Fortunato Abat: "to birth a nation"

“TO BIRTH A NATION”: Just so the proposed “transition government” being espoused now by former Defense Secretary Fortunato Abat is given a chance to be discussed in detail, I am reproducing in this column Abat’s “concept paper” on the matter, entitled “To Birth A Nation”, albeit in several instalments.

The first part of the “concept paper” follows: TO BIRTH A NEW NATION (A Concept for Reform and Renewal) Proposed by Ambassador Fortunato U. Abat. I. Time for Change: The Transition”:

“Why change. For over 60 years of independent existence, the political system under which we are being governed has not brought distinct advantage to the nation. Since then, we have been at the crossroad as a nation.

“The people are genuinely unsure if repeating what they have been doing since the birth of the Republic – which is going to the polls to change one set of leaders with another – is the right thing to do, if there is no better way to bring change to national governance that will truly improve our country and our lives.

“There is a need to install a new political system that would liberate the nation from the clutches of old-time, ineffectual, inutile political status quo which has brought nothing to the nation except miseries, retrogression, enormous disparity in the economic, social, and political status of the haves and the have-nots.

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“How to change. Recourse to a peaceful revolutionary transition is the only alternative left for our people to pursue. The traditional political leaderships (President, Vice President, any of the national legislators) could have taken this course of action.

“But over the years, they have failed to clean and reform the system; instead, they corrupted the mantra of what-are-we-in-power-for to cater to their selfish political and personal interests.

“The opposition is in limbo. They could not get together on who, what alternative to support, and when to change. Election, snap or otherwise is passé, and so with impeachment and other constitutional processes that will only perpetuate the traditional politics that sank the nation down the drain.

“The Chief of Staff or anyone in the military establishment could have taken the revolutionary cudgels for the people but the military showdowns whimpered in the end. The military and police establishments are themselves divided. Like the civil society groups, there is the Erap military, FVR’s, Cory’s, Lacson’s, and those who sup off GMA’s hand.

“Takeover by communist or muslim insurgents is certainly not acceptable by the people. Any effort toward this end would be bloody.

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“What form of change. Since government is a public service organization, the caretaker government may function as a corporate entity with personalities of proven integrity and probity to man the Board of Directors and the corporation office and the LGUs organized as corporate subsidiaries...

“....except that LGU elected officials related within the 3rd civil degree of consanguinity or affinity and serving within the same political constituency be considered resigned and replaced as the Transition Government may direct.

“Traditional politicians shall lay off for the meantime and let the Transition Government do justice to the people’s cause. This is an option for non-violent action, an alternative to violent struggle for the Transition Government to tide over the nation from dysfunctional governance to a new constitutional system of government...”

More of this next time.

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RESURRECTION OF JESUS , AS FIRST GLORIOUS MYSTERY: After the “Sorrowful Mysteries”, the “Glorious Mysteries” in the Holy Rosary of the Roman Catholic Christians follow.
The “Glorious Mysteries” constitute the last batch of the mysteries of the Holy Rosary.

The first of the so called “Glorious Mysteries” is the “Resurrection of Jesus”, and long accounts of it are contained in Matthew 28:1 to 20, Mark 16:1 to 20, Luke 24:1 to 53, and John 20 and 21.

All of these Gospels say that Mary Magdalene and another woman went to the place where Jesus was entombed, after his crucifixion and death, and found that His body was no longer there.

Then, an angel of the Lord appeared, and told the women that Jesus has risen, as He prophesied about Himself, and was in fact going to Galilee , to meet His disciples.

Shortly after this and in many other incidents thereafter, Jesus showed Himself to His disciples, allowing them to touch His wounds, even eating with them.

The Bible also shows that it was also after His resurrection that Jesus gave His disciples what is now known as the Great Commission: to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus likewise ordered His disciples to teach the nations to obey everything that He taught and commanded the disciples to do, assuring them that He will be with them, to the very end of the age.

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