Letters to the education and justice secretaries

IINVITED Secretary of Education Leonor Briones to be a guest at our weekly “

( Nanka) media forum yesterday. However, due to a conflict in schedules, she was not able to accommodate our invitation.

For the Secretary of Education

Thus, I am writing this would- be open letter to the education secretary:

This year, six typhoons hit the Philippines from June to July. Along with that, there were nine days of no classes during those two months. These days were June 11 and 14, and July 9, 1718, 20 and 23 all due to “inclement weather.” June 12 and June 15 were also national holidays, so there were no classes then as well. Students, who are serious to learn, think that there were just too many days of

during the months of June and July. August is a different story; up to this time, some schools have not resumed classes because their classrooms are being used as evacuation centers in areas where a state of calamity was declared.

An opinion article of a high school student cited three major reasons why the academic school year should be moved from June to September.

The student- journalist said: “First of all, these chances of suspension lead to the students’ stereotypical behavior of always wishing for these class suspensions. This has led to students overreacting over mere drizzles and such thinking that, “Hey, there might be a suspension of classes today.” This sort of misbehavior has spread across the campus, and it has now even developed at a young age among even students of Grades 4 and 5. This really does make the students have this habit of growing dislike at going to the school. I can personally see people in Messenger who love to inform others that it is raining at their place, and others seem to follow up that it is raining at this place they are in, too. This creates some sort of “hype,” as the millennials call it, for an “impending suspension.”

He continued: “Second of all, it prolongs the school year and shortens the vacations. For example, because of these nine days of suspension mentioned earlier, the number of school days before mid- term break has increased, and mid- term break itself has been shortened to a mere week instead of the regular two. In a sort of business perspective, this would be bad for the school’s reputation since I bet that many parents would complain to the school regarding, what popular memes call, “first world problems.” “an army of dedicated professionals bearing the sword of the law in their hands.”

Here is a would- be open letter to the justice secretary:

Mister Secretary, it seems that some people under your helm took your words literally and bear the sword of the law in their hands. I am referring in particular to the viral “5- minute girl” video showing how a woman arrogantly lambasted, without let- up, the traffic enforcers who apprehended her for committing a traffic violation. It turned out that it was not only a single traffic violation but multiple violations.

There were media reports that exposed the alleged identity of this girl as Christine Fatima Villamora Estepa, who is supposedly employed as a public prosecutor in your department. She joined the Philippine bar in March 2012.

If these reports are true, then it is your sworn duty to immediately relieve this prosecutor of her post. How could she effectively decide the cases lodged before her if she herself does not understand even the simplest of traffic laws. How can she, without bias, resolve the complaints pending before her if she can twist and twerk the law’s interpretation just to suit her situation? This is utterly dangerous, Mr. Secretary.

The viral video is evidence against her. It explains everything there is to explain. It speaks for itself. What are you waiting for, Mr. Secretary? Her pictures were blurred out in television broadcasts. Yet, the faces of ordinary people, who are accused of misdemeanors, are shown clearly. Are the laws for the beholden different from the laws for ordinary people?

In her purported Facebook account, Estepa posts, “Delete this or you will be punished”, “I am so shy among others. Are these the postings of a professional public prosecutor?

Lawyers like this “5- minute girl” are the ones giving the legal profession a black eye. So many netizens bashed, not only her, but the law profession as well. The public which will be reading those social media posts about this seemingly “arrogant and shameless” public prosecutor, will surely hate lawyers and the legal profession. And even much more, the credibility of the judicial system will be eroded before the eyes of the public.

Mr. Secretary, the time to act is now. Please fire this “5- minute girl.”