Dumb Questions

For those who want to lighten the mood, these funny stupid questions to ask are perfect for you. These questions will help you start a fun.

Question: Ano kayang sabon ang ginagamit ng mga taong nagmamalinis ... (the sanctimonious ... the smug ... the holier than thou and the moralizing sector of our family and society?)

Answer: I really don't know but my friends can try.  Some say ... a soap with bleaching power.  Another answer ... a soap that scalds. One answered Mr. Clean for a good shampoo ... and still another volunteered Belo ...para mahal naman,

Bakit nagiging self-righteous ka ba kung may Kojic or Glutathione content ang sabon?

Political Shorts 2

The Office of the Vice President's oversight melodrama hearing regarding their use of confidential funds in the Committee on Good Governance continues to add more suds showing a clear divide between good and evil.  The heightened emotions are evident especially when the VP tried to drain the patience of the Lower House personnel when she became an overnight lodger in her brother Polong's office.

Will the sergeant at arms show enough balls and tell the VP some House rules ... or will his knees turn to jello just at the mere sight of a strong-willed and overbearing Vice President?

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It has been customary that on Friday nights, lights are turned off in the lower house in observance of its stringent tightening measures about the use of electricity.

How do you solve a problem like Maria's ... that is when the second-highest government official overstayed in your area and becomes your transient boarder.  Will all ground rules be thrown out of the window to accommodate a demanding guest? Will you turn the lights off like you always did ... or will you become hospitable to the uninvited guest getting all the flak afterward from the House head honcho?

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What happens then if she does what suits her, and makes your area an extension of her bedroom?

Dahil ba sa Vice President ang bisita mo ... she can do whatever she want  sa bahay mo at wala siyang pakialam kung mapagaltan ka? Was there a precedence before that a high-ranking official was camping out in the periphery of Congress compound?

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What happens as far as security is concerned?  If what she said is true that someone is after her life ... that night would be the opportunity to put all the plans in motion dahil wala nga siya sa sarili at may pinagkaabalahan. What if something happens to her ... who will take the responsibility? And the accountability?

That"'s what happened to the small fries in any political tableau. They were being hushed up and silenced... but when the blame game started... they were the first in the queue to be investigated. 

This is reminiscent of the OVP staff being called one by one in the hearing ... all are acting like PAWN in the game of chess ... all battle-ready to protect the Queen.

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Zuleika Lopez's contempt charges made her a recipient of a 5-day staycation in the detention facility in the Lower House. Ito rin ang reason why the VP has to give her company kahit madaling araw na.

Kailangan ba talaga? How generous of her to show concern sa kanyang Chief of Staff.  That is the most noble thing she can do under the circumstances. 

A friend says otherwise ... "nag-ala Jaworski lang siya ... tight guarding baga. Pwede niya i-coach ito for an encore in the next bardagulan session in the hearing."

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The VP indeed overstayed her welcome in the wee hours of the morning. Some smart aleck thought of bringing up a bluff that instead of the Chief of Staff staying in the premises of the House it would be a good idea to transfer her to Women's Correctional in Mandaluyong.

Zuleika was triggered and she started vomiting and later fainted and was brought to Veteran; 's Hospital ... then to St Luke... then back to Veteran's.

Ganyan ba ang mayayaman ang mga may kapagyarihan? Hindi malaman ang hospital that fit their stature and social standing? Masama ba kung sa PGH?

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I was surprised to see our VP up in her arms ready to fight whoever comes in her way.  She was like a knight in shining armor protecting her ward and the damsel in distress.

Nakita niya isang pulis and from out of the blue natikman niya ang vice presidential ire. "Huwag kang bakla ...!" she said. 

Nagtataka si Bes  kung paano napasok ang kabaklaan sa isang eksena na halos hindi magkamayaw ang mga tao sa isang pasyente na pumasok lang dahil ito ay nagsuka at nagpapanic. Ni hindi nga kumikibo ang pulis.

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At ang daming Marisol ha ... dahil nandoon si Vice? Dinig na dinig sa background ang mga nagsusul-sol ... at mga nagpa-parinig: "Ang mga police ay dapat nagbibigay ng proteksiyon sa mga tao."

"Maging tapat tayo sa constitution." Huh ... paano naman pumasok sa usapan ang konstitution?

Nung sinagot naman ng police ang reklamo ni VP kung bakit sa Veteran's dinala ang pasyente sabi ni Mario-sol "Kuya huwag mo nang sagotin ... Vice President yan." Huh?

At may mga cameo role pa ang miron?

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And the meltdown happens. Dahil sa naghalong inis at stress hindi na makapagpigil si Vice.  Nagsimula nang magtilaok ang mga manok may delubyo pa palang naghihintay? Her tour-de-force performance gave the whole world a spectacle ... bida ulit ang Pilipinas sa buong mundo. 

I scan the news stories at viral tayo ...  yehey ... at walang pili ha ... even Mideastern countries and Africa are talking about us. Only in the Philippines.

Will these little juvenile antics HELP ... or will they BREAK the promise of a successful political career for this young VP? 

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Naala-ala ko tuloy yong sinabi ni Vice noong si PRRD naman ang iniimbestigahan sa Quadcom.  Pang Best Dramatic Actor daw ang performance ng ama. That is coming from her. They were talking about lives lost in the war of drugs at sa punto de vista ni Vice nag-aaktingan lang sila?

Ayaw ba niya magpatalo ... at kailangan din niyang umeksena para magiging Best Actress din? The way the hearings are going on parang laro lang sa kanila ang lahat. 

With their popularity going down ... and the way their senators are faring at the polls ... this is a political miscalculation she made... and what she is doing might boomerang back to her. Well ... just my two cents worth.

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Lawyer's Mumbo Jumbo

We are not lawyers ... but we need to understand their lexicon (lawyers always have their own lingo only they can understand. Same with doctors, nurses, and engineers) 

We spend our waking hours on YouTube, and we are always exposed to hearings and debates—and also their private conversations. All we do is scratch our heads because they use legal terminologies that sound too foreign and alien to our virgin ears, and our mind wonders what they are talking about.

Let's start decoding and decrypting these words and phrases (it is irreverent for us to enter the sanctum of the in ... but desperate times need desperate measures) so the next time they use these terms again ... we are on the same page with them.  Not in limbo.

We will try to dissect and define them in simpler language so ordinary mortals and laymen (the amateur and the non-experts) can actively participate in the discussion ... and at the same time broaden their legal and paralegal stock knowledge,

So our word or phrase that is hitting the headlines today is: subpoena, subpena duces tecum, and ad testificandum.

PHRASE: Subpoena, Subpoena duces tecum, ad testicandum

MEANING: Subpoena and Subpoena duces tecum - Just so everybody will not get confused these two are not the same.

A subpoena is an Order issued to require the person's (witness or accused) presence and attendance to testify in court at a particular time and place. A subpoena duces tecum is an Order that requires a witness to bring documents, books, or other items under his, her, or their control that he, she, or they is bound by law to produce into evidence.

Subpoena duces tecum is " a court order or subpoena for the production of evidence." In this case, the witness is required to bring with him pieces of evidence that include receipts and other tangible objects for examination at a trial or hearing. This evidence is the paper trail that is pertinent to any legal proceeding. Duces tecum comes from the Latin word “you shall bring with you.”

Another word that needs definition is ad testificandum. It is a Latin term that means "to testify." It refers to a legal order, such as a subpoena, that requires a person to appear in court and give testimony. A subpoena is a written order that commands a person to appear before a court or other tribunal, subject to a penalty for failing to comply.

EXAMPLE: In the Committee of Good Governance and Public Accountability, a subpoena duces tecum was issued to obtain a copy of the acknowledgment receipt of money issued to identify its authenticity and veracity.

Hello Love Goodbye

Hello Love Again ... has this tagline ... "in every goodbye ... love finds its way back".  The Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards movie is now on its billion mark ... (and still counting) and is lording it over in the box-office supremacy ... and this early it is projected to become a mammoth champion at the tills.

Hello Love Goodbye ... is also a Kathren Alden movie two years ago. It should have been the perfect title for the movie top-billed by BBM and Inday Sara. This political melodrama if made into a movie ... has all the ingredients of a potential box-office hit. This will be a colossal saga - imagine two ruling families combining forces to form a Unity Team ... they tag-teamed to strike gold in the 2022 election. 

Now the relationship was soured by political intrigues, conspiracy, collusion, trickery, and double-dealing. All salad ingredients make up a convoluted but awe-inspiring script and storytelling.

The highlight of the movie is her tour de force performance in the riveting press conference where the female lead has a meltdown... opening her heart and soul out ... as she poured her resentment and bitterness to BBM. the First Lady and the Speaker of the House ... for all the world to see.

Political Shorts

The continuing saga and investigation of the Philippine House Committee on Good Governance and  Public Accountability on the misuse of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President has brought up a lot of twists and turns making it a political melodrama being followed by millions of Filipinos.

These marathon hearings  ... ano man ang haba ay patuloy na sinubaybayan ng mga Pinoy ... whose thirst for scandal at tsismis is at an all-time-high ...as they glued to their seats ... to get a front-r0w glimpse of the proceedings .... expecting for more blood and controversy.

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Last week ... mukhang may kinahatnan na rin ang hearing. Previously, the Vice President and her minions opted to play cat and mouse with the committee. (The vice president dared, in one instance, to change some House rules when she first attended and, in another instance, challenged and surprised the lower house's valiant warriors by answering their investigations without taking an oath.) 

Other high-ranked OVP personalities snubbed the hearing by intentionally attending parties and accepting official invitations from far-flung provinces ... making themselves scarce and rubbing it to the face of the committee that their invitations to appear were not important at all.

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Still, others are lion-hearted and manage to continue the cat and mouse disappearance ... while the faint-hearted come in trickles ... but what really can you expect from them except being evasive ... slippery, and evanescent?

It is just like the whole OVP hierarchy has one invisible conductor at the podium ... orchestrating the whole scenario ... guiding the musicians on when and how fast or loud they will play. The conductor shapes the OVP's orchestral theme and identity ... seeing to it their performance repertoire is good ... any wrong move or false notes ... will create a disastrous melody.

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The game of cat and mouse continues. Despite some look-out bulletins to ensure important key OVP officials stay put and stick around on Philippine shores ... others manage to get their plane tickets off America. 

Surprisingly ... young and able bodies become ill ... all of a sudden (so predictable in Philippine politics)... was it just a mere coincidence that a medical emergency can become handy in times when you want to FIGHT ... or is FLIGHT a better alternative?

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A friend asked, "What is a game of cat and mouse? Well, it is actually an idiom ... and when talked of as a game it involves a contrived action of constant pursuit ... near captures ... and repeated escapes.

Who is the cat in this scenario ... and who is the mouse? Gosh, do I really have to spell that out for you ... you pinhead?

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Near captures and repeated escapes? That sounds exciting not only to the viewers but also to the participants (the excitement of getting caught and later evade the powers-that be is one thrilling rollercoaster ride). Remember the movie Escape From Alcatraz? It is an American prison thriller that shows a prison escape from a maximum-security prison on Alcatraz Island. 

I have visited the area and I dare say ... escape from the island would be hard. The main reason is because the island is isolated.  Alcatraz is located in San Francisco Bay, about 1.5 miles offshore, and is isolated from land in all directions.

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Imagine a jailhouse in the middle of the bay overlooking San Francisco skylines ... it is just nuts to think how hard the escape would be. What makes the movie unique is its ardent desire to convince the audience that escaping thought to be "impossible" ... becomes possible. 

Imagine also how the prison head honchos feel having been fooled in broad daylight. Was this the same emotional state the Committee on Good Governance felt ... when OVP employees tried every trick in the book to dodge and escape their hearing invitations? 

Conversely ... did the OVP yes-men feel they outsmarted these congressmen ... thinking they had beaten them in their own game?

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That's what they thought! Now the triumvirate Acop, Chua, and Fernandez are more determined than ever to unearth these hiding night-crawlers and bring them to light.

With some of its powers, they have coordinated with immigration and NBI to be watchful for their whereabouts. Sending them repeated subpoena duces tecum is just a matter of time, and they will soon rise from their ashes. Contempt orders are also at play, holding them in contempt when they disobey or disrespect the legal process.

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UNHINGED: Nabaliw na ba ang VP natin?

ALAM MO NA BA? *5 KAIBIGAN NA KAILANGAN MO SA BUHAY* INSPIRING HOMILY II...