Rep. Nava’s hubris

By: Alex P. Vidal

“There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. ‘Good pride’ represents our dignity and self-respect. ‘Bad pride’ is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.” – John C. Maxwell

 

THERE is only one explanation for the actuation of Guimaras Rep. Lucille Nava when she reportedly ripped Iloilo City Rep. Julienne “Jam-Jam” Baronda in a recent dinner meeting hosted by the House Visayan Bloc headed by rumored vice presidential wanna-be, Negros Rep. Albee Benetiz.

Hubris.

The Greeks call it as “excessive pride.”

It’s because of hubris why the gods punished Prometheus, who stole the fire and gave it to humanity as a civilization, by bounding him on the mountain Caucasus.

Nava couldn’t accept that neophyte Baronda beat her to the draw and gained the attention of their male colleagues by proposing a plan to file a resolution calling on President Rodrigo Duterte to look into the plight of passengers crossing Iloilo and Guimaras.

Passengers have been finding it hard to cross the Guimaras strait like they used to enjoy due to the rigid rules imposed by the Philippine Coast Guard after 31 passengers died when two pump boats capsized one after another on August 3, 2019.

 

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Nava, wife of former Guimaras Governor and Rep. Rahman, considered Baronda’s plan as “interference”, thus she reportedly gave the 40-year-old Iloilo City solon the dressing down when they were alone in one corner.

Nava must’ve felt Baronda had overshadowed her especially when their colleagues in the meeting seemed to have appreciated the way the fresh congresswoman was showing her concern for people crossing the Guimaras strait.

Nava must’ve felt she should be the rightful person to float the idea being the representative of Guimaras.

But did she realize that some of those regularly crossing  Guimaras and Iloilo are also Baronda’s constituents?

If Nava thinks Baronda’s plan is meritorious, she should collaborate and support it, not to run berserk

Legislators are supposed to work jointly for the common good and welfare of the people and not to compete and pull down one another.

If it is true that Nava chided Baronda because of that flimsy issue, it’s plain and simple bullying and conduct unbecoming.

 

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U.N. UPDATE: Mirrored classroom display highlights scale of massive education crisis

A non-profit dedicated to exposing the severity of the global education crisis has been inviting delegates to the UN General Assembly inside a tiny mirrored installation this week, to drive home the reality that around 260 million children are missing from classrooms around the world.

Beginning 22 September through the end of next week, the Infinity Classroom exhibition by non-profit, Theirworld, will sit in the UN Plaza, open to visitors. The mirrored room is filled with what appears to be an infinite number of empty school desks – representing the millions of children out of school every day.

The station is the centerpiece of Theirworld’s #WriteTheWrong campaign, geared at building awareness of the global crisis and mobilizing the political will and financial support that is needed to give every child a chance to achieve their potential.

Founder and Chair of the NGO, Sarah Brown, said on Thursday: “The world has the largest number of refugees and displaced people since the Second World War, half of whom are children”, speaking to UN News, on a panel for the UN’s annual discussion series, dubbed the SDG Media Zone.

“We owe them what we want for our kids – a safe place to learn. That’s why we’re calling on all countries and international institutions to make education a priority”, Ms. Brown said.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)