Imperfect Constitution

Constitution is the Supreme Law of the land. It is the very framework of a certain government in which the same is being used as the basis of all. What if there are ambiguities? Questions that can only be solved by overhauling the whole constitution.

During our review class on Political Law, our Professor, Atty. Radan presented an article which concisely   discussed some vagueness in our current constitution. Just want to share it with you for your reflections and academic purposes.

Constitutional ambiguities MY FOUR CENTAVOS By Dean Andy Bautista (The Philippine Star) Updated November 14, 2009

As the country continues to repair and rehabilitate the infrastructure damaged by Ondoy, Pepeng and Santi, we should not lose sight of another “clean-up” which we will need to undertake at some point in the future — that of the Constitution. Concededly, the cause of Charter change is not timely given the current partisan atmosphere. Unfortunately, it has been equated to term extension and efforts to cling to power. Of course, Charter change is more than that. But given the brazen attempts to ram it thru, this oversimplified association is perhaps forgivable. However, I am confident that a more sober, less shrill discussion on the subject will take place sometime soon.

This week’s column will not tackle the complex topics of the proposed shift from a presidential to a parliamentary system or a unitary to a federal form of government. That will need to be discussed in a more extensive, in-depth manner. Rather, I wish to focus on the editorial lapses in the 1987 Constitution. For in their haste to “pass the paper” to President Cory, the Commission failed to “dot the i’s “ and “cross the t’s” of the entire document.

The most prominent omission is found in Article 17 on whether or not Congress needs to vote jointly or separately to propose an amendment or revision of the Constitution. The problem arose when, at the last minute, the Constitutional Commission voted 25-24 to retain a bicameral (as opposed to a unicameral) Congress. However, the Commissioners forgot to make corresponding changes to the other provisions that were impacted by the vote. It may interest the reader to know that there are four provisions which expressly provide for separate Congressional voting: 1) Choosing the President in case of a tie; 2) Determining the President’s disability; 3) Confirming the nomination of the Vice President; and 4) Declaring the existence of a state of war. On the other hand, there is only one provision directing Congress to vote jointly: Revoking or extending a proclamation suspending the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or placing the Philippines under martial law.

Instead of compelling the Supreme Court to enact a judicial amendment, we should fix this oversight through one of the modes recognized in Article 17.

Similarly, the composition of the Judicial and Bar Council (“JBC”) needs to be amended to reflect the bicameral nature of Congress. Currently, the Constitution only provides for a “representative of Congress” as one of the JBC members. To remedy the situation, the JBC currently allows the chairpersons of the Senate and House Committees on Justice to attend its meetings but they are only collectively entitled to one vote. This omission requires a Constitutional amendment.

There is of course the pending issue of whether a former President (as opposed to the incumbent) can run again for the Presidency. As discussed a few columns ago, some argue that the sentence “the President shall not be eligible for any re-election” is unclear. A quick fix is to change the article “the” to “a” or to insert the word “incumbent” before “President”.

There is also the issue of presidential succession in a no-election scenario. Also discussed in an earlier column is the potential vacuum that may occur if no President-elect is proclaimed prior to the end of the term of the sitting President. This may be cured either by legislation or by amending the Constitution.

Finally, there is the issue on when an impeachment proceeding is considered “initiated”. Because of the ambiguity, the Supreme Court ruled in Francisco v. House of Representatives that initiation occurs upon the filing of a complaint of a Representative or any citizen upon endorsement by a Representative. Recall that this case involved the impeachment case filed against then Chief Justice Hilario Davide. Following the Oliver Wendell Holmes dictum that “hard cases make bad law”, this interpretation leads to the possibility of a sham complaint being filed to trigger the one year prohibition. My four centavos is to amend the Constitution and explicitly provide that initiation only occurs upon filing by the House of Representatives of an impeachment complaint in the Senate.

Miracle of Mother of Vailankanni

Every Wednesday, i used to wake up early and leave the house before 7:00 am. This is to avoid traffic enforcers who are very excited in apprehending drivers who are violating the number coding scheme. Since  I am very  early, i always hear mass at Christ the King Parish (Greenmeadows) afterwhich i will stay like 15 to 30 minutes in their Adoration Chapel. While I am about to take off my shoes, i got a pamphlet with words "Please.... Pick me! PLease... Pick me". I took it off from the cabinet and read. 

I want to share it with you guys. It's no harm in believing and not believing. So long as your conscience is free and you do it voluntarily, I think there is nothing wrong. Of all the chain messages i've read and intentionaly trashed, this is the only one that makes me feel something that i cannot explain, i dont know why... Here it goes:

Miracle of Mother Vailankanni

There was a miracle in Vailankanni Church. Until today nobody would have heard about it. In the Church of Vailankanni, one Sunday Mother Mary appeared in a form of infant to a person. She told him this, “Don’t be afraid, have faith and listen to me. I am coming to this world. Print 2000 leaflets in my name and distribute to the people to spread this message. To wash away the sins and to receive all goodness in life, do it on my name”. Saying this, mother who was in the form of infant disappeared. Hearing this, a man in Vishakhapatnam printed 615 leaflets and distributed the same. After few days this man received blessing of Mother Mary and got Rupees Sixty Two Lakhs by lottery.

In Agra, a man printed 615 leaflets. Within 24 days he got a pot full of gold coins, through the blessings of Mother Mary. A poor man who thought of printing this message was blessed by Mother Mary and got a job. Later he printed leaflets thanks giving. Another person who did not believe in this, mocked about it and destroyed the leaflets. This disbelieved man made him lose his son.

A man called Pashabal in Agra, read the message and delayed it by one month. He had great loss in his business and also lost his wife. In a place called Lathara, 5 people together printed 1630 letters and distributed the same. Mother Mary blessed them and they receive good profits in in their business. Hearing this, a poor rickshaw printed 1000 leaflets. His faith in Mother Mary helped him in getting Rs 25 lakhs. In a town called Mangavinal, a poor family printed 100 leaflets, Mother Mary blessed them and they got everything what they had ask for.

A family in old Mangalam, Chennai 23 who came across the message, delayed in spreading the same by 15 days. Their new auto rickshaw met with an accident and they lost a lot of money. They faced many problems in their family.

As Jesus said, “ Ask and you will get it, knock the door and it will be opened. Seek and you shall find”, so ask and you will receive it. Print this leaflets within 16 days spreading this message of Mother Mary and Jesus. You will receive all the blessing and achieve what you want.

Guys, if you are in doubt, you can easily ignore this. But if you BELIEVE, please spread it!

Thanks for reading...

Mark Boado 

Sept 13, 2011

Gen. Garcia's Plea Bargaining Agreement: My personal note...

Our Professor in Problem Areas in Legal Ethics required us to write about our opinion regarding the controversial Plea Bargaining Agreement entered into by Gen. Garcia and the government through the Ombudsman and the Office of Special Prosecutor. At first, i dont want to write because i might be subjective. But, for compliance purposes i have to. :) 

Well, corruption in our country is normal nowadays... Despite all campaigns against it, no one can fully eradicate it... As what i teach to my students, if we dont want corruption, practice it in our own lives. Many people sees corruption conclusively on the part of the government. That is wrong. In our own small acts, we may corruption. Like in students, asking money for a project that never exists... employees using the resources of their office... and many more... 

Therefore, erasing corruption in our nation is a collective act, it's not all about people in the government but all of us, citizens of our country... Yes, it may sound flowery, but at least by doing so we may move others to act against it... So, hereunder is my opinion submitted to Atty. Edith Santos:

Corruption is the main problem in our nation. Though it’s not new to us, efforts are still in process to lessen if not completely eradicate that epidemic culture. The shout out of the new administration is to kill corruption to renew public trust for us to achieve wide development. 

Recently, our government was caught in a situation where its defenders also involved not only in a cheap corruption but in tons of corruption which entails billions of pesos. Such was dubbed as “Military Corruption” that led to a surprising suicide committed by one of its prominent leaders.

That evolves from a legal issue about plea bargaining agreement entered into by the Ombudsman and Gen. Garcia. Accordingly, plea bargaining is an agreement in a criminal case where the prosecutor offers the defendant to the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser offense with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence. 

Gen. Garcia, who was in charge of disbursement of military funds when he held the post of AFP comptroller, is by far the highest-ranked military official undergoing trial by the anti-graft court for the crime of plunder, or graft and corruption on a massive scale. 

He walked free after entering a plea bargaining agreement with the Office of the Ombudsman by pleading not guilty to charges of plunder and violation of Sec. 4-A of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) and guilty to the charges of direct bribery and Section 4-B of the AMLA before the Sandiganbayan's Second Division. 

Legally speaking, plea bargaining is a legal remedy available to accused. For practical purposes, an accused would have it executed to escape from a bigger punishment though entails guilt on his part. However, existing rules must be applied thereof. In the case of Gen. Garcia, plea bargaining was entered into without the consent of the aggrieved party. Since the case involves public money, the aggrieved party, which in this case the state must be rightfully represented by the President. Hence, consent of the President or even its alter ego in the military should at least be informed for it to give his comment, suggestions, and recommendation or outright approval or disapproval. 

I believe that in this special case of corruption, the plea bargaining entered into by the parties herein is illegal in view of the foregoing statement. Speaking outside the legal arena, the plea bargaining in this special case must be disregarded. Again, the crime committed involves public money which essentially involves also public trust imposed upon Gen. Garcia. Though he plead guilty of the lesser crime, we know, and it is evident based on the on-going investigation that Gen. Garcia and the rest of the gang committed such betrayal of trust and destroyed the image of our supposed to be defenders. The congress should therefore revisit the rules related to plea bargaining and set exceptions taking into consideration the public interest superior to the rights given to the accused. Thus, public welfare should always be protected though it may prejudice one’s rights who confirmed the charged against him. 

(Feb.24, 2011, 3:30 am @ bhok's residence)

 

 

Salute to the Chief!

Lord Baden-Powell

 Today we celebrate the 154th birth anniversary of Lord Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell.

Known simply as BP, is the founder of the world acknowledged Boy Scout Movement. Without him, there will be no scouting which i am proudly part of. I am sure he is very happy now in heaven seeing the organization he founded is spreading through out the globe. For him, scouting is not only more on camping, hiking, swimming and  the like, scouting was formed for the holistic development of scouts through learning by doing. That's what my Scoutmaster, Sir Ernie Albea thought to us. I really love hearing Sir Albea talking about the history of Scouting especially on the story of BP which Sir Albea effectively conveyed to us. Sir Albea's efficient teachings about BP inspired one of my co-scouts, Romnick Nealiga to use "BP" as nickname of his youngest brother. That is how we value scouting in our lives, my sincerest gratitude to my Scoutmaster Sir Albea, who really touched our lives by inculcating to us the essence of scouting in  our own private lives. Special mention is also given to Mam Ezperanza Ramos-Starks who served as our equalizer during our senior scouting days, thanks Lady Starks.

Though i haven't finished yet his book "Scouting for Boys" (1908), his passion to train the youth in surviving and moral development are evident in his writings. I dream to go and to camp with my fellow scouts and with my scoutmaster in "Brownsea Island" where he had a camp with 22 young boys. If that will happen, i will ask Sir Albea to dress like him with... :) 

In his last message, BP wrote:

"I have had a most happy life and I want each one of you to have a happy life too. I believe that God put us in this jolly world to be happy and enjoy life. Happiness does not come from being rich, nor merely being successful in your career, nor by self-indulgence. One step towards happiness is to make yourself healthy and strong while you are a boy, so that you can be useful and so you can enjoy life when you are a man. Nature study will show you how full of beautiful and wonderful things God has made the world for you to enjoy. Be contented with what you have got and make the best of it. Look on the bright side of things instead of the gloomy one. But the real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people. Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best. 'Be Prepared' in this way, to live happy and to die happy — stick to your Scout Promise always — even after you have ceased to be a boy — and God help you to do it."

That message really inspires me...  lesson that we can share to others... use this to touch other people so that they may realize that happiness cannot be enjoyed alone... If only scouting ideals are truly observed by our leaders, perhaps, our country will achieve the road of progress as envisioned by Rizal. 

BP while conducting an inspection to young scouts

In 1939, he and his wife moved to a cottage he had commissioned in Nyeri, Kenya, near Mount Kenya, where he had previously been to recuperate. The small one-room house, which he named Paxtu, was located on the grounds of the Outspan Hotel, owned by Eric Sherbrooke Walker, Baden-Powell's first private secretary and one of the first Scout inspectors. Walker also owned the Treetops Hotel, approx 17 km out in the Aberdare Mountains, often visited by Baden-Powell and people of the Happy Valley set. The Paxtu cottage is integrated into the Outspan Hotel buildings and serves as a small Scouting museum.

Baden-Powell died on 8 January 1941 and is buried in Nyeri, in St. Peter's Cemetery His gravestone bears a circle with a dot in the centre , which is the trail sign for "Going home", or "I have gone home". When his wife Olave died, her ashes were sent to Kenya and interred beside her husband. Kenya has declared Baden-Powell's grave a national monument.

So, to all Scouts! Let's honor our founder today by doing good deeds and thank our scoutmaster for the learnings and wisdom they imparted to us! Happy BP day!

PNoy's Speech on the International Assembly and Conference on Rizal

Hereunder is the speech of no less than the President of the Republic of the Philippines addressing the delegates-brother knights from all over the world: 

Presidential Speech
February 17, 2010
Centennial Hall, Manila Hotel
Philippines

Magandang gabi po. Maupo ho tayo lahat. Maupo ho tayo muna. 

Mayor Alfredo Lim, Dr. Pablo Trillana III, Justice Justo Torres Jr., Mr. Lamberto Nangkil, Mr. Rogelio Quiambao, Former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., Don Emilio Yap, Former Senator Joey Lina, members of the Supreme Council and the Council of Elders, local and foreign members of the Order of the Knights of Rizal, fellow workers in government, honored guests, mga minamahal ko pong kababayan:

Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat.

Jose Rizal was a Renaissance man. He was a writer, a doctor, a scientist, a teacher and a linguist. Had he chosen to live the life of a rich illustrado without a care in the world, he could have done so comfortably. And yet, our national hero could not ignore what was happening to his beloved Philippines, suffering under the yoke of a colonial power that had oppressed and exploited his people. So he turned his back on a quiet, uneventful life and instead dedicated himself to writing the wrongs he saw around him.

I suppose it would belabor the point for me to tell you that what Rizal identified as the cancers of this society have not been fully healed. A quick look at our country will make us realize -- there are many of us who remain hungry, uneducated, homeless and deprived of access to basic human rights. After so many revolutions, against so many different tyrants, we are led to question: Have we truly achieved freedom? Is this what our national hero envisioned? But perhaps the more important question is: Are we, as Knights of Rizal and as citizens of this country, doing what we can do to address these problems the way our national hero once did?

The real reason we are gathered here is not just because of an anniversary, not just because of history, but also because of the fact that we must remember and reignite the ideals that our national hero Jose Rizal gave his entire life to. 

Today is a reminder of the tasks that lay ahead of all of us. The Knights of Rizal have done their fair share in this. By encouraging our youth to become new Rizals, to work beyond borders, and to innovate across sectors. Your annual Rizal Youth Leadership program is just one example of the many ways in which you have fulfilled your part in our collective responsibilities as Filipinos. 

But again, today’s celebration tells us that we must not relent -- that as you had formed the honor guard in Rizal’s burial in 1912, you continue to form the honor guard of his memory. 

You are supposed to be the teachers of his ethics, defenders of his patriotism, and living examples of his belief in civic participation. You are knights; complete with ranks and insignia, which are recognized by the Honors Code of the Philippines as official awards of the Republic, and if you hold strong and continue your dedicated work, and if each and every person in this country does the same, then we will forge further onward into being the Philippines that Jose Rizal once dreamed of, that all of us continue to dream of. 

By this I mean: do not waver, do not stray from the straight and righteous path, and know that you are not alone. This is the same commitment I continue to ask of every Filipino I meet, every partner in rebuilding this nation. It is also the same commitment I give for the next five and a half years as a leader, as a citizen of this republic borne out of the sacrifice of so many of our ancestors, among them a doctor from Calamba.

One of the famous anecdotes about Rizal is that when the Spanish doctor took his pulse before his execution, the doctor was surprised to see that he was perfectly calm. This comes from the power of knowing that one is doing the right thing, of having a clear conscience, and we must learn from this. Each and every Filipino must see that the old way of doing things in the darkness of corruption and deceit has been banished by the broad light of day that has shined on this country once more.  

We have returned to the much older, much more classical, and much nobler ideals of our heroes -- the ideals of honesty and transparency, and nationalism. 

The Filipino people can dream again. Finally, we can stay true to and fulfill the responsibilities that our heroes have passed onto our shoulders. 

Finally, under this newfound daylight, we can rebuild this country; we can bequeath to our children a Philippines finally rid of the cancer that has plagued it for centuries, a Philippines that is truly free.

And before I end, may I thank you for the honors you have bestowed upon me today, and I shall endeavor to be worthy of them in the coming days till the end of our lives.

Thank you. Good night.

He delivered the speech so fast yet I understand his message word per word, after this, a round of applause was given and suddenly he sneaked out in the side of the stage going through the back stage disappointing the Regional Commanders for photo opportunity and the dinner prepared for him by Manila Hotel. According to reports (from palace), he has a fever and cancelled all his appointments for this day. On the next day, he was reportedly suffering from fever and flu. True enough, he was vindicated. :)

International Assembly and Conference on Rizal

The Supreme Council during the opening ceremonies

I attended the International Assembly and Conference on Rizal last February 17 and 18 at Manila Hotel hosted by the Supreme Council of the Order of the Knights of Rizal. I was there not because my boss is the Deputy Supreme Commander, but because I belong to the Order, the youngest member (later you will see in the pictures why)... This is not an ordinary affair that i usually go to... In this Assembly, notable speakers like two former chief justices of the Supreme Court, Sir Hilario Davide and Sir Reynato Puno, former Supreme Court Justice Sir Justo Torres, an international known scientist, Nicanor Perlas and no less than the President of the Republic of the Philippines, H.E. Sir Noynoy Aquino graced and talked about the superb character of our National Hero and the significance of his heroism today. 

an opportunity with Sir Hilario Davide, JR, KGCR, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

With the Supreme Commander, Sir Pablo S. Trillana III, a very wise man..

The Flicker Boys... Sir Mark, Sir Senen, the big boss (Sir Reghis), Sir Angie, Sir Brian & Sir Paul

with the world recognized scientist, Nicanor Perlas, though i did not vote for him last election, i like him.. :)

My Chapter Commander, Sir Rey Malig who just received then the rank of Knight Grand Officer of Rizal, Congrats Sir Rey... 

I belong to Angeles Chapter, though i live at Mandaluyong City. It so happen that i was knighted in Angeles, Pampanga coinciding to the conferment of Knight Grand Cross of Rizal to my boss, Sir Reghis M. Romero II last July of 2010. 

President Aquino while being conferred by Sir Reghis Romero II, KGCR and Sir Alfredo Lim, KGCR

The assembly was very historic, there we gave the highest honors that the President of the Republic deserved in the Order, the rank of Knight Grand Cross of Rizal was conferred to Pres. Noynoy Aquino. Ngayon pede ko ng sabihin na ka-brod ko ang Presidente, :), kidding aside, i was very happy when he recognized and commended the Rizal Youth Leadership Institute as one of the notable activities that the youth needs at present. I was very proud because I am a product of that Institute in which my boss is the current Chairman. 

Sir Benigno S. Aquino, Jr, KGCR addressing the Assembly 

Sir Reghis giving his Welcome Remarks, unfortunately on the second day his voice was faltering so we just show the video clip of RYLI with Sir Sonny Chico explaining...

Unfortunately, my boss did not deliver his report na because of his voice, instead we just play a video clip of "dakilang lahi" with RYLI pictures as visuals... A concert featuring the wife of Sir Davide, Lady Gigi Davide, Angela Cahoy (a good friend of mine), Sir Rey Mateo, Deputy Supreme Exchequer, and the former Senator and Supreme Commander, Sir Joey Lina. 

My boss being recognized by the Assembly

In a nutshell, it was a big success! Congratulations to the Organizing Committee of this International Assembly and Conference on Rizal headed by Sir Roger Quiambao assisted by my boss Sir Reghis Romero II and Sir Vic Ramos. Also, congratulations to the Order headed by the Supreme Commander Sir Pablo S. Trillana III and the rest of the Council of Elders and Supreme Council.

"Non Omnis Moriar" - hindi lahat sa akin ay papanaw... 

Rizal: The Lover Boy

Many are excited to receive surprises from their sweethearts today, yet some are still waiting and hoping to have a partner this year... Kung nung Christmas may SMP (Samahang Malalamig ang Pasko) ngayon naman may SMV (Samahang Malalamig and Valentines), parang mas tragic ngayon hehehe... Fortunately, i never belong to that prestigious group... hehehe... well, ikaw na in love. hehehe.. Salamat nga pala sa mahal ko ngayon, kahit busy ka.. eh busy din ako. hahaha. joke... iloveyou babe, honey, bebe.. and all hahaha! 

Anyway, my last entry in my blog is about Valentines, the origin of the same and its significance today especially to lovers. While i am browsing the newspaper (PDI), i luckily read something about Rizal which of course caught my attention because im a Rizalist. Napapanahon, dahil and istoryang ito ay tungkol sa mga piling mga kababaihan na nagpatibok ng puso ng ating pambansang bayani. This article was written by Bryan Anthony Paraiso, shrine curator of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, it goes:

Heartbreak marked Rizal’s love life 

By Bryan Anthony C. Paraiso

Philippine Daily Inquirer

First Posted 02:45:00 02/14/2011

MANILA, Philippines—Whenever conversations center on national hero Jose Rizal’s manliness, loose tongues wag about his bevy of local and international girlfriends.

Undoubtedly, Rizal was never a boor who would kiss-and-tell on his amorous affairs, now called “casual dating.” Rarely do we find these women mentioned by name in his diaries or letters, and often their identities are concealed in the first letters of their given names and surnames.

What made Rizal “tick” with these women? Was it his good looks? An endearing wit? Perhaps, it was pure animal magnetism, which we refer to as “malakas ang dating” (strong appeal)? Whatever the reason, women were so charmed by Rizal that they yearned for him.

Much of what we know about Rizal’s love affairs has come from secondary sources or worse, the rumor mill. However, some of these women did leave details of their infatuation for the hero, such as Petite Suzanne Jacoby of Brussels, who wrote: “After your departure, I did not take the chocolate. The box is still intact as on the day of your parting.”

And: “Don’t delay too long writing us because I wear out the soles of my shoes for running to the mailbox to see if there is a letter from you … I impatiently await your letter in which you will tell me all that I want to know. The whole family sends their regards with wishes that you return … There will never be any home in which you are so loved as that in Brussels, so, you little bad boy, hurry up and come back …”

A vacillating Rizal

Another young woman who kept a record of her relationship with Rizal was Consuelo Perez Ortiga, whom he met while he was a student in Madrid.

She was the daughter of Pablo Rey Ortiga, a former mayor of Manila and president of Consejo de Filipinas. Her father, intimately called “El Padre Eterno” by the Filipino expatriates, often held informal gatherings for the students in his home.

As a young man who had abruptly left his sweetheart Leonor Rivera for studies abroad, Rizal seemed to have consoled himself through a flirtatious affair with Consuelo. Her diary passages indicate that Rizal seems genuinely attracted to her, yet vacillating if he should pursue his suit.

Smiles can be deceiving

Consuelo writes on Jan. 18, 1883: “Rizal talked with me for a long time, almost the whole night. He told me that I was very talented, that I was very diplomatic, and that he was going to see if he could extract some truth from me within two weeks; that I was mysterious and that I had a veil over my ideas …”

She also says: “Rizal told me that he detested amiable women because when they smiled, men imagined that they did so for something else. As he had told me the night before that I was very amiable, I understood that he meant it and I left him so that he would not make a mistake.

“A man should first study the ground and if he sees that the smile is for everybody he ought not to pay attention to her smiles because in distributing them so freely they lose all their meaning.”

A rival for her love

Whatever reservations hindered Rizal in initially wooing Consuelo were overcome for on Feb. 23, 1883, she narrates: “… Rizal is also in love; he has not declared this but almost, almost. He told me last night that he had a sickness that would not leave him except when traveling and that was only perchance.”

Another suitor, Eduardo de Lete, a compatriot, vied for her attentions as well. Though Consuelo preferred Lete, she was attracted to Rizal and apparently anxious with his intense feelings.

She said: “He also told me and I understood why, that two brothers had killed each other because both played the same card, that is, because both loved the same woman. He said that he had taken notice of one who was very tall for him but in spite of the fact that he had done it to amuse himself, it was useless.

“I listened to him with pleasure because he talks well and I fear that because of that he may think that I’m giving him hope, as it is in reality, but as it happens that I like his conversation, I abandon myself to it and then when he goes away, I’m sorry; he comes and again I do the same thing.”

Consuelo is torn

Aside from Rizal and Lete, Consuelo had to deal with Maximino and Antonio Paterno who regularly visited her. Yet, she was torn in deciding on whom to choose:

“I find myself in a position of not knowing which side to take: Lete on one side, Rizal on the other, on another the two brothers; all attack and I have nothing with which to defend myself except my head, for I don’t see, as I go nowhere, my former admirers, though it would be the same should I see them … In short, sometimes I fear I may lose my mind.”

It is astonishing to read in Consuelo’s diary that Rizal could be frank in his declarations of love, which confirms that he was smitten.

“Last night as in former times, I was talking with Rizal,” she writes. “He said that now if he would make love to a girl, he would do it ‘with the mouth, inasmuch as my heart is dry, as you know.

“Everything is possible. There are women capable of performing miracles. There’s one who has done it, has succeeded to convince me.

“Yes, it’s true, but having found her doesn’t mean that I have her.

“It’s true, it’s already much, and it’s almost halfway…

“This is what I vaguely recall of our conversation; but in the struggle of that soul, in the profound meaning of his words that he articulated one by one, underlining them with the accents of passion that he could ill conceal, there was a moment when I seemed to hear him (presumption of my youth, perhaps!) say: ‘You’re the woman who has performed that miracle, I love you,’ and certainly, or my heart deceives me greatly… certainly it seemed to me that he was at the point of saying it, but he refrained from doing so, not so much for the fear of being repulsed but for not being a traitor to that friend, but I can say without fear of making a mistake that there passed through his imagination all that I wrote and last night he was happy and unfortunate at the same time.”

Unrequited love

Eventually, Rizal gave up on his amorous intentions with Consuelo for he did not want to compete with Lete, and he was still in love with Leonor.

Consuelo, on her part, admitted to Rizal that she could not reciprocate his love, as he had wished.

“Rizal told me the other night that they had written him telling him that his family would be glad if he would return to the Philippines in June. His manner of saying it made me understand that it was like flight … Conversing with me he said that he had not yet understood me, that he didn’t know what I think of him.

“‘As a friend,’ I said to him. ‘Would you want more?’

“‘It’s true that’s enough,’ he replied with a slight irony. Poor Rizal!”

Alone in the end

Despite these events, Lete evidently harbored a grudge against him for in later years he wrote a disparaging satire titled “Five-and-Ten-Cent Redeemers,” which alluded to Rizal, and Rizal, incensed, promptly cut off ties with the propagandist newspaper La Solidaridad.

Though Rizal and Consuelo’s affair ended sadly, fate would soon prove tragic for her.

According to Lete, soon after the formalization of their engagement, she soon lost her humor. It also seems that their marriage did not push through for Lete narrates that years after Consuelo’s father died, her brother Rafael went to the Philippines to fill in a government post but died suddenly.

Lete further recounts: “She was left alone and abandoned in Madrid. A romantic girl deprived of her mother at an early age, possessing an education rare in those times, she saw all her love affairs crumble and all her illusions wither.

“She was very unfortunate, dying alone, sad, and abandoned, a victim of tuberculosis … An excellent and illustrious friend communicated to me this news when I went to Madrid as representative of a very important news agency of London on the occasion of the marriage of King Alfonso XIII in 1906 … May she rest in peace.”

Heartbreak marked Rizal’s love life. Are there any new tragic stories that budding historians could discover from Rizal’s tempestuous romances?

Nakanaks... ang gwapo ni Pepe no?!