Just a brief backgroud – I’m currently enrolled in a Corporate Social Responsibility class and one of its requirements (which I happen to personally like) is to keep a journal or a blog.  Lo and behold, I thought of putting my COSORES entries into my own personal blog since it is also my interest!

This is the start of the CSR Series.  The official link for this series is http://patchaurecsr.tk!  Stay tuned and feel free to comment and stimulate discussion regarding Corporate Social/Sustainability and Responsibility.

Impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona: Political more than Legal
            Alas, after 5 months and PhP 5.7 million, a verdict has been bestowed upon CJ Corona.  With an overwhelming senatorial vote of 20-3, Corona is now impeached from his position as chief justice of the Philippines. 
Presider Senator Enrile, in his final vote, stated that the decision has both legal and political implications.  I personally believe that the trial has more political repercussions rather than legal ones; this can be immediately considered as one of the P-noy administration’s highlights towards the president’s campaign of “matuwid na daan”.
Going back before the 5-month trial, I believe Corona’s affiliation with former President GMA and his role in the disbanding of the Truth Commission, together with the TRO on GMA’s banning to leave the country, led the P-noy administration to usurp from Corona the chief justice role.  Now that GMA’s ally and appointee is gone from being the highest ranked judge of the land, P-noy can now aggressively pursue GMA and her cohorts and make them liable for their supposed corruption.
“No one is untouchable,” said Senator Trillanes.  This highly-publicized trial is a shoutout to people in government that no matter how high-ranking one’s position is, the P-noy administration will find ways to expose corruption.  The political implications show that P-noy has a greater control, having now the capability to appoint a new chief justice that can be advantageous to his political interests.
Now that I’ve written the previous paragraphs, I would like now to focus on the following detail: the three (3) senators’ premise on why they did believed Corona was not to be impeached.
Senator Joker Arroyo.  Arroyo’s main statement is “This is not justice, political or legal; certainly not the law… it is only naked power, as it was in 1972.”  The senator’s statement clearly shows his belief of the impeachment trial being a show of power by P-noy, more than anything else.
Senator Bongbong Marcos.  “When the furor has died down and this political storm has subsided, I know that like the lady Justice we shall find solace in the fact that this decision, though maybe not popular, was fair, impartial and just.”  The keypoint that struck me in the senator’s statement is political storm.  His statement shows how he believes that politics may have played and may be still playing a role in decision making, interfering from objective “lady Justice”.  On a side note, this decision of Marcos, in my personal opinion, may be a political stand and strategy to be the opposition to P-noy’s agenda.  If Marcos should run in the future, he may be planning to be the political opposition of the current P-noy administration.
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.  “Does SALN omission amount to an impeachable offense? NO! SALN carries light penalty, allows correction.  I am insulted by the way your minds run.”  Senator Miriam’s stance illustrates how she upholds legal basis above anything else.  Her interpretation implies that yes, Corona has committed wrongdoing but it is not an impeachable offense.  However, there are some reporters offering insights that Senator Miriam has ties with the chief justice, and that she will also vote “not guilty” as a sign of pakikisama.
This event can now be written in the history books.  Though filled with greater political implications rather than the pursuit of legal justice, I am satisfied with the final decision.  Although, I must admit that I am pro-administration because of P-noy’s promise of anti-corruption.  More political rather than legal this decision may be, my only hope now is the P-noy administration not betraying my faith in their pursuit of the greater good.  I used “faith” because I am not that impressed with P-noy’s track record, however, his promise to weed out corruption is enough to persuade me to believe in his platforms.
Yes, this may be a show of political power; this may be more political rather than legal.  But if this political current is heading towards the greater good, towards P-noy’s “matuwid na daan”, I shall willingly go with the current.  However, I now possess a more scrutinizing eye for the current administration.  P-noy has no more excuses to fail in jumpstarting a great pursuit to eradicate evils in the government.
Amidst the political implications of this trial, P-noy, do not waste my faith (and with others that I share the same faith) in letting you run the show.

Recently, I have explored how various devices have allowed us to be online anytime, anywhere.

Most of us now have iPhones and tablets and laptops and WiFi and everything.

Then it made me ponder: do our cravings for instant connection resulted from technology, or did we innately have that need to connect instantly?

Did Facebook create the need to connect, or did it just address the existing need?

Do people really need to update the world a tweet at a time?

I do not know the answers. But one thing is for sure: the digital revolution and our capability to instantly connect will reshape many facets of the world.

Imagine accessible education, a video conference away from letting a teacher literally simultaneously teach millions of people from different countries.

Imagine making long distance relationships more bearable.

Imagine students bringing thousands of books everyday without feeling fatigue – all of them are stored in a tablet.

We live in exciting times. The challenge now is utilizing our renewed capability to instantly connect to innovate organizational processes, execute previously unimaginablr projects, and just redefine the boundaries of what is possible.

The world is changing, fast. Those who are stubbborn and refuse to adapt will be left behind, while a promising future awaits the eager learner and innovator.

This, I must say, is what I consider the best essay of my life.  Written when I was a junior high school student, this piece exudes the raw passion for expression I have through writing.  I hope you enjoy!


Winning entry to the Essay Writing Contest in English of the 49th Annual National Convention of Junior Members and Teachers of the Children’s Museum and Library Inc. by Patrick Adriel Aure of Lourdes School Quezon City. The topic is: “Is a society without media possible? Discuss and explain.”
The Alchemist and the Philosopher’s Stone
“Ordinary people have denied the existence of the Philosopher’s Stone, saying it’s all myth and fantasy, that such valuable object is just an old wives’ tale; but extraordinary people, or what we call the alchemists, believed on its existence – that it has affected every life on this world through its magic. Thus, these people were enlightened for they knew the Stone’s essence – WISDOM.”
Media would have beaten Jesus Christ, Buddha and Mohammed if it was part of the survey asking who is the most influential person of the century.  Thank the heavens, for media as a person would surely lead all people into an unknown culture, even perhaps create a religion named after itself. In fact, the media is so influential that people treat it as a vaccine for all diseases – curing the ailment of idiocy and complete ignorance; and also it is treated as the most contagious and most lethal virus – infecting unimmune people with its massive influence and charisma to the point of transforming a person with media as its soul.
It is a known fact that people would want to crucify media and punish him for his grievous sins and heinous crimes. Everybody blames everything on him. When moral issues are raised, who else is blamed? When fallacy surfaces and truth disappears, who else is blamed? When people get sick and tired of being sick and tired from all the blood-boiling events, who else gets the blame? He has been abused, misused, beaten and battered by people, yet he continues to incarnate in many forms, if not, resurrecting himself and prove the essence of his existence. After suffering these injustices, why does he continue to live on and on?
Simple. He continues to survive because its inexistence is the very synonym of apocalypse. Without media, a society is not possible and without society, there will be no way life can continue.
In the beginning, there’s one thing every being of this world always looked for. When man fell due to Adam and Eve’s disobedience, this even became more evident. Thanks to our innate curiosity and drive for knowledge, we will, and I mean always will, rigorously search for the TRUTH. Whatever it takes, as long as there is this drive, we will continue to quench our thirst amid the lies and fallacies within.
Media has served as the vessel for truth. With its power to influence, it has disseminated the information people need to satisfy that urge for veracity and clarity.
Transforming itself to various forms, it has fulfilled its expected duties to people. As the splendor of visualization, the capabilities of television have been fully utilized. People have attained knowledge through watching segments from other countries. Moreover, through the brother of television we know as the internet, various information surpassing all limitations have become possible. As the patrons of anti-ignorance, the radio and newspaper have worked together to deliver every detail of truth in the current events.
Other ways by which media became truth’s vessel is through its power to entertain. Yes, people yearn for truth, but they love entertainment. Shifting shapes from music to arts to soap operas to variety shows, it has become a necessity for life – much like how people value food and water.
Whether every creature on earth would agree or not, media has become the very synonym of life. People, consciously or not, totally embraced media through either complete acceptance or complete rejection. What only made the difference between acceptance and rejection is that allowing acceptance enabled people to be enlightened in the harsh realities of life, but not to the point of allowing it to take over and become media’s slave, when in fact it must be the vice-versa. On the other hand, utmost rejection has only solidified its status in the society, for an implication states blind rejection only proves narrow-minds and complete ignorance. Ignorance to the truth is not the nature of man, for rejection of such things only leads to death – death of the mind, the heart and the soul.
People may argue that media has also become fallacy’s vessel. In fact, the argument is supported with strong evidences such as bribery and death threats.
What we can say for this matter is that “every lie contains the truth.” Amid the tricks of the fallacies lies the explanation of the truth. It’s only up to us people in deciphering the truth behind lies, aided with our eternal urge for it.
Now it has been proved. Society without media is impossible. The question this time is: would you be the mediocre person, taking such power for granted, or would you be an alchemist, deciphering the media as the Philosopher’s Stone to transcend into vast heights and be enlightened with the euphoria of truth? Would you continue to pretend to reject media and ignore the information and the truth when in doing so you go against the very nature of man?
Wake up! Believe! Let not the connotation of media hinder you from achieving the truth! Let not the assumption of lies become a weapon against your ardent search! Let not the harshness of life become your fear in achieving wisdom!
It’s only when you know how to use the stone the time when you’ll fully utilize it. It’s all about how you handle things, not letting things handle you.
Become the enlightened alchemist that knows how the media works in our lives!
“Ordinary people have denied the existence of the media, saying it’s all lies and fallacy, that such power is just invented for the fall of every man; but extraordinary people, or what we call the alchemists, believed on its existence – that is has affected and in fact became life through its magic. Thus, these people were enlightened for they knew the stone’s essence – TRUTH.”