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A
week after the city council shot down the measure which would
have paved the way to investigate its operation, the Botika
sa Katawhan remains closed.
Mario
Uy, whose honorary designation as deputy mayor was also questioned,
said the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) is moving in to scrutinize
it after some queries were also made by some quarters as to
the legality on how the Botika sa Katawhan is dispensing free
medicines.
Despite
its being one of the most popular undertaking under the present
city hall dispensation, the re-opening of the Botika sa Katawhan
could have been made immediately after the inquisitive measure
was junked. Problem is there more than meet the eye behind
the barrage of attacks against its operation. In the meantime,
the its beneficiaries are crying.
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Speaking
of crying, is this the way now in order to convince others
that one is telling the truth?
For
several instances while testifying before the Senate, whistle-blower
Jun Lozada of ZTE-NBN deal cried everytime his testimonies
are contradicted by Palace lapdogs. Not contented of sporting
a miserable facial expression, Lozada convinced priests and
nuns that he is telling the truth, and nothing but the truth,
by crying.
But
Edwin Santos, Lozada's newly-found nemesis now, was also crying
when he divulged Lozada's alleged anomalies while still heading
the Philippine Forestry Corporation. Will we also cry in order
to know who is telling the truth?
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In
the annals of our history as a nation, crying has definitely
found a place in our significant historic events only that
they are misleading.
Take
the case of the so-called Cry of Balintawak when on Aug. 23
1896 Andres Bonifacio and his fellow "katipuneros"
tore their residence certificates to dramatize the revolution
against the Spaniards. Actually, the word "cry"
is a misnomer there. Bonifacio and his men were not crying
when they tore their "cedulas". They shouted "Long
Live the Philippines!" That was more of a call for a
revolution. And the call did not happen in Balintawak but
in Pugadlawin. But according to historians, Bonifacio did
cry after he carved the words "Viva del Independencia
Filipina!" in a stone inside a cave near Pugadlawin.
Psychologists
agree that crying is an open-ended manifestation, the most
common of which is repentance and hatred. Happy or sad, a
person cries. So we really don't know if a person is telling
the truth or lie by crying.
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Imelda
Romualdez-Marcos has the propensity of crying especially during
the last remaining days of her conjugal dictatorship with
Ferdinand Marcos. Tomorrow, declared a holiday by Malacanang
to commemorate the 1986 People Power Revolt at the Epifanio
delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Manila, we remember the Imeldific
way of crying.
Due
to the Imelda experience, anybody who shed tears may not necessarily
be crying.
Take
the case of peeling an onion but that's another story. More
so that a crying voice does not necessarily mean that the
speaker is crying. Look at former Speaker Jose de Venecia
everytime he speaks, especially nowadays. It is as if he is
crying.
Simply
stated, we conclude this piece in today's issue by stressing
the crying could always be deceiving. Think of the crocodile
tears for starters.
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For
comments and suggestions, just e-mail to the following e-mail
addresses: obiter@boholchronicle.com
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