Best wishes for the new administration

This week, the US Supreme Court heard arguments pertaining to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump that seeks to deny citizenship to US-born children of undocumented or temporary immigrants. This is commonly called "birthright citizenship". Remember that the US is only one of a few countries that follows the jus soli principle of citizenship which grants automatic US citizenship to persons born inside the US. This principle applies whether the child's parents are documented immigrants or not. The issue before the US Supreme Court on this instance is focused mainly on whether the lower federal court can issue injunctions with nationwide applicability. This means to say that a federal court in California can issue an order that is applicable in all of the US even if that court is lower in the US court's hierarchy. The administration maintains that this should not be the case as this power by the lower court is often abused and overused. On the other hand, if we only allow a limited applicability, we can have various courts interpreting differently which creates confusion and judicial dissonance. The US Supreme Court is expected to issue its decision this summer.

This is a major legal battle that warrants close attention. While the main issue before the court is more of a procedural issue, the bigger issue underneath is the ultimate question of whether or not we will see the full implementation of ending birthright citizenship.

* * *

Even though I am located halfway around the world, I still take particular interest in following what is happening in the Philippines and my beloved hometown Cebu. The recent elections produced a lot of surprises, most especially in the electoral contest between the formidable incumbent Gwen Garcia and the neophyte Pam Baricuatro.

Gwen Garcia's resounding defeat is a very good case study not necessarily on how Pam Baricuatro defeated her, but on how she lost it. I am not minimizing Ms. Baricuatro's victory, which is truly remarkable and a once-in-a-lifetime achievement in itself. But Gwen Garcia had every advantage on her side --the benefits of incumbency, entrenched political machinery, well-financed campaign coffers, name recognition and support from the administration.

What went wrong? Maybe even the good governor has the same question and might not even have a clue what the answers are. The voters of Cebu, in their collective wisdom, have voiced out their choice through the sanctity of the ballot box and in a democratic society, that's what we have to abide by.

And now the real work begins for the winner. Campaigning is hard, especially for an unknown and untested newcomer, but governing is harder.

The voters have spoken thunderously. They want change --she must be bold and fearless in cleansing the provincial government. They want accountability --she must enforce open governance in all political units. They want improvements - she must ensure the delivery of basic services like healthcare.

These are heavy expectations. She must deliver --big and now. There will be enemies wanting her to fail. There will also be wolves in sheep's clothing. She needs all the support she can get from every corner of Cebu. She must use the only valuable political capital she has right now --the people's mandate. And she must use it wisely and carefully.

I congratulate the new governor for the very gutsy and brave campaign. I do not think this epic feat will be replicated in the near future. Most of all, my prayers and best wishes for the success of her administration.