Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 21:50:35 -0700 (PDT) 
From: Troy De Leon <troydeleon@yahoo.com> 
Subject: In Defense of Sen. Pimentel's filibustering and a reaction against his so called "friends" 

A Mr. Juan Mercado wrote that he (along with many others) were quite disgusted and as the title of his column in a broadsheet would suggest, that he lost a friend when Senator Pimentel started filibustering the canvassing suposedly in defense of Mr. FPJ.

By fully analyzing the situation without any biases and such we would see that it is still the same old Nene Pimentel that we see, the same one we had grown up to admire for his consistency and guts, for his untiring defense and search for the truth, the same one we saw at the impeachment court of several years ago (notwithstanding the rules which seek to hide it) and the same one we read was in the streets during martial law. When the Senator then dared question the rules of the impeachment court and countless other "rules" during martial law, none of these persons questioned his integrity and his quest for the truth notwithstanding the governing rules and the law. But now that what he fights for is against the personal convictions and interests of his so called "friends" then they splatter the pages of leading dailies with heartaches and disgust without even caring to see that what he fights for is still the truth and not the man called FPJ. 

If the gentleman therefore considers the senator as a lost friend then I would be happy for Sen. Pimentel for he knows now who his true friends are. Not just those who proclaim friendship and admiration because of a single common cause (to which something personal may be attributed) but those who are fully behind him because of the virtues and beliefs he possesses.They who claim lost friendships and respect were never friends in the first place, they were never respectful of the man at all. In him back then they just saw someone who would help them fight for their causes, their personal convictions, their personal interests.

I neither voted for FPJ nor believe that if FPJ wins he would significantly improve the life of the citizenry. I care though about the significant few who still fight for what is right regardless the consequence. I admire those who fight for the rule of law, justice and decency that so many give up in the name of peace and order (which is neither true peace nor order) or riches. I decry those anti-corruption groups who stay quiet about the current administration's corruption and had furiously fought against the previous administrations'. Is the fight against corruption and truth a matter of who your friends are?

It is true that the congress convenes as a canvassing body to tally the votes on the COCs. But we as a matter of common sense never count something that is not true nor questionable. If you don't include counterfeit money in the sum of your cash then why include questionable COCs in the count for votes? even the tinderas at our local palengke who have never set foot in the expensive halls of congress know this. Since when has the senate lost not only its dignity but also its common sense? Isn't it all about counting the truth? The lack of a proper mandate for the current administration had created problems for the nation in the last few years, will it again trouble the nation for the next six?

I salute the senator and congratulate him for he has just lost his "friends in good times" and now knows his true friends.