Image via Wikipedia

     About three years ago, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared a state of national emergency but legal experts said it had no constitutional basis and was therefore illegal.  What these lawyers didn’t understand was that this “state of national emergency” is only a term that describes a national condition.  Well, what was said was said.  But if I were a president, I would just say, “We are in a state of national emergency.  I am not declaring it.  I hope that is very clear to you now, lawyers.   You ought to go back to college and take up a course on ‘Reading between the Lines.’”  I will never take that course because my span of attention is only ten lines.

            As time went by, radio and TV commentators, legal experts, and political analysts toned down their criticisms against that declaration.  The situation was like what we always observe in the countryside where people don’t talk much against their mayors or governors even if they could be worse than Hitler. 

            There was evident tension between the government forces and the marines who allegedly withdrew their support to the government.  The place of event was Fort Bonifacio. This could be the flash point we had been waiting for at which something could happen between the government and its desperate destabilizers.  I said to myself, “Don’t sleep and enjoy the action.  Maybe tomorrow everything will be under control.”

             Come tomorrow, everything was under control.  I had better forget about it.  But I had to drink a lot of coffee, so I wouldn’t be sluggish and would be able to do a lot of work, if I had any work to do at all.

            Three days had passed and the President announced that she might lift her proclamation or declaration of a state of national emergency within 72 hours.  As expected, her detractors, who had no guidelines except banners, placards, black bands, and stage shows, started to be noisy again. 

            I don’t want to write anymore.  My span of attention this time is only five lines.