Sense-making in Web era: Snakes and Ladders redux

When I was a new father in the early eighties, I bought my pre-school daughter a Snakes and Ladders board game. I did not know this then, I just had an overall sense that, as explained now by Google Search: “The board game Snakes and Ladders, also known as Moksha Patam, was created by the Marathi Saint and Philosopher, Sant Dnyaneshwar, or Jnaneshwar, in the 13th century. He developed the game to teach children about morality and the consequences of their actions. The ladders represent virtues, while the snakes represent vices.”

- ENDEAVOR SONNY COLOMA

It is played between two or more players on a gameboard having numbered, gridded squares. A number of "ladders" and "snakes" are pictured on the board, each connecting two specific board squares. The object of the game is to navigate one's game piece, according to die rolls, from the start (bottom square) to the finish (top square), helped or hindered by ladders and snakes respectively.

And yes, for techies, here’s the deal — “Snakes & Ladders: The Ultimate Multiplayer Online Family Board Game! Experience the classic fun of Snakes & Ladders and Ludo with a thrilling new twist! Roll the dream dice and embark on an exciting adventure across various ludo battlegrounds. The two player online board game to play!”

I've decided to adopt the Snakes and Ladders peg in my own effort to make sense of current Philippine events, specifically, those affecting the direction of the impending impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

'Impending impeachment' is an apt, alliterative way of framing what vexes my millennial daughter and her peers. This was triggered by Senate President Chiz Escudero’s announcement postponing to June 11 Day 1 of the trial after the meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac). This body “was created by virtue of RA 7640 as a consultative and advisory body to the President who chairs the NEDA Board on certain programs and policies essential to the realization of the goals of the national economy.”

From the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur last week, ABS-CBN News quoted President Marcos’ reply to reporters when asked about the impending trial: