all through the “forthwith” furor. I imagined that he had valid reasons for delaying the trial. I actually thought that when the time came, he was capable of rising above the political fray and leveling up as presiding judge of the impeachment court a la Davide in 2000 and Enrile in 2012.
Instead, August 6 saw him and the bulk of 18 senators all set to dismiss the case. Puro pala sila DDS. Kapani-paniwala tuloy ang chizmiz that he seriously wants to run for president in 2028. Politics much?
Mabuti na lang at kumontra nang bongga sina Tito Sotto, Ping Lacson, at Risa Hontiveros, armed with arguments that forced the 18 to back down, though only a little, as in, archive na lang (mas maigi sana if they tabled it), habang hinihintay ang final ruling ng Supremes, hopefully only after hearing oral arguments of complainants and friends of the court.
AS ABOVE, SO BELOW
To people who are into astrology, the August 6 drama did not surprise: Mercury retrograde kasi — seen from planet Earth, itsura’y paatras ang galaw ng Mercury, the planet associated with the rational mind and everyday communications, kayâ paatras din at hindi pasulong o paabante ang galaw ng mga isip natin, senators and magistrates not exempted.
Siyempre nagulat ako, at naaliw, nang ungkatin ang Mercury retrograde sa Kwatro Alas kahapon. Diyatat “woke” pala these machos to cosmic and occult vibes? https://www.youtube.com/
MICHAEL FAJATIN: Maraming nagsasabi — di ko alam kung alam niyo ‘to, guys, kasi millennial ako eh. Yung mercury retrograde, have you heard about it?
ALAN GERMAN: Of course I have …
FAJATIN: Simple explanation, ang mercury retrograde daw, hindi ka dapat nagde-decide ngayon dahil affected ka …
GERMAN: Because of the tides, because of the tides, the planetary alignment, naaapektuhan ang ating mga tides, pati yung liquid sa ating brain daw, naaapektuhan ng tides daw, at sa ating utak…
FAJATIN: So ibig sabihin hindi magiging sigurado ang desisyon mo pag ngayon mo na [ginawa] ‘to?
GERMAN: Parang you are confused, ayon sa mga naniniwala.
RONALD LLAMAS: Kaya pala ganon yung August 6 sa senado! Naapekto yung ibig pahiwatig!
“Because of the tides … the tides … the planetary alignment”?!? The effects of Mercury retrograde have nothing to do with “tides” that are caused by the Moon’s gravitational pull kapag full moon (that came three days later pa, August 9 mismo while Kwatro Alas was broadcasting līve) when the alignment of Sun, Moon, and Earth heightens emotions and yes, brings on high tides and howling egos, but it’s fleeting, peaks quickly, and then dissipates.
Mercury retrograde, in contrast, is some three weeks long. Mercury has been moving paatras since July 18 and starts moving paabante today, August 11, though quite slowly for another week or so, bumubuwelo kumbaga, before moving on at its usual speed.
Fajatin got some of it right. When Mercury is retrograde it’s not a good time to make certain decisions. Lalo na on old issues, na akala natin ay tapos na, settled na, e hindi pa pala. Tipong paulit-ulit lang yung problema dahil paulit-ulit din lang, same-old same-old, ang solusyon natin. Mercury retrograde nudges us into rethinking, reviewing, reconsidering, how to handle things differently, break out of patterns that trap, para maiba rin ang patutunguhan, toward possibly better outcomes, when Mercury again moves forward.
BUT THEN AGAIN
Unfortunately, our issues are so deep-seated and find us so divided, there are no quick and easy solutions. Even if all the planets were wonderfully configured, kung hindi naman tayo handang kumilos as a united opposition for systemic change vs dynasties and oligarchs atbp., wala rin.
Which brings me back to Kwatro Alas and their kind of political commentary. For what it’s worth, hearts in the right place naman, these men, but stick to the stuff you truly know, guys. Otherwise, nakakahinayang ang loss of credibility. Also, we could do with a lot less self-approbation, na nakaka-turn-off. And a lot less laughter, please. The sad state of the nation is no laughing matter.