Giving thanks
This coming fourth Thursday of November, Americans will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Next to Christmas, it is probably their best holiday. Having enjoyed the privilege of studying and working in the United States, I was fortunate to have been invited to several gatherings featuring turkeys and pumpkin pies. Yet more than the food, the holiday primarily celebrates the blessing of family and friends.
I have written about this topic before (see November 26, 2011) but I could not pass up the opportunity to say something more about this unique tradition. The Pilgrim Fathers who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 were not prepared for the harsh conditions of their new environment. Only about half were able to make it to spring. And more would have perished were it not for assistance provided by the Pawtuxet Indian tribe who not only taught them what to plant and how to fish but important survival skills as well. So after a bountiful fall harvest the following year, they invited these Native Americans to a feast. Aside from the blessing of the harvest, the pilgrim settlers also wanted to convey their gratitude to the Almighty and their new friends. Nowadays, Americans celebrate this holiday to give thanks for the blessings received during the preceding year. We have copied many practices and habits from the Americans both good and bad. Their “attitude of gratitude” is something we should emulate.
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Honorable comments: I received several thought-full reactions to our “Honorable” column last week, two of which I wish to share. Mike an expat Brit living in Leyte, clarifies:
The most important peers in the UK derive from titles as much as 1000 years old and the peerage IS hereditary. These are the Dukes, Earls and Viscounts. There are 800 of them but only 6 new ones created in the last 50 years.
“Life peerages” are always barons (not higher), and are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister for merit. The title CANNOT be inherited.
Use in writing of the word “honorable” is restricted to wives & children of peers plus judges and representatives of the Queen. By practice some other people can use the title as a spoken introduction only but may NEVER use the title in writing (that includes Members of Parliaments).
It seems to be a custom in Philippines to call all elected representatives, even at the lowest level of politics in a barangay. “honorable”. Sorry.....with the newspapers full of tales of corruption, plunder, political murders etc etc., have the politicians forgotten the meaning of the word......if anyone cares to search google they would be reminded that similar words to “honorable” are honest,
moral, ethical, principled, righteous.......mmmmmmmmmm
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Former Philippine Bar Association President Eddie Hernandez provided a historical context to the title’s use:
“Before the war, President Quezon issued an Executive Order enumerating the Public Officers of high rank entitled to prefix their names with Honorable. It was a recognition by the highest official of the land and certainly not intended to allow the lowliest public employee to selfishly misappropriate a title not due to them.
My father a Judge of the Court of 1st Instance of Davao and Cotabato (only 1 court for 2 provinces before the War), narrates a story of how Quezon berated the organizers of a committee when they placed in the program the title of Hon. Justice to refer to a Justice of the Peace. Later a law was enacted changing the title of Justices of the Peace to simply that of Municipal Judge.
Then, Quezon enacted a code of conduct enumerating the parties or affairs that Judges could attend. Eventually the code of conduct covered all other officials and manner of behaving ‘publicly’ including, for instance the prohibition against them in going to the “orchestra” area of public theaters together with prohibitions from visiting cockpits and cabarets. His code of conduct even included a dress code when performing public duties and for all other occasions.
Such was the strict standard imposed by Quezon to keep public official isolated from potential companions of ill repute including dens of iniquities — where their numbered car when parked nearby was enough to bring about an investigation.
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Laws for Life: A book that serves as a layman’s guide to everyday legal transactions will be launched this November 27, Thanksgiving day, 5 pm, at the National Bookstore Glorietta. Authored by Atenean lawyers Gianna Montinola and Vicky Rotor-Hilado, “Laws for Life” is intended to answer and help solve mundane legal problems which an individual encounters from cradle to grave. The book is divided into three chapters: beginning with the Age of Minority (0-17 years old), continuing to the Age of Majority (18-59 years old) and ending with the Age of Seniority (60 years old–beyond). Topics tackled include: How does one correct an erroneous birth certificate?; What questions should one ask and documents one should request when buying real property?; What are the legal requirements that need to be observed to bury a person and what are the processes that need to be followed and the taxes that need to be paid to settle the estate of a deceased person, and a host of other questions. The book is meant to equip a lay person with practical and “street wise” information as well as serve as a weapon against bureaucratic red tape and shenanigans by shysters. We should give thanks for publications such as this as it helps all of us (lawyers included) to navigate the sometimes complex and frustrating legal maze that we find ourselves in.
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Greetings: Birth anniversary best wishes to good buddy Gonzalo “Dondi” Sy-Quia, III who joins the golden club today. Dondi and I spent several Thanksgivings together. Greetings as well to Alaska’s Fred Uytengsu, PCGG twins Wilson and Winson Listangco, and recent Manila-visitor Gretta Fenner who manages the Basel Institute of Governance.
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“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault
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