ENQUIRY
DEMAREE J.B. RAVAL
Gusto ko happy ka!
Sunday, 03 07, 2010
DEMAREE J.B. RAVAL
Gusto ko happy ka!
Sunday, 03 07, 2010
I must admit that when I first heard of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s new slogan, “Gusto ko happy ka!”, I asked myself how someone as brilliant and experienced as JPE could settle for something as unelaborate or unadorned—or tacky, according to some people who have grown accustomed to expect political slogans as a statement of egoism and self-deification. You know, the usual variations of “I am the greatest; I am the purest; I am the wisest.” Or like the “C’est moi” song in the musical “Camelot” where Launcelot beats his breast and boasts:
I'm far too noble to lie.
That man in whom
These qualities bloom,
C'est moi, c'est moi, 'tis I.
I've never strayed
From all I believe;
I'm blessed with an iron will.
Had I been made
The partner of Eve,
We'd be in Eden still.
Having known him for a considerable length of time—including those when I was in and without the Senate, when I had observed him pluck an elaborate phrase out of thin air while thinking on his feet—I sort of expected something more profound to come from him. Until I heard him over the radio. In countless interviews, the Senate President took time to explain his thoughts behind this catch phrase that has become so popular that even overseas Filipinos or residents of remote towns in the Visayas have all become familiar with it.
Many years ago, JPE—or Manong Johnny as he is now more fondly called—launched his political career with the slogan “Action agad!”, a promise that he somehow kept, even when he later on strayed into the dark nights of the Filipino soul as martial law administrator. But perhaps it is true when they say that God writes straight in crooked lines, because when the miracle of EDSA happened as it did, JPE was right there. There are a good number of people who would dispute the claim that JPE was the precursor of that action, but it is indisputable that JPE was right there in the thick of the suspenseful stand-off, prodded by a call to act.
So what has happened to the action man these days?
The action man has turned into a wise man—that’s exactly what happened. Not exactly young at 86, but still very healthy and equipped with perhaps the most brilliant mind in the Senate, JPE has been a fixture of the legislature since its restoration in 1987. He has been there for quite a time that it would not be a gross exaggeration to say that the young senators, through either beneficient contagion or osmosis, have absorbed from JPE a most important attribute a legislator could have: Thinking on one’s feet on every policy issue tossed at his face.
The public has often seen how JPE would debate, thrash out, hash out and argue any issue. Often he does this as if he were just thinking out loud, but the more significant reality is that JPE does his own homework, and comes prepared for the showdown. Now as Senate President, JPE could very well be the taskmaster who expects his senators to be prepared as well, and anyone not prepared to debate an issue but feigning otherwise could be exposed for the pitiful lack of sense and sensibility that lie behind the blather of his statements.
Having known him for a considerable length of time—including those when I was in and without the Senate, when I had observed him pluck an elaborate phrase out of thin air while thinking on his feet—I sort of expected something more profound to come from him. Until I heard him over the radio. In countless interviews, the Senate President took time to explain his thoughts behind this catch phrase that has become so popular that even overseas Filipinos or residents of remote towns in the Visayas have all become familiar with it.
Many years ago, JPE—or Manong Johnny as he is now more fondly called—launched his political career with the slogan “Action agad!”, a promise that he somehow kept, even when he later on strayed into the dark nights of the Filipino soul as martial law administrator. But perhaps it is true when they say that God writes straight in crooked lines, because when the miracle of EDSA happened as it did, JPE was right there. There are a good number of people who would dispute the claim that JPE was the precursor of that action, but it is indisputable that JPE was right there in the thick of the suspenseful stand-off, prodded by a call to act.
So what has happened to the action man these days?
The action man has turned into a wise man—that’s exactly what happened. Not exactly young at 86, but still very healthy and equipped with perhaps the most brilliant mind in the Senate, JPE has been a fixture of the legislature since its restoration in 1987. He has been there for quite a time that it would not be a gross exaggeration to say that the young senators, through either beneficient contagion or osmosis, have absorbed from JPE a most important attribute a legislator could have: Thinking on one’s feet on every policy issue tossed at his face.
The public has often seen how JPE would debate, thrash out, hash out and argue any issue. Often he does this as if he were just thinking out loud, but the more significant reality is that JPE does his own homework, and comes prepared for the showdown. Now as Senate President, JPE could very well be the taskmaster who expects his senators to be prepared as well, and anyone not prepared to debate an issue but feigning otherwise could be exposed for the pitiful lack of sense and sensibility that lie behind the blather of his statements.
.
In October 2008, when the Senate presidency fell on his shoulders, JPE said: “To lead the Senate, with its great minds, strong advocacies, varying and independent political beliefs and leanings, it is not an easy task. But it is precisely this variance in points of view and the battle of great ideas that provide the dynamism we need to craft legislation that takes into account and balances the competing interests involved, with the end in view of serving the greater good of the people to whom we owe our mandate.”
These words speak volumes about the self-awareness of the man, of his admission that there are limits to the exercise of power despite the awesome capacity now in his hands to influence persons and events. It not so many words, JPE has said that he is not the Senate: that, rather, he is the servant of the people who relies on the collective wisdom of his peers.
These words speak volumes about the self-awareness of the man, of his admission that there are limits to the exercise of power despite the awesome capacity now in his hands to influence persons and events. It not so many words, JPE has said that he is not the Senate: that, rather, he is the servant of the people who relies on the collective wisdom of his peers.
What else has happened to the action man these days?
The action man has also turned into a compassionate man—that’s exactly what happened. This man now sincerely believes, with a wisdom borne out of years of experience, some of them not too pleasant, that people should not be deprived of their basic rights—food, health, education, employment, security, safe and peaceful environment, among others. That the government, from the highest official of the land down to the rank-and-file employees of all public offices and instrumentalities, is duty-bound to protect and safeguard these civil liberties. That by all means, but within the bounds of law, the government must cause the efficient delivery of basic services, provide economic opportunities for all, promote equality amongst its people, and safeguard its constituents from any form of threat to security. Evidently, this will remain to be his mission in life—to serve his country and his people the best way he knows how — by being simply our “Manong sa Senado.” How appropriate that sobriquet is! It brings to mind the original definition of Senatus: a council of wise old men.
As he goes around the country campaigning, expect his voice to reverberate to all corners of the country as he shouts, “Gusto ko happy ka! Gusto ko happy ka sa iyong kabuhayan, sa iyong kalusugan, sa iyong seguridad, at sa iyong kinabukasan! Gusto ko happy kayong lahat!”
And who could say no to a wise, compassionate man who wishes him happiness or the pursuit thereof?
For comments about this website:Webmaster@tribune.net.ph
The action man has also turned into a compassionate man—that’s exactly what happened. This man now sincerely believes, with a wisdom borne out of years of experience, some of them not too pleasant, that people should not be deprived of their basic rights—food, health, education, employment, security, safe and peaceful environment, among others. That the government, from the highest official of the land down to the rank-and-file employees of all public offices and instrumentalities, is duty-bound to protect and safeguard these civil liberties. That by all means, but within the bounds of law, the government must cause the efficient delivery of basic services, provide economic opportunities for all, promote equality amongst its people, and safeguard its constituents from any form of threat to security. Evidently, this will remain to be his mission in life—to serve his country and his people the best way he knows how — by being simply our “Manong sa Senado.” How appropriate that sobriquet is! It brings to mind the original definition of Senatus: a council of wise old men.
As he goes around the country campaigning, expect his voice to reverberate to all corners of the country as he shouts, “Gusto ko happy ka! Gusto ko happy ka sa iyong kabuhayan, sa iyong kalusugan, sa iyong seguridad, at sa iyong kinabukasan! Gusto ko happy kayong lahat!”
And who could say no to a wise, compassionate man who wishes him happiness or the pursuit thereof?
For comments about this website:Webmaster@tribune.net.ph
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