THERE ARE at least three indicators by which you can gauge the purity and strength of a character of a person.
- In a mahjong table, playing poker, or at the cockpit or any game of chance – The moral worth of the player will surface while playing. You will find out whether he is honest, deceitful, untrustworthy or wholesome, and whether you want to play with him again.
- In a drinking session – Under the influence, an inebriated drunk…drinker will reveal the best-kept secrets of his worst enemy and mother-in-law. In the intoxicating bouts, he will tell you everything. Even questions you did not ask for. As the maxim goes, In vino, veritas! In wine, there is truth. So, if you wanna find out the faithfulness of your husband, a bottle of Dark Tanduay Rhum, Tuba and 12 bottles of Red Horse beer will do. That is, if he is still standing, opens his mouth and you can understand what the heck he’s mumbling about.
- In an earthquake or other natural disasters – In these moments of crisis when he thinks it is the end of the world, he will blurt out a confession and do many strange and weird things.
***
Recently an earthquake swayed the Hall of Justice building where a court session was going on. Before anyone could ask what’s going on, there was no one around, only the gavel left on the judge’s table.
***
The younger lawyers and prosecutors were first to go down, putting distance away from the Hall of Justice building. Older lawyers and retirable judges were slowly winding down, grumbling that the Hall of Justice building was ill-constructed.
The last group of persons to vacate were the detained prisoners because they were hand-cuffed together and the prison guards left ahead of them.
***
While the building was swaying, I was lost in profound thought. I was trying to figure out what did I drink last night. Was it whisky? Brandy? Tuba? What a hangover, I could hardly stand up. It was an earthquake gali.
***
A few days later there was an announcement over the public sound system that the Hall of Justice building was safe. You see? It survived a 4.8 magnitude earthquake. I do not know about a 4.9 magnitude earthquake.
Let us not talk bad about the racket…I mean, construction, re-construction, retro-fitting, repair, elevator re-2K, etc. of the Hall of Justice building because they are still around. But it was built for judicial unity and housed the offices of the RTC, MTC, OCC, City and Provincial Prosecutors, PAO, Parole Board; IBP, Canteen…and if it does go down, we shall indeed be united eternally.
***
In the olden times, whenever there was an earthquake, the folks rushed outside the house and yelled loudly at the top of their voices with some Latin incantations like “Luam Tuam kulikutom” whatever. The theory is that if you shouted in a voice louder than the rumble of the earthquake, it will calm down.
Ridiculous, however, in later life, I found it to be absolutely true. In an argument with your wife and you raise your voice slightly higher and she snorts back in a much louder volume; you keep quiet.
You have to. Even an earthquake does. (muzones_law_office@yahoo.com/PN)
