This was the early part of the year, Feb. 10, 2020, classes in the 2nd semester had just opened (mid-January), the pandemic had not been declared — the topic was quo warranto proceedings etc. The Rules of Court and special proceedings and special civil actions, remedies, etc. were discussed the way any lawyer would discuss rules and precedents. During the almost 15-minute-long interview, the first 12 minutes of the Q and A went well, it was a cut-and-dry discussion on the principle of non-exhaustion of administrative remedies as requisite to any Supreme Court proceeding – very placid and peaceful. Then news anchor Henry Omaga-Diaz, like most ABS-CBN news anchors, started to open a series of questions that i had not anticipated and had not prepared for, and it was the first time that it would be confronted, he went to the question of Congressional non-renewal: What if Congress does not renew the franchise? What then? I answered, “… if it is RENEWED…” “… if it is RENEWED…” then the Supreme Court case should not proceed unless the Supreme Court unusually ignores being moot and academic and ignores all precedents on non-exhaustion of administrative remedies. The straightforward answer should be: If it is NOT renewed, then we would lose ABS-CBN (the largest free TV channel and free radio). i never posted this in this site as my voice started to crack and break (at 12:45 of the video time-counter), something that’s never happened before, it’s a good thing this was a phone-patch special coverage and not on-camera…
so lame during the unexpected that i never posted it here. (but apparently, millions saw and heard it on TV and radio.) The men and women of ABS-CBN showed me better: Surviving … continuing to thrive … and now rising again. The year that was.
(the lameness of me in the video below, morning of Feb. 10, 2020). For the men and women of ABS-CBN: i have not a haiku
According to medical experts: The health and safety protocol for any Christmas gathering/ reunion/ party/ get-together is (and it’s dire) : 10-14- day-Quarantine priorly (this is self-isolation, or no contact with any person outside, for all, and 10-14 days before the gathering. No contact means none of you in the house was more than one meter from anyone outside the house). The alternative, which is less reliable, is a Rapid Test taken a few days before the gathering. (draw blood!). Then, the gathering should be outdoors, carousers should be wearing the usual masks, face shields, follow one-meter-distancing, and observe no-hugs, no- kiss, no- singing. Or else, a vulnerable among you may die (vulnerable refers to those who have an underlying condition like heart/lung/blood/ conditions etc.).
Any person can be a carrier. To laymanize that: i can be a carrier between today and Dec. 25 because i’m not in isolation but i observe safety protocol (pero kasalanan ko pa, ganern? ). The first (the quarantine) is no longer doable between now and Dec. 25 … and even if it’s still doable — are you kidding me, i’m unable to do that, then someone will get sick you’ll blame everyone and look at me ( — siya ho, siya ho may kasalanan)
