Ebdane heads to Defense

Tomorrow on the The Explainer on ANC: vote counting machines.

The afterglow of the latest Pacquiao victory continues (Jojo Robles says: politicians, please leave him alone). Afegard’s Chronicle comments on the fight (and it’s being posted on YouTube), betchay was thrilled by the President’s message, Orange Git lists the things non-watchers did. Some watchers, like Am I an Addict, or What?! got impatient with the commercial breaks. “would it be my fault if i could turn you on?” proclaims the shirt of the season: Pacquiao fashion (more from ExpectoRants). Although babybonniehood says a defeat would have been economic disaster. More serious boxing-related links from Newsstand.

The President who is enjoying an afterglow of her own from her huddle with President Bush, has time for a stopover in Singapore to court investors and for other, sundry, purposes, including perhaps, talking to bankers.

Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr. will be the next Secretary of National Defense. Newsbreak broke the story just a few minutes ago, and its sources are superb. News that former PNP chief Lomibao will replace Ebdane in turn for the public works portfolio further suggests the President is more comfortable with the police than over-reliance on the military. This has been a trend ever since the police were called in to break up protests last year, and to serve as a foil to discontent within the military (where a purge is taking place after all).

Legions to hold rally at Supreme Court on Thursday. Dan Mariano suggests their rhetoric does a disservice to their arguments. Fr. Joaquin Bernas, SJ insists an appeal is doomed and tackles the next question: Congress as a constituent assembly:

The Constitution also says that Charter change proposals must be approved by a vote of Congress. How is the three-fourths vote to be computed? Should it be three-fourths of each house or three-fourths of the total membership of both houses? There is no clear textual answer to this question. But there is no point now in lamenting the ambiguity of the text. The ambiguity is there. The ambiguity comes from both the text and from the practice of past bicameral congresses. How should it be read?

One cannot say that joint voting is the rule or that separate voting is the rule. There are instances in the Constitution when the text specifies one way or the other. But there are also instances when the manner of voting is not specified. When the situation is such that no clear textual solution is found in the document, other aids for interpretation must be resorted to. One possible aid is historical – bicameral congresses of the past voted separately. But this is not very helpful because the text of past constitutions for bicameral congresses specified separate voting.

Another aid is the structure of Congress itself and the reason for that structure. This, I find, is more persuasive. The structure is bicameral. The main underlying reason for that structure is that every decision which can affect the welfare of the people and the nation must undergo two separate scrutinies and two separate decisions. Thus, the ordinary mode of passing laws is through separate voting. This is true even when what is involved might just be the name of a city or town.

Certainly an amendment or revision of the Constitution is of utmost importance and can have a profound effect on people and nation. If minor legislative matters are required to be subjected to a double process of decision, certainly with greater reason, Charter change – for as long as Congress remains bicameral – must go through a double scrutiny.

An interesting historical conference on Mexico-Philippines relations.

An interview with Thaksin’s defense lawyer.

In the punditocracy, my column for today is Block voting. There are many definitions for block, or bloc, voting. The one I used was the voter having the option of writing only the name of a party on his ballot, and all candidates from that party being credited with a vote.

Gail Ilagan says Philippine Military Academy alumni are good at dodging bullets. The news suggests Honasan will play stool pigeon while Trillanes continues to cast moist eyes on the Senate.

Bong Austero praises Raul Rodrigo’s biography of Eugenio Lopez, Jr.

The China Post editorial says South Korea’s economy is stagnating even as Japan’s recovers some dynamism.

In the blogosphere, History Unfolding tries to come to grips with what’s really going on in Iraq. Another Hundred Years Hence on what we can learn from Mumbai’s housing policy. Torn & Frayed on Honasan the bizarro politico living a putchist’s Groundhog Day existence.

Rasheed’s World appeals for help for a Filipina artist.

A wiki for your bookmarks: Botante Kami!

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