CAVERN OF CALIGULA

While watching the Impeachment proceedings during the deliberation of the Justice Committee of Congress last week in the Plenary Hall of the Batasan, I remembered the speech delivered by a visiting Toastmaster, Abby Llera from Cagayan de Oro Toastmasters Club which quoted beautiful phrases written by the late Teddy Benigno.

Abby Llera mentioned several phrases from the late Teddy Benigno. In one phrase, the eloquent writer described Congress as a CAVERN OF CALIGULA where congressmen have PERVERSIONS OF MAGGOTS.

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, also known as Caligula, became a Roman Emperor between AD 37 to 41 and is remembered for his wanton hedonism, cruelty, tyranny and insanity. He would take pleasure in having his enemies tortured in the chamber by lengthening their suffering and pain.

True enough, listening to the arguments of the old, haggard-looking politicians who were noticeably all wearing coat and tie, among them, Majority Floor Leader, Congressman Prospero Nograles, pitted against the young and idealistic minority representatives wearing barongs, one could decipher how the Congressmen from the majority have become. They are no more than perversed maggots inside a hideous cavern.

As described in the column of Randy David last Sunday, what he saw in Congress was a “sorry spectacle of old men embarrassing themselves in front of their much younger colleagues by their assiduous sophistry and utter disregard of ideals”.

The old politicians were probably not just embarrassed but felt in themselves that they have assumed PERVERSIONS OF MAGGOTS who would feast in the flesh of the PORK given to them instead of fighting for the truth which they swore to do.

Deep inside however, I yearned for anyone from the majority to come out and speak for what is true and just. No one ever came out principled enough to defy GMA who may be likened to a female Caligula.

Like Caligula who tried to appoint his stallion, Incitatus, in the Senate or as a Consul, so many of our appointees in the Cabinet now are not even qualified to hold their respective offices. Just like Caligula, she lengthened the list of those executed by her BERDUGOS, including those six (6) persons who signed the Impeachment Complaint enumerated by the dashing Chiz Escudero during the committee hearing.

Beautiful phrases sometimes depict the truth of our present situation which have been likened to the olden times.

There is one phrase that I always keep with me which made the entire US Congress stand in ovation during the speech of Corazon Aquino after swearing in as President of our Republic. Cory described the cronies, puppets and minions of Marcos as a COMPLIANT CABAL OF CALLOUSED COLLABORATORS. Such phrase still appears appropriate today.

Our present Congress became a compliant cabal when they collaborated with the administration not through reasons and principles but through their numbers when they killed the Impeachment. The military became calloused collaborators in compliance with the mandate of PGMA to snuff the lives and break the spirits of our young men fighting for their ideals. The same goes with our local government officials who kowtow with the President.

Our country has pitifully gone to the barbarians as we have become mere spectators in this CAVERN OF CALIGULA.

CARRYING CAPACITY

Today, I signed an online petition against Petron Corporation which simply states the following:

“Last August 11, 2006, Solar I, a tanker chartered by Petron to transport 2 million liters of oil sank somewhere in Guimaras Straight.

The resulting oil spill affected 200 kilometers of shoreline, damaging more than 1000 hectares of mangroves in the area, and damaging seaweed plantations, coral reefs, marine reserves and rich fishing grounds. The area is known to be home to the dugong and at least 2 of the 5 turtles found in the Philippines. This incident endangered the life and livelihood of over 10,000 people in the island.

Petron is legally and morally liable for the oil spill in Guimaras. Let us unite and demand that Petron answer this tragedy and be held accountable for the loss of natural resources and livelihood of the people of the island.

Boycott Petron products until they have fulfilled their moral and legal obligations to all those affected by this tragedy. Let us also lobby for stringent laws to regulate the transport of oil and all hazardous substance in our oceans.

Sign your name and be counted.”

An hour after I signed, 100 more signed the online petition and I believe, the number will bloat out up to more than ten thousand at the end of the week.

It is really disgusting to see on TV that the spill of about 2 million liters and now creating a slick of about 50 kilometers in length and 16 sq. km. in area is being treated lightly by our government.

Last Sunday, the estimated 15 percent of oil that was spilled out from the tanker had already affected Guimaras Island’s ecosystem – 66 km of sea, 220 km of coastline, 1,143 hectares of national marine reserves and 454 hectares of mangroves. It appears that our government has no carrying capacity to address such a national disaster. All PGMA could do is order DOJ to conduct an investigation without having a concrete plan on how to address such magnitude of environmental destruction.

It is so pathetic that the persons helping in the clean up are merely using rugs or shovels to clean up the damaged shorelines affected by the spills.

In other countries, the culprits are outrightly made accountable while at the same time, resources are mobilized in order to contain the damage unlike what is happening now where people are hired at less than the daily wage using their bare hands.

Big oil spills such as ours, mechanical clean-ups such as using various types of booms and skimmers should be resorted to.

In the shorelines, vacuum trucks and other equipment may be used to retrieve the spilled oil. In beaches and resorts, high pressured hoses may be used to disperse the oil until the floating oil are gathered and trapped by several absorbent booms and then removed.

The oils that have sank deep in the sea may be tilled by backhoes and other equipment to expose the oils. The remaining oil may be treated through the so-called geo-remediation effort where beaches are fertilized to promote growth of bacteria that eat hydrocarbons.

To date, the more effective solutions, while I believe are already known to our government, are yet to find its way.

Moreover, Petron, which is substantially owned by the government, has only promised to help but has not moved it fingers. It has not shelled out any amount if only to minimize the destruction.

Exxon for instance, when its tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground and spilled about 11 million barrels of crude oil, spent about $2.1 billion and placed about 10,000 workers, 1,000 boats and 100 aircrafts which became the “army, navy and air force” of Exxon that carried out the clean up.

Surely, our government and Petron have yet to appease us on the pathetic way they have treated this malady. The responses they have made make one feel helpless in the protection of the delicate balance of nature in our country.

Should you feel like actively participating in the protest against petron, please visit, http://www.petitiononline.com/guimaras/petition.html.