NINOY AQUINO: THE FAITH BEHIND THE HERO

 

“If I’m killed, I’ll be with Jesus.” – Ninoy Aquino, smiling, to Charles Colson

Every August 21, we mark the day Ninoy Aquino was gunned down on the tarmac – a moment that cracked open the soul of a nation and lit the fuse of People Power. But beyond the yellow ribbons, the grainy footage, and the political debates, there’s a quieter Ninoy I met – not in person, but in spirit. Not through headlines, but through an old book I stumbled upon in a dusty Booksale outlet. That’s where I found a quote that changed everything for me: “If I’m killed, I’ll be with Jesus.”

It wasn’t just a line. It was a revelation. And its significance was buried – ignored by the secular press, dismissed by the political pundits, and forgotten by a nation too busy arguing over whether Ninoy was a hero or a schemer. But to me? He was something else entirely.

Born Again in a Prison Cell

In a chance encounter aboard a plane, Ninoy met Charles Colson – the Watergate convict turned Christian author. Their conversation, recorded in Colson’s Kingdoms in Conflict, revealed a Ninoy few had ever known. Bitter, broken, and betrayed in prison, Ninoy had reached the end of himself. His mother sent him Colson’s memoir Born Again, and something enkindled. He devoured the Bible. He wept. He knelt. And in that prison cell, he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ.

It wasn’t political. It wasn’t strategic. It was personal. It was spiritual. It was real.

Like Colson, Ninoy found strength in surrender. He discovered joy in brokenness. And he emerged from that cell not just with a renewed sense of purpose – but with peace. The kind of peace that lets a man smiled and say, “If I’m killed, I’ll be with Jesus.”

A Grain of Wheat Must Fall

I, too, have once walked that path. As I shared in my ATABAY article The Old Has Passed Away, The New Has Come, my own conversion came not in prison cell, but in a vault of pride – career, resumé, family, success, all neatly stacked. Until crisis cracked it open. Until an imagined imminent mortality stared me down. Until I fell like a grain of wheat to the ground.

That journey transformed me. It helped me see Ninoy differently - not through the lens of politics, but through the heart of shared spiritual kinship.

A Nation Divided, A Legacy Remembered

Today, our nation is torn – not by bullets or bayonets, but by hashtags and headlines. By Facebook memes and social media charges. By a war of words that rages not in the streets, but in the comment sections of our collective consciousness.

On one side stand the pro-DDS, the Duterte Diehard Supporters, still fiercely loyal to the extrajudicial killing legacy of the former president. They speak of discipline, order, and the kind of leadership that doesn’t flinch in the face of bloodbath. For them, strength is virtue, and silence is complicity.

On the other side rises the pro-BBM (Bongbong Marcos) camp, rallying behind the son of a former dictator, now rebranded in the hues of unity. They speak of moving on, of revising history. For them, legacy is inheritance, and redemption is a family affair.

And then, at the periphery – but never silent – are the Pinkalawans, the remnants of the opposition, the torchbearers of the EDSA spirit. They speak of truth, transparency, and the moral compass of democracy. For them, memory is sacred, and forgetting is betrayal.

Each camp claims patriotism. Each camp claims the future. And in the middle stands Pinoy – bewildered, battered, and bombarded by narratives that clash louder than a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal in a marching band.

Two Facets of Ninoy’s Legacy

Marking the direful day Ninoy was assassinated, all sides – despite their differences – spare no effort in flipping through his legacy.

On one side, the orthodox view portrays Ninoy as a calculating figure – seeing in his return to Manila a bold opportunity to succeed Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. It suggests ambition as his compass, risk as his currency.

On the other side, the quintessential view honors Ninoy as a martyr whose assassination ignited national outrage and sowed the seeds of democracy. His death, awakened a sleeping nation and gave birth to a movement.

Thus, Ninoy – on one side, an opportunist; on the other, a hero.

But in the cacophony of debate, I choose a different lens. I choose to see Ninoy not through the eyes of politics, but through the eyes of faith.

He was a man who suffered. A man who surrendered. A man who found Jesus in the darkest of places. And when he stepped off that plane in 1983, he wasn’t just returning to Manila. He was walking into destiny – with peace in his heart and Jesus in his lips: “If I’m killed, I’ll be with Jesus.”

He Is My Brother

As we remember Ninoy, I’ll whisper a prayer for a man who showed me that faith isn’t just for the pulpit – it’s for the prison cell, the political arena, the tarmac, and the heart of every Pinoy searching for meaning.

Ninoy wasn’t perfect. None of us are. But he was reborn. And in that rebirth, he found courage, clarity, and conviction. That’s the Ninoy I know. That’s the Ninoy I honor.

And that is the legacy I choose to remember.

He is my brother.

Content & editing put together in collaboration with Bing Microsoft AI-powered Co-pilot

Head collage photos courtesy of Ylanite Koppers @ pexels.com, Shutterstock, Instagram, Getty Images, Flickr, & Panay News, Adobe Stock

Still photos courtesy of Goodreads, Vecteezy, Getty Images, Instagram, Pngtree, CNA, Behance, & Arts and Travel Magazine

OF JET SKIS AND DEEPFAKES: WHEN SATIRE SPEAKS AND SILENCE HURTS

 

What happens when the punchline becomes policy, and the parody outpaces the truth?

A jet ski promise once made the nation laugh – until we realized the joke’s on us.

A deepfake scandal once made headlines – until we saw whose dignity was being digitally dismantled.

This piece is about our country that mistook mockery for strength, and about a family that bore the brunt of our collective forgetting.

It’s not just about what was said.

It’s about what we chose to believe, and who we chose to betray.

In the theater of Philippine politics, satire is often dismissed as noise – until it hits a nerve. And when it does, the reaction reveals more than the joke itself. What follows is not just a critique of selective outrage, but a reckoning with how humor, cruelty, and silence have been weaponized in unequal measure.

Let’s begin with a skit, a scandal, and the uncomfortable truths they expose.

THE JOKE That Shook The DDS

Recently, Vice Ganda found herself in the crosshairs of the Duterte Diehard Supporters (DDS) for a satirical skit poking fun at the infamous jet ski promise of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The punchline? A playful jab at the political theatrics. The reaction? A tsunami of condemnation from DDS, who suddenly discovered their moral compass – only, it seems, when the joke’s on them.

WHEN THE JOKE Isn’t A Joke

Let’s talk about hurt. Real hurt. Not bruised egos from late-night comedy, but the kind that scars families and shatters dignity.

Take Aika Robredo, daughter of former Vice President Leni Robredo. In the heat of the 2022 campaign, Aika became the target of a vile deepfake pornographic video – her face superimposed onto another woman’s body using AI. It was cruel, calculated, and cowardly. And it wasn’t satire. It was violence.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas offered words of comfort to Aika.

I could only imagine Leni, as a mother, wailing silently into the void: "What have I done to you?”

Her cry, though unspoken, mirrors a deeper lament – a soliloquy of suffering that transcends politics and pierces the soul. It’s the same silent cry of Jesus - betrayed, brutalized, and nailed on the cross.

In those lines, we hear not just divine sorrow, but the human ache of being vilified despite service, mocked despite sacrifice, and crucified by the very people one ought to uplift.

Leni’s journey – marked by dignity, restraint, and quiet courage – was met not with reasoned debate, but with venomous ridicule. Her daughter Aika, dragged into the mud through a deepfake assault, bore the brunt of a political machine that weaponized shame. And still, they stood. Not with vengeance, but with grace.

“What have I offended you?” This is not just Leni’s lament. It is the cry of every woman who served with integrity and was repaid with cruelty. It is the echo of every truth-teller who dared to speak and was silenced. It is the question we must all ask – not of them, but of ourselves.

GALAWANG SINDIKATO: A Pattern of Political Violence

Former Senator Leila de Lima, herself a victim of similar attacks in 2016, called it out for what it was: Galawang Sindikato. (It’s what the syndicates do.)

And yet where was the outrage then? Where were the DDS defenders of decency when Aika’s dignity was dragged through the mud? When Leni was branded “madumb,” “lutang,” “tanga,” “utal-utal”? When disinformation flooded the campaign trail, painting Bongbong and Sara tandem in glowing hues while Leni was smeared with venom?

According to Tsek.ph, a fact-checking coalition of 34 academic and media institutions, the disinformation was not random – it was strategic. Leni’s words were twisted, fabricated, weaponized. Meanwhile, the UniTeam basked in the sunshine of algorithmic adoration.

WHAT ARE DEEPFAKES And Why Should We Care

Deepfakes are digitally manipulated videos that use AI to superimpose one person’s face onto another’s body. Originally developed for entertainment and visual effects, they’ve now become tools for harassment, political sabotage, and sexual exploitation.

SPEAK When It Matters Most

Dear ATABAY Reader, satire is not the enemy. If we only speak up when our side is mocked and stay quiet when others are violated, we become complicit in the cruelty.

Let’s be better – not just louder when our side is mocked, but brave when others are harmed. If this article resonates with you, share it. Let it spark conversations about digital ethics, political accountability, and the kind of leadership we deserve.

Speak up for those who’ve been silenced by deepfake abuse and disinformation, especially women whose dignity has been weaponized for political gain. And when satire dares to speak truth to power, defend it – not because it’s perfect, but because it’s necessary.

In a time when silence is often safer, choosing to speak is an act of courage.

EPILOGUE: The Wake After The Waves

The jet ski stunt was never meant to land. The deepfake hit its mark.

Truth didn’t just float – it was shoved under, while trolls threw confetti.

And the crowd cheered, not knowing they’d paid for the show.

But the tide has a habit of turning.

And when it does, it won’t be the memes that survive –

It will be the receipts.

Content & editing put together in collaboration with Bing Microsoft AI-powered Co-pilot

Head collage photos courtesy of South China Morning Post & Behance & Metro; design by Canva

Still photos courtesy of Brainy Quote, Reddit, Pngtree, Pxfuel, Adobe Stock, & Vecteezy

TWIN DAMOCLES SWORDS OF SARA: POLITICAL ODYSSEY IN PERIL

 

The Senate may have tucked the impeachment papers into a drawer labeled Locked Up Forthwith, however, Vice President Sara Duterte’s political weather forecast still reads: stormy with a chance of subpoenas.

Two Damoclean swords remain suspended – one courtesy of Congress, the other sharpened in The Hague – dangling like Mary Grace Piattos and Jay Kamote scribbled on receipts to justify P612.5 million in confidential funds. Over her 2028 ambitions, they hover not with grace, but with the greasy fingerprints of impunity.

Welcome to the ATABAY sequel, where silence isn’t golden – it’s just heavily lawyered. We trace the fault lines beneath the hush, the legal acrobatics, and yes, the elephant still lounging in the courtroom.

Politics, legacy, and peril converge in a high-stakes odyssey. Read on as the unravelling begins.

Two Ominous Swords

When the Senate archived VP Sara’s impeachment case, many thought the storm had passed. But in truth, the thunder merely paused. Recall the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling: it “does not absolve petitioner Duterte from any of the charges.” Even President Bongbong Marcos clarified his position that the SC ruling did not resolve Sara Duterte’s accountability: “The Supreme Court decision does not have any bearing on the rightness or wrongness of the merits of the case.”

Beneath the surface of procedural jargon and partisan applause, two ominous blades continue to hover above VP Sara – one forged in the contentious halls of Congress, the other sharpened in the solemn chambers of the International Criminal Court (ICC)

These are the twin Damoclean swords that now define her political odyssey: the impeachment case that refuses to fade into quiet irrelevance, and the looming Hague proceedings against her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte (PRRD). Each casts its own shadow – legal, moral, and symbolic. But together, they threaten to reshape the very contours of her 2028 presidential ambitions, turning what was once a confident ascent into a perilous balancing act.

Sword One: The Impeachment That Refuses to Fade

While the Senate has shelved the case, the SC, on the other hand, remains entangled in a motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives. The delay, cloaked in legal technicalities – such as the hair-splitting over the word forthwith – has wounded the two institutions that meant to uphold justice. Instead, they’ve become sanctuaries of ambiguity.

Public backlash has been swift and unforgiving. Legal luminaries, academic voices, lawyers’ groups, and ordinary citizens have spoken in unison. Nearly 9 out of 10 Filipinos want VP Sara to address the impeachment charges against her and clear her name of corruption allegations, a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey reveals. The credibility of both the Senate and the SC has taken a hit, their perceived impartiality now questioned by the very people they serve.

Sword Two: The Hague Case Looms

This coming September 23, the ICC begins its proceedings against PRRD for alleged crimes against humanity. While VP Sara is not on trial, the political and moral proximity as a daughter is undeniable. The recent legal maneuvers to shield her from impeachment have further reinforced public perception of the Duterte brand: a legacy of legal weaponization and institutional manipulation.

Exhibit A: “I don’t understand what the prosecution is trying to do! Put me in triple jeopardy after nearly 7 years in unjust detention? Hindi na lang katawa-tawa ang ginawa nila, nakakagalit na,” Leila De Lima vented after the Department of Justice withdrew the appeal of the prosecutors. “Nila” refers to these pro-Duterte prosecutors who wanted her conviction on the trumped-up illegal drug charges arising from her being the arch-enemy of PRRD and his now-infamous war on drugs.

The Hague case sharpens the second sword, not just through association, but through the emboldening of complainants who now figure out clearly a Duterte machine pattern, a precedent, and a scheme. Thus, like it or not, the stacks of evidence grow increasingly. The testimonies solidify perforce. And the shadow lengthens.

The Elephant in the Courtroom

Let’s not pretend the courtroom is empty. Twelve of the Supreme Court justices were appointed by PRRD. A majority of the Senate is his political allies. The architecture of power remains intact, even as the façade begins to crack.

Despite the celebratory noise from the Duterte Diehard Supporters (DDS), the reality is stark: VP Sara’s impeachment case is not resolved – it’s metastasizing – swelling and burgeoning from one part of the body to another. The longer it’s delayed, the more corrosive it becomes – the more torturous the agony of VP Sara and the nation as the impeachment process prolongs. And with the Hague case on the horizon, her political future is not just uncertain – it’s increasingly untenable.

Sara’s Road to 2028 Is Paved with Shadows

In the theater of Philippine politics, silence is rarely neutral. It is often choreographed, weaponized, and sold as stability. But beneath the hush lies a growing disquiet – a public that sees through the curtains: a Supreme Court and a Senate that risk losing their moral compass, and a political figure whose ascent is haunted by the ghosts of legacy and law.

If acquitted, as the pro-Duterte Senate is widely expected to ensure, Vice President Sara may yet chart a course toward the 2028 presidential race. But should she choose to run, she will not do so unburdened. She will move forward beneath the twin shadows of unresolved scrutiny and lingering doubt - each Damoclean sword suspended by the thinnest thread of public trust.

As she takes each step on that perilous stormy road, it will not be in solitude. A nation wearied yet watchful will be trailing close behind, measuring not just her ambition, but the moral weight it carries.

Content and editing put together in collaboration with Microsoft Bing AI-powered Co-pilot & Grammarly

Head photo courtesy of Microsoft Bing AI-powered Co-pilot, design by Canva

Still photos courtesy of EHEM Instagram, Rappler, ChatGPT Image Creator, ICC, & Stock Cake

APPLAUDING CORRUPTION: WHEN SHAME GETS STANDING OVATION

 

I watched the 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA) unfold on television, not merely as a citizen, but as a witness to a paradox. What I saw was not simply a political gathering, but a quiet unraveling of our collective conscience.

Within the grand hall, applause echoed amongst the revered and the reviled, as if virtue and vice had become interchangeable masks in the theater of power.

The speech resonated with promises and pride, but beneath the surface lay a troubling silence: the scarcity of accountability, the normalization of impunity.

This article is not a critique of policy. It's here to call out the hypocrisy and the dangerous ease with which we've learned to cheer for the very things that should make us weep.

Mahiya Naman Kayo

President Bongbong Marcos (BBM) in his 2025 SONA delivered at long last what should have been a moment of moral reckoning:

"Huwag na po tayong magkunwari. Alam naman ng buong madla na nagkaka-racket sa mga proyekto." [applause and cheers]

"Mahiya naman kayo sa mga kabahayan nating naanod o nalubog sa mga baha!"

"Mahiya naman kayo lalo sa mga anak natin na magmamana sa mga utang na ginawa ninyo, na binulsa nyo lang ang pera." [applause and cheers]

And then – BBM! BBM! BBM! BBM! BBM! BBM!

Not silence. Not awkward shifting in seats. Not the kind of contemplative stillness that guilt sometimes demands. No, it was applause. Loud, confident, and perfectly executed. The very people being called out clapped as if they were congratulating themselves for being publicly shamed with flair.

2023: Build Better More, Clap Louder Still

Flashback to the 2023 SONA, when BBM proudly declared:

“And thus, with this in my heart, I know that the state of the nation is sound, and is improving.”

BBM’s choice of the word “sound” seemed to scoff at this CNN headline then: PH ranks 116th [out of 180 countries] in global corruption index.

In that two-year-old SONA, BBM said:

“One of the keys to continuing economic growth is infrastructure development. Our 8.3-trillion peso Build Better More Program is currently in progress and being vigorously implemented.” [applause and cheers]

It was a moment of triumph – until you placed it side by side with words of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, whose exposé peeled back the curtain on the infrastructure circus:

“The way they disposed of it is institutional. Some congressmen have several projects and roads but the bidding was rigged. You can check the profile of some legislators and LGU executives – many of them are contractors and suppliers. They get a percentage and they also get the projects as contractors.”

In short: the applause was for a program where half the budget might be lost to corruption, and the other half to mediocrity. If applause were a currency, it was being spent lavishly on illusion.

The Applause Paradox: When Shame Gets a Big Hand

So, what does it mean when applause follows a public shaming?

It means we’ve entered the realm of performative morality, where clapping is no longer a gesture of agreement but a reflex of self-preservation. In Philippine political arena, applause is the new camouflage. It’s how you blend in when the spotlight turns accusatory. It’s how you say, “I’m not guilty,” without saying anything at all.

It’s the laugh track in a tragic sitcom - the canned cheer in a terrible talent show.

Silence: The Truth We’re Afraid to Hear

Imagine if, instead of applause, the hall had fallen silent. Imagine the weight of those words – “Mahiya naman kayo” – landing without the cushion of clapping hands. Silence would have been uncomfortable. Telling. Honest.

But silence is dangerous in political theater. It suggests critical thought. It implies guilt. And so, applause becomes the safer choice. The louder the claps, the deeper the cover-up.

A Nation at the Bottom, Applauding from the Top

The Philippines ranks among the worst in ASEAN for corruption and poverty. One in every four Filipinos lives below the poverty line. And yet, inside the halls of power, applause flows freely – like champagne at a party thrown by pickpockets.

This is not just a political problem. It’s a cultural one. A moral one. A spiritual one. We have learned to clap for shame, to cheer for contradiction, to celebrate the very things that betray us.

So, the next time applause erupts in a congressional hall, ask yourself: Is it the sound of conviction – or the sound of complicity?

Because in a nation where applause follows accusations, where shame is met with ovation, and where silence is the only honest reaction left, we must begin to listen not to the noise, but to its absence.

Mythos from Maestros

Consider Gustav Mahler and Felix Mendelssohn, two composers who requested that their symphonies be played without breaks between movements. Why? Because applause, however, well-meaning, disrupted the emotional arc. It severed the soul’s journey mid-thought. It turned reflection into interruption.

Mahler feared that clapping would fracture the fragile tension he so carefully built. Mendelssohn wanted the listener to remain immersed, uninterrupted, in the unfolding truth of the music. They understood that some moments are too sacred for applause. That silence, sustained, is sometimes the only way to honor what’s been revealed.

Time to Listen and Reflect

In the theater of our politics, we’ve forgotten the quiet wisdom that once guided conscience. We no longer clap to honor truth – we clap to outrun it. Applause has become our shield, our smokescreen, our way of severing the moral arc before it reaches the heart. Each ovation interrupts the soul’s journey, replacing reflection with reflex, and conviction with choreography.

So, maybe, in a time when noise is mistaken for virtue, the most courageous act left is not to clap.

Not out of indifference, but out of awakening. Not in protest, but in presence. Not because we have nothing to say, but because we are finally ready to listen.

“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.” – Rumi

In that silence, truth is no longer drowned – it is heard. And, perhaps, that is where healing begins.

Content & editing put together in collaboration with Bing Microsoft AI-powered Co-pilot & Grammarly

Head photo courtesy of ChatGPT Image Creator, design by Canva

Still photos courtesy of YouTube, Baguio Herald Express Homepage, Getty Images, Pinterest, The Star Graphics, Transparency International, Shutter stock

DANCING ANGEL & TIPTOEING ELEPHANT: INSIDE SARA'S IMPEACHMENT RULING

 

Curtain Raiser

In a ruling that feels more like choreography than jurisprudence, the Supreme Court’s handling of Sara Duterte’s impeachment dances between legal nuance and political theater. This article unpacks the delicate footwork behind the decision, where angel twirls on legal pinhead and elephant tiptoes through a constitutional minefield.

The Ruling, the Backlash, and the Spectacle

Have you been following the media coverage of the Supreme Court (SC) ruling on Sara Duterte’s impeachment and its backlash? If so, you might have stumbled into what feels less like a legal proceeding and more like a courtroom-themed drama – complete with robes, rhetoric, and a plot twist worthy of primetime television.

It all began with this ruling:

“The Supreme Court En Banc on July 25, 2025, declared the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte unconstitutional, noting that it is barred by the one-year rule under Article XI, section 3(5) blah… blah… blah.”

And in no time, the backlash rolled in.

Prominent lawyers and constitutional experts lined up to call foul. The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), which includes Senior Associate Justice Leonen among its alumni, called the ruling “grossly unfair” and “a violation of the Constitution.”

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said the SC had “departed from the Constitution.”

Former Chief Justice Panganiban suggested a Status Quo Ante order and oral arguments. Christian Monsod, one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, said the SC may need to “correct itself.” And former Associate Justice Carpio? He warned that the SC had crossed into political territory where it had no business being.

At this point, dear ATABAY readers, do you have an iota of an idea what’s happening?

Let me give you a piece of my mind - not as a lawyer (I’m an engineer), but as a writer and a chess player. Let’s connect the dots, get the pieces moving, and figure out what’s going on behind the velvet curtains of our political backstage.

Welcome to the Legal Festival

If you’ve been keeping up with Sara’s impeachment saga, you might feel like you’re watching a political carnival. It is complete with legal acrobatics and a chorus of experts debating whether angels can, in fact, dance on the head of a pin.

Yes, that’s the metaphorical question dominating the discourse: how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Because when the conversation becomes so obsessed with hair-splitting technicalities, the real issues start spinning out of sight.

The Spectacle of Legalese

Turn on any news channel or scroll through your feed, and you’ll find legal scholars locked in a technical war of words. They dissect precedents, parse constitutional clauses, and argue over procedural nuances with the precision of watchmakers. It’s impressive, no doubt – but also oddly theatrical.

This isn’t to say that legal rigor is unimportant. But when the debate becomes so granular that it loses sight of the broader implications, one begins to wonder: Is this legal scholarship or interpretive dance?

The Elephant in the Courtroom

While the angels twirl, a rather large elephant tiptoes through the courtroom – one that few seem willing to acknowledge. That elephant? The fact that 12 of the current Supreme Court justices were appointed by former President Duterte, whose daughter, Sara, is at the center of the impeachment controversy.

Now, malice aside, it’s not unreasonable for the public to raise an eyebrow. When a ruling directly affects the political future of the former president’s daughter, and the majority of the justices owe their robes to him, the optics alone are enough to make Lady Justice peek from under her blindfold.

A Fly in the Ointment

Even if we grant the ruling its legal legitimacy, there’s a lingering discomfort – a fly in the ointment, if you will. It’s the sense that something doesn’t quite sit right. That amid all the procedural purity and judicial eloquence, the ruling may be tainted by proximity, by legacy, by quiet loyalties.

It’s not an accusation. It’s a question. And questions - especially uncomfortable ones - are the lifeblood of democracy.

The Chessboard Beneath the Robes

Now, as a chess player, let me shift the metaphor. Behind the scenes, the real game played out.

Sara, the queen on the board, faced a threat. The impeachment was a challenge to her position, a potential disruption to the dynasty’s continuity. And the SC's ruling? A defensive maneuver. A castling move to shield the queen and preserve the king’s legacy.

The knights – legal minions, leapt across media platforms, defending the ruling with elegant logic and selective precedent. The bishops – moral supporters, blessed the decision, urging trust in the institution.

And the pawns? The Filipino people. We moved slowly, one square at a time, asking questions, voicing dissent. But on this board, pawns are expendable. Their outrage is absorbed, their momentum redirected.

Yet pawns hold potential. Reach the other side, and they transform. That’s the latent power of civic awareness.

The Masquerade of Legitimacy

The brilliance of this dual metaphor lies in its deception.

The SC performs justice while playing politics. It speaks in the language of law while moving in the logic of power. It wears robes but holds pieces. It dances while it calculates.

And the audience? We’re caught between awe and suspicion. We want to believe in the sanctity of the stage, but we see the fingerprints on the board.

When the Stage Collapses and the Board Tilts

What happens when the performance falters? When the choreography reveals its strings? When the chessboard tilts and the pieces slide?

Trust erodes.

Not just in one ruling, but in the institution itself. The SC risks becoming not the guardian of justice, but a player in a dynastic match – its moves predictable, its robes threadbare.

And in that moment, the Filipino people must choose: to remain spectators, or to rewrite the script and reset the board.

A Call to Consciousness

The angels may keep dancing. The pieces may keep moving. But the whole nation is awakening.

And if we listen closely – not just to the music, but to the silence between the notes – we may yet reclaim the stage. Or better yet, flip the board.

Content and editing put together in collaboration with Bing Microsoft AI-powered Co-pilot and Grammarly

Head image created by ChatGPT, Design by Canva

Still photos courtesy of The Metro Lawyer, ChaGPT Image Creator. NightCafe, Dreamstime.com, Adobe Stock

PROLONGING THE AGONY: SARA'S STORMY ROAD TO 2028

 

If Philippine politics were a teleserye, Sara Duterte’s journey would be the kind that makes viewers yell at their screens – equal parts suspense, betrayal, and existential dread. But unlike your average soap opera, this one comes with Supreme Court (SC) rulings, International Criminal Courts (ICC) trials, and a dynasty’s dream dangling on the edge of a constitutional cliff.

So here we are, dear ATABAY readers, watching the daughter of a former president navigate a road paved with disqualifications, broken alliances, and impeachment threats. The question isn’t just whether she’ll make it to 2028 – it’s whether our nation can stomach the journey without losing its last shred of trust.

A Dynasty’s Dream Deferred

It all began with a father’s dream. Rodrigo Duterte, flush with power and populist fervor, envisioned his daughter Sara as his successor in 2022. She led the presidential surveys, had the machinery, and carried the name. But then – plot twist – she ran for Vice President instead, hitching her wagon to Bongbong Marcos in a political marriage dubbed the UniTeam.

It was a union of convenience, not conviction. The perceived understanding? Marcos gets 2022, Sara receives 2028 - simple math. But in politics, equations rarely balance.

The Ghost of Marcos’ Disqualification Case

Enter the ghost of Marcos’ conviction. A disqualification loomed, threatening to upend the entire electoral outcome.

Had the Supreme Court ruled against him, Leni Robredo would have ascended to the presidency.

In basketball lingo, our nation’s SC missed the two-minute buzzer-beater disqualification slam dunk, which, oddly enough, is a DDS daydream today.

Contrast that with a bold precedent from India’s Supreme Court, which faced a similar dilemma and chose principle over popularity.

Indian constitutionalist Pratik Patnik put it best – his words struck a chord that still reverberates. The Court, he said, had composed “one of the best tunes to come out of its hallowed halls.”

This Indian ruling stands as a gold standard – a template of judicial courage that the Philippines, with its fragile justice system, might aspire to emulate.

The UniTeam Breakup: From Unity to Feud

Sad to say, political marriages, like real ones, don’t always last. The UnITeam fractured. Marcos and Duterte camps began trading barbs, and the alliance, once promising continuity, now reeked of betrayal.

Sara found herself isolated, her loyalty questioned, her future uncertain. And then came the impeachment charges.

The Impeachment Damocles Sword

The allegations were explosive: threats to assassinate Marcos, misuse of confidential funds, and whispers of secret bank accounts tied to her father, lurking like Pandora’s box, waiting to be pried open.

The impeachment has posed an existential political threat to Sara. But once again, like her guardian angel, the Supreme Court stepped in, ruling the process unconstitutional. 

A million-dollar question: Does that past lesson refer to the Marcos’ disqualification case, which happened to be not the right time to do the right thing in the right way?

Strange to say, both the past error and the correction now have politically safeguarded Sara Duterte.

Fair enough, the latest SC babysitting technicality ruling on her impeachment is not an absolution. The charges remain. The Damocles sword still hangs. It can be refiled next year - sharper and more lethal.

The Hague and the Second Damocles Sword

As if one sword weren’t enough, another looms: Rodrigo Duterte’s ICC trial for crimes against humanity. His detention at the Hague marked a symbolic rupture. The sins of the father now cast a long shadow over the daughter’s ambitions.

Two swords. One over her head, the other over her legacy.

Revival or Reprieve?

So, does the latest SC ruling on her impeachment signal a political revival for Sara Duterte? Or is it merely a way to prolong the agony – hers, and ours?

Revival suggests redemption. Reprieve suggests delay. And delay, in politics, often means the slow erosion of public trust. The longer the reckoning is postponed, the more corrosive the doubt becomes.

The Agony of Public Trust

Sara Duterte’s road to 2028 is less a campaign trail and more a gauntlet. Unresolved truths, judicial lifelines, and the ghosts of past political alliances haunt each step forward.

The real tragedy isn’t just whether Sara rises or falls. It’s whether the Filipino people, weary and wounded, can still believe in the possibility of accountability.

When we delay justice, and preserve power by technicalities, what we prolong isn’t just a politician’s agony – it’s the agony of a nation still waiting for closure.

Content & editing put together in collaboration with Bing Microsoft AI-powered Co-pilot & Grammarly

Head photo courtesy of Stock Cake, design by Canva

Still photos courtesy of IMT, Alchetron.com, Live Law, I stock, YouTube, ChatGPT image, & Adobe Stock

COLDPLAYGATE & DOLOMITEGATE: A TALE OF TWO SCANDALS

In the age of curated chaos, scandal has become our official soundtrack. It plays in boardrooms and beach fronts, in concert halls and congressional hearings. It’s the rhythm of revelation, the beat of betrayal, the chorus of collective gasp. We don’t just consume scandal – we remix it, meme it, suffix it.

And like any good pop song or political farce, it needs a hook. Enter Coldplaygate and Dolomitegate – two hits from different genres, both climbing the charts of public outrage. One is a ballad of betrayal caught on camera - the other, a bureaucratic beach party that turned into a floodgate in opera.

So, tune in, dear ATABAY Readers. The gates are open.

Welcome to the Age of Gatekeeping

Once upon a time, Watergate was just the name of a swanky hotel. Then came the break-in, the tapes, the presidential resignation – and suddenly, gate became the universal suffix for scandal. Fast-forward to today, and we’re drowning in gates. Some are open to corruption; others, to awkward intimacy. Some block literal water, others flood the internet with memes.

Internet memes

Storm in Coldplaygate and Dolomitegate – two scandals, one international and musical, the other national and political. One involves a kiss cam gone rogue, the other a beach made of crushed rock that may have turned Manila’s streets into canals. Both are now immortalized in the Hall of Fame great scandal suffix. And both, in their ways, reveal how public spectacle often masks deeper dysfunction.

Dolomitegate: When Sand Meets Storm Surge

In 2020, the Duterte administration decided that what Manila Bay needed wasn’t mangrove restoration or sewage overhaul – but a beach. A white one. Made of dolomite. Transported. Expensive. Melodramatic. As critics noted, about as valuable in flood mitigation as a paper umbrella in a typhoon.

Dolomite Beach

Fast forward to present: Manila floods. The MMDA points fingers at the dolomite beach, claiming it blocked three critical outfalls. The DENR, in turn, blames climate change – as if the rain itself conspired against their beachfront vision. Meanwhile, citizens wade through waist-deep water wondering if the P389 million spent on artificial beach could’ve bought, say, a working drainage system.

Sniffing around, Congress is now asking whether the dolomite project was even part of the official rehabilitation plan. Spoiler: it wasn’t. But it did make for a great DDS photo ops. And now, it makes for a great metaphor – Dolomitegate, where the sand meant to beautify the bay may have worsened the flooding of the city.

Manila flooding

Interestingly, we have a passage in the Bible tipping off the same foolishness of “a man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:26-27)

Coldplaygate: When the Kiss Cam Kisses Back

Meanwhile, in the U.S., Coldplay was serenading 65,000 fans when frontman Chris Martin decided to play cupid with a kiss cam. The camera focused on a man and woman who looked cozy – until they realized they were on screen. The man ducked. The woman turned away. Martin quipped, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

Turns out, they were having an affair. And they weren’t just any couple – they were the CEO and HR head of a tech firm called Astronomer. Both married. Both are now internet-famous. Byron resigned. Cabot vanished. And internet turned the moment into a meme buffet – sumsuman in Bisaya, pulutan in Tagalog, appetizer in English.

Internet's appetizer

Thus, Coldplaygate was born – a scandal where music met misconduct, and the kiss cam became a surveillance device. It’s a reminder that in the age of viral everything, even a concert can become a courtroom.

A Tale of Two Gates

So, what do these two scandals have in common?

Both involve public exposure – one literal, one metaphorical.

Both triggered institutional embarrassment – one in government, the other in corporate tech.

Both amplified by media frenzy, satire, and the irresistible allure of a good -gate.

And both, ultimately, reflect our collective obsession with naming and framing. We don’t just want accountability – we want it branded, hash-tagged, and meme-ready.

We’re All Gatekeepers 

Scandals, like maps, tell us where the fault lines lie. Coldplaygate raced the contours of privacy and power in the age of viral voyeurism. Dolomitegate charted the erosion of foresight beneath a layer of transported white sand. Both revealed what happens when spectacle replaces substance, and when institutions forget that optics don’t float.

But here’s the twist: every -gate is also a mirror. It reflects not just the missteps of the mighty, but the gaze of the many. We name these scandals not to bury them, but to brand them – because in naming, we claim a kind of control. We gatekeep the narrative.

So, let us be mapmakers of conscience. Let us draw the lines, not just around what went wrong, but around what must be made right.

And if that sounds too abstract, let me leave you with a fable I read a long time ago which I dredged up from the innermost recess of my memory.

The Fable of the Forgotten Gate

One day, the high-and-mighty organs of the human body held a bragging session. The brain flaunted its logic, the heart boasted of love and lifeblood, and the mouth waxed poetic about its power of speech. Each declared: “If I shut down, the body collapses.”

Out of nowhere, the butthole tried to speak.

Everyone laughed.

Embarrassed, the humble butthole quietly withdrew.

Days passed. The body began to bloat with waste. Energy faltered. Thought muddled. Breath strained. Doctors scratched their heads.

Finally, they discovered the truth: the butthole had shut itself down. The gate blocked, the system poisoned from the inside out.

The organs stopped laughing.

They had learned the hard way: you ignore the gate at your peril.

Dear Readers, let that fable be a cautionary tale – for Dolomitegate, for Coldplaygate, and for any body politic that treats minor players or messy truths as punchlines. Sometimes, the dirtiest floodgate is the most essential – and the stink it leaves behind is the cost of pride and neglect.

So, next time a -gate catches on, look beneath the headlines.

Something deeper down below might be clogging the flow.

Content and editing put together in collaboration with Bing Microsoft AI-powered Co-pilot and Grammarly

Head collage photos courtesy of Business Insider, Campaign Asia, YouTube, & Facebook; design by Canva

Still photos courtesy of St. Louis Cardinals, 23 XI Racing, Hyperallergic, Mayra@LePapillonBlu2, The Simpsons, financialexpress, Lego, Savanna Bananas, Day2Day Memes, The Metal Realm, Reddit, The Wall Street Journal, ABS-CBN, QuoteFancy, & Philstar