RP an angry social volcano

Unite to avert eruption, says Chief Justice

Filipinos should not even go through the motions of marking more than 100 years of freedom from Spanish rule if they continued to allow fragmentation rip the country apart, the Supreme Court Chief Justice said Friday.

“We have no reason to celebrate Independence Day under our situation at present. Let us heal the wounds of disunity,” Reynato Puno told celebrators on Friday as he led 111th Independence Day rites at the Bonifacio Shrine in Caloocan City (Metro Manila).

He likened the Philippines to “a restive volcano that could erupt anytime. Let us stop the impending eruption of a social volcano in our country.”

Puno said the people need not wait for a leader to effect needed reforms “for all of us can lead” under an undivided country.

“Itigil ang paglalaitan, ang pagbabastusan, ang paggamit ng mga malalaswang salita laban sa isa’t isa. Itigil ang pagsisiraan, ang pagwa­wasakan, ang pagtatapon ng putik sa pagkatao ng bawat isa. Itigil ang pagkakawatak-watak bilang Pilipino [Stop the condescension, the discourtesy, the use of foul language. Stop the badmouthing, the demolishing, the mudslinging. Stop the fragmentation],” the Chief Justice said.

“Let us all act. Let us heal the land. Let us heal the wound of disunity. Let us stop our bickering. We should not insult each other and stop washing our dirty linen in public. That is the first step [toward unity],” Puno added.

No political plans

Amid calls for him to run for president, according to the Chief Justice, he was always praying that he would not be tempted to try public office. “I always pray the Lord’s Prayer, lead me not into temptation.”

Still, he appealed for people empowerment through clean, honest and orderly elections.

Puno maintained that he has no plans to enter the political arena or join the presidential race next year even as he leads a group that would help educate the electorate in choosing the next president of the country. President Gloria Arroyo’s term ends in June 2010.

He said the Moral Force Movement that he had initiated is non-partisan, advocating only political reforms.

Puno added that he was committed to the judiciary and has no intention of cutting it short for political purposes.

All he wanted, he said, was to initiate necessary changes when he called for the movement, not expecting that it would help snowball calls for him to run for president in 2010.

Moral Force members

On April 7, the Chief Justice formed an eight-member core group that would lead his Moral Force Movement.

The group is composed of Henrietta de Villa, chairman of National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV); Msgr. Gerry Santos, director of Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines; retired Gen. Jaime Echeverria, president and chairman of Association of Generals and Flag Officers; Dr. Emerito Nacpil, retired bishop of United Methodist Church who now serves as director of Wesleyan College of Manila;

Dr. Milwida Guevarra, former Finance undersecretary and now director of Synergia Foundation; Andres Juan Bautista, dean of Far Eastern University Institute of Law; Marixi Prieto, chairman of Philippine Daily Inquirer; and Noorain Sab­dulla, an outstanding student from Nueva Ecija province.

The core group agreed to zero in on defining and electing transformational leaders in the 2010 elections.

Transformational leaders, as defined by Puno in his earlier speech, are those who inspire followers to transcend their self-interest for the sake of the organization or the greater whole. Transactional leaders, in contrast, motivate their followers by appealing to their self-interest.  –William B. Depasupil, Reporter, Manila Times