I Beg Your Pardon

Erap is now a free man. Do you agree with his being pardoned? I don't know about you but I feel kind of ambivalent about the whole thing. There's the side that thinks about forgiveness and there's the side that is resigned to the fact that people can do almost about anything in our country, the Philippines, and get away with it.

You can never really believe anything that you hear or read in this country. Just a few months ago, Erap's camp was talking about never asking GMA for pardon. There was even a statement that Erap was ready to go over to Muntinlupa if necessary.

Just a few days ago though, we have Erap thanking GMA for pardoning him. I guess the fact that his mother is very sick had much to do with the way things went.

Expectedly, various groups in the country look at the pardon differently. The Erap supporters, of course, are happy. The militant groups, as always, are up in arms. Do you think GMA pardoned Erap so that when the time comes and if ever she is put in the same situation, the leader that comes after her will also be as forgiving?

Oh well. Life goes on. If Erap is free and he has not acknowledged that he has done anything wrong, what is there to pardon? If there is nothing to pardon then should GMA still be in Malacanang?

Heads I Win, Tails You Lose

Everyone was awaiting the Sandiganbayan's decision on Erap's case today. Guilty or not guilty, either way, there will be unhappy, disgruntled Filipinos. Actually, it was both not guilty and guilty. Not guilty on perjury, guilty for plunder.

Uncertainty is in the air and already, we see the peso slipping and the stock market? We'll see how it goes. This has been a long-drawn fight (six years?) and over that time, our views of the participants and involved people may have changed somewhat. A guilty verdict, will probably be easier for most people (although that is not the point and shouldn't be) while a not guilty decision would have been more complicated and troublesome.

We still await the next move of Erap's lawyers but this fight is closer to the end as I see it. Fights are never really meant to last. We have seen it happen in politics and in life -- sometimes the very person you fought with may be the same person you will need or thank tomorrow.

Which brings me to the Pinoy blogosphere which is beginning to look more like a microcosm of Philippine society as the days go by. It has started to have its share of fights due to differing views, semantics, the way a comment was worded, etc., etc. This much I know, bloggers are passionate people... and when you are passionate about anything...things start to heat up.

As in life and politics, in the blogosphere, it is tricky to know how and when to start a fight, how to sustain it, when to end it and when to move on to next fight or issue once your traffic starts to wane. =)

Personally, I never did like fights. It's too draining. So, since energy and resources are not unlimited, it is wise to pick your fights carefully. Not all battles are worth the effort. The person you despise or do battle with today may be the one who may help you tomorrow. After all, b(i)log ang mundo.

Peace!