Galit ng bayan

HINDI ordinaryong patayan ang nangyari sa bayan ng Paniqui sa lalawigan ng Tarlac noong Linggo. Isang dagok sa imahe ng PNP ang pamamaslang sa mag-inang Sonia at Anthony Gregorio. Isang sundot sa konsensiya ng sambayanan ang pagpatay. Ipinakita ni P/Msgt Jonel Nuezca ang kultura ng karahasan sa hanay ng pulisya.

Galit ang sambayanan. Iinalat ng mga netizen ang video ng patayan. Mahigit 20 ang lumiham sa aming social media account upang magpahayag ng kanilang saloobin. Iisa ang nararamdaman; nalulungkot sila sa nangyari at nagtanong kung ano ang nangyayari sa bansa. Hindi sila natutuwa sa liderato ni Rodrigo Duterte.

Wala silang nakikitang pagbabago sa ilalim ng kanyang pamumuno. Sa katunayan, ginagamit ni Duterte ang patayan upang pabanguhin ang kanyang imahe at masabing tumatayo sa simulain ng karapatang pantao. Nahaharap si Duterte sa asuntong crimes against humanity sa International Criminal Court. Anumang oras, bababa ang kanyang arrest warrant.

Paraan ito ni Duterte para kumambiyo at palabasin na kahit paano, naninindigan siya sa usapin ng karapatang pantao. Hindi nalilimutan ng sambayanan ang madalas niyang pag-enganyo sa mga pulis na kalimutan ang karapatang pantao dahil “sagot ko kayo.”

Iisa ang tingin ng sambayanang Filipino sa mga pulis. Hindi sila ang tagatanggol ng kanilang mga karapatan. Hindi sila ang tatayo laban sa kasamaan. Hindi sila ang magpapanatili ng kapayapaan at kaayusan sa bansa. Hindi sila ang sandigan ng bayan.

Nakakagulat na walang binanggit si Duterte ng mga hakbang upang tulungan ang mga biktima ng baha ng bagyong Vicky sa Surigao del Sur at Agusan del Norte sa Mindanao. Wala siyang binanggit na ayuda sa mga nasalanta. Parang hindi nangyari ang hagupit ng bagyo kamakailan.

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TUWIRANG inamin ni Duterte sa kanyang pagharap sa bayan noong Lunes ng gabi na hindi mabilis ang mga kumpanyang dayuhan upang bentahan ang gobyerno ng bakuna kontra sa China-Duterte Virus. “We don’t have clout,” aniya. Sa maikli, wala tayong kapit, aniya.

Bagaman negosyo ang gamot, alam ng mga gumagawa ng bakuna kung sino ang bebentahan. Alam nila na magkakandarapa ang mga bibili. Hindi sila mauubusan ng mga bibili at mas lalong hindi sila malulugi.

Hindi nila pagbibilhan ang mga bansa at gobyerno na patuloy na lumalabag sa karapatang pantao. Ganyan kalalim ang usapin na ito. Nakatatak sa tradisyon at halagain ng karapatang pantao sa mga bansa ng gumagawa ng bakuna. Hindi nila ito basta maisasantabi basta lamang makapagbenta ng bakuna at magkamal ng malaking tubo.

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ILANG oras matapos kumalat ang video ng pamamaslang, isinulat namin ang sumusunod at post sa aming social media account:

HIGH PROFILE CRIMES

A dozen netizens have sent me the video footage re the shooting of the mother and son over a right-of-way dispute in Tarlac. The footage has since gone viral. It was so repulsive as it has reminded me of the gruesome murder of Elmer Maguan by convicted murderer Rolito Go and the equally heinous rape and murder of UPLB student Eileen Sarmenta by convicted Calauan mayor Antonio Sanchez and his henchmen.

They were high profile crimes that dominated mass media reports for more than 20 years. For sure, the murders of Gregorio, mother and son by P/Sgt Jonel Nuezca would dominate mass media too. It was another high-profile crime. Obviously, the killer has further destroyed the already tattered public image of the PNP. It only goes to show that power has gone into the heads of a number of police officers.

We should stay vigilant. We should express our collective condemnation of the incident. The PNP has to respond by launching its own process of internal cleansing and reform. How? It is an issue that could be hardly pursued under the present situation. Quite a big dilemma for the PNP. Again, we have to pressure the PNP leadership to come out and express its views on the issue.

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KILALA ba ninyo si Nandy Pacheco ng Gunless Society? Kung hindi pa, pakibasa:

THAT GUY NANDY PACHECO
OF ‘GUNLESS SOCIETY’

Sometime in the early 1980s, I met Nandy Pacheco, one of the guys of the pubic information office of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). I was among the hordes of journalists, who covered an ADB conference in Manila. I always remember him as one of the more conscientious guys of the multilateral institution. Because of his accommodating ways, Nandy has become a friend. He possesses a sweet countenance and endearing ways.

Fast forward to the latter part of the 1980s. I met Nandy Pacheco. By that time he was retired from the ADB. In his post retirement, Nandy has evolved into a different animal. He was no longer the ADB guy, who spewed wisdom in multilateral banking, but an advocate of the “Gunless Society,” an advocacy group that promotes the elimination of guns in society.

It is an easy advocacy. Nandy Pacheco has encountered overwhelming resistance that could weaken people with weak hearts. They don’t believe in his advocacy. Many people believe in the alleged wisdom of owning guns. Many guys, including common friends and acquaintances, consider Nandy a naive person, who believes that the elimination of guns could lead to elimination of violence in human society.

In many ways, they are correct. Owning guns for defensive purposes seems to be the common assertion, or compromise point. But Nandy is resolute. He does not believe in the primacy of guns as a weapon. Being in the right is what matters most, not owning a gun. I always remember Nandy Pacheco ‘s words about gun ownership: “Pampatapang lang iyang baril.”

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QUOTE UNQUOTE: “Condemning is easy. Good cops should work to make sure bad cops are held accountable. They’re not good cops if they just watch the bad cops flout the law and violate human rights. The good must take action against the bad. If they won’t, they’re no better.” – Carlos Conde, netizen and human rights researcher

“Don’t mistake Jonel Nuezca with Harry Roque. Jonel has an index finger ready to pull the trigger, while Harry has a soft wrist.” – PL, netizen

“Kung hindi navideo ang pagpatay sa mag-ina, malamang sasabihin nilang ‘nanlaban’ o nasa drug list na naman.” – Sonny Trillanes

“Sometimes, the best way for a citizen to prevent, even to stop, crimes from happening is to stop paying taxes. To disable the govt to provide the Police the gun & ammunition. Because if you do, you’ll give the Police another chance to hit you – when the last time, they missed.” – Jed Cepe