Ang Talumpati ni Pnoy Aquino sa Mamasapano Massacre Anniversary (25 January 2016)

Ang Talumpati ni Pnoy Aquino sa

Mamasapano Massacre Anniversary (25 January 2016)

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Sa pagsalita ni Pnoy Aquino sa anibersaryo ng pagpatay sa SAF44 ngayong araw, 25 ng Enero, ay kung ano-ano na namang matulaing kataga ang binitwan niya. Kaylan kaya titigil ang presidente sa ganitong gawain na bistado namang puro buladas lang? Hindi makakalimutan ang mga binitiwan niyang mga pangako lalo na ang “tuwid na daan”, noong nangangampanya pa lang siya, hanggang sa siya ay umupo na. Pati ang mga “pangako” para sa mga pamilya ng mga pinatay na SAF44 ay hindi pinatawad ni Pnoy dahil sa mga bulilyaso na naman.

 

Ayon sa tatay ng isang pinatay na SAF, iilan lang sa mga pinangakong benepisyo ang kanilang natanggap. Ang pabahay ay maliit at nasa isang liblib na panig ng Laguna at hindi mararating kung walang sariling sasakyan. Ang isang benepisyo para sa dependent ay tahasang sinabi ng pamunuan ng PNP na hindi pwedeng ibigay dahil lampas na sa minimum na gulang ang tinutukoy na dependent, subalit sana ito ay ginawang exemption na lang, dahil gagamitin sa isang hindi pangkaraniwang sitwasyon…subalit hindi nangyari, sa kabila ng pangako ni Pnoy.

 

Hindi makalimutan ang hindi niya pagsalubong nang dumating ang mga labi ng SAF44, pagkatapos ay sasabihin niyang dadalhin daw niya hanggang sa hukay ang sakit na dulot ng nangyari na gusto pa niyang ituring na isang “insidente” lamang, at hindi “masaker”? Dahil sa kasanayan na niyang magbigkas ng mga kasinungalingan, akala niya lahat ng mga sinasabi niya ay totoo….napaniwala niya ang sarili sa ganito. Subalit hindi tanga ang taong bayan upang paniwalaan ang mga sinasabi niya.

 

Upang mabawasan ang bigat ng kanyang mga pagkukulang bilang presidente ay panay paninisi ang ginagawa sa nakaraan administrasyon ni Gloria Arroyo na nagpamana daw sa kanya ng mga kapalpakan. Bakit hindi na lang niya ituwid kung may mali at punan kung may kakulangan, sa halip na siya ay magdadakdak na hindi gawain ng isang lalaking tao, lalo pa at ayon sa kanya ay  “ama” siya ng sambayanang Pilipino? Ang salitang “ama” ay nanggaling din sa kanya dahil sa kahiligan yata niya sa tula, subalit hanggang turing na lang ito, dahil hindi nga niya pinapakinggan ang kanyang mga “boss” na taong bayan, ang bago na namang turing na “ama” pa kaya? Hindi lang tahasang pagbibingi-bingihan ang kanyang ginagawa, kundi pati na rin ang pagbubulag-bulagan, at lalo pa ang pagmamaang-maangan kaya marami tuloy ang nagtatanong kung may presidente ba ngayon ang Pilipinas.

 

Ang pinakamagandang magagawa ni Pnoy upang makabawi sa mga kahihiyan ay huwag nang mangako at bawasan ang paggamit ng mga matalinghagang salita sa kanyang mga talumpati. May panahon pa naman siya upang mabago kahit kapiraso ang pagtingin sa kanya ng sambayanang Pilipino at makakuha uli ng respeto…yan ay kung pakikinggan niya ang mga matitino niyang taga-payo, lalo na ang mga “boss” niya.

“Maliit na bagay…”: bagong kasabihan ng Presidente ng Pilipinas

“Maliit na bagay…”: bagong kasabihan ng Presidente ng Pilipinas

(tungkol sa mga isyu ng “tanim-bala” at “Maguindanao Massacre”)

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Ayon sa matalinong presidente ng Pilipinas, maliit na bagay lang daw ang isyu tungkol sa tanim-bala sa airport at pinalaki lang ng media. Para sa kanya, maliit palang bagay ang mga sumusunod na ilan lang sa mga nangyari dahil sa eskandalong ito:

 

• Ang mawalan ng trabaho sa ibang bansa ang isang pasaherong hindi nagbigay ng suhol kaya pinigilang sumakay sa kanyang flight.

 

• Ang halos ikamatay ng isang matandang pasahero ang ginawang pagbintang na nagbibitbit siya ng bala.

 

• Ang kahihiyang idinulot ng pagposas agad sa isang may katandaan nang pasaherong babae dahil lang sa iisang balang nakita daw sa kanyang bagahe.

 

• Ang mapagtawanan ang Pilipinas ng buong mundo dahil pati ang inosenteng bala ay ginawang kasangkapan sa pangingikil, kaya ang kahihiyang ito ay ginawan pa ng isang TV show sa Japan.

 

• Ang maalipusta ng mga banyaga na ang tingin sa Pilipino ay hindi mapapagkatiwalaan.

 

• Ang masira ang imahe ng bansa pagdating sa turismo dahil pati mga banyagang turista ay hindi pinatawad ng mga nangingikil sa airport.

 

• Ang maungkat uli ang literal na mabahong amoy sa mga airport dahil sa mga sirang gripo, baradong inuduro at tadtad ng mantsang mga lavatory o lababo, kaya hindi na nawala ang black eye ng tourism industry ng bansa na hindi na nga nakakasabay kahit lang sa mga kapit-bansa na kasapi sa ASEAN.

 

Pinsan ng pangulo ang nakaupong General Manager ng MIAA, na tahasang nagsasabing wala siyang pakialam sa pangkabuuhang operasyon ng airport sa kabila ng ipinakita na sa kanyang responsibilidad na nakapaloob sa isang kauutusan. Bakit hindi na lang siya mag-resign upang mapalitan ng talagang may kaalaman sa pagpapatakbo ng airport? Kung may pagmamahal siya sa pinsan niyang matalinong president, dapat umalis na siya upang mabawasan naman ang bigat na nakapatong sa balikat nito – mga problemang siya rin ang may gawa.

 

Ang Maguindanao Massacre na ilang araw lang ang nakaraan ay umabot na sa ika-anim na taon ay malamang “maliit na bagay” lang din para sa matalinong pangulo. Nakalimutan yata niyang isa ito sa mga pinangako niyang matutuldukan noong siya ay nangangampanya pa lang. Nakakatawa pa sila sa Malakanyang dahil ngayong araw na ito lang, November 24, nagbigay ng “reminder” sa Department of Justice na “bilisan” kuno ang pagpausad sa gulong ng hustisya para sa mga namatayan!

 

Maliit din sigurong bagay ang pag-appoint niya ng mga kakilala, kaeskwela, at kung ano pang kakakahan sa mga sensitibong puwesto sa iba’t ibang ahensiya. Mabuti na lang at kahit paano ay nabistong ang palagi niyang sinusumbat na cronyism kay Gloria Arroyo ay ginagawa din pala niya – mas matindi pa! Bumaba man siya sa puwesto, hindi siya makakalimutan ng mga Pilipino dahil sa pagduduro niya ng isang daliri kay Gloria, samantalang ang tatlo pa ay nakaturo naman sa kanya!

 

Para sa isang taong hindi nakadanas ng kahirapan, lahat ng bagay sa mundo ay maliit dahil malamang, iniisip niyang lahat ito may katumbas na pera!…o hindi kaya dahil lang sa talagang ugali niyang walang pakialam sa kanyang kapwa?

 

 

Conflict of Ideologies, Abuse of Authority, and Corruption are the Causes of the Indigenous Filipinos’ Woes Today

Conflict of Ideologies, Abuse of Authority, and Corruption

are the Causes of the Indigenous Filipinos’ Woes Today

by Apolinario Villalobos

When the Spaniards colonized the islands of the Philippines way back in the 1500s, the natives were clustered so that they can be easily “managed” which actually means, conveniently taxed. They were made to settle around the plaza with the church as the focal point of the community. To entice those who were apprehensive and afraid to come down from their mountain abode, joyful occasions such as fiestas were held by the friars. The same practice was employed by the Americans when they took over. Some regions were successfully developed out of clustering, although, some tribes who persisted in maintaining their values and culture remained steadfast in their ancestral domains. There was not much problem during those two regimes because, the natives had only two choices – either embrace the imposed authority thereby, live in “managed” communities, or live in the mountains, far from the colonizers, peacefully. Period.

Today, the native Filipinos who live in their ancestral domain are pitifully squeezed between three forces – that of the government forces, the land grabbers, and the subversives. The government has the duty to protect every Filipino, including the indigenous ones. To make it easy for the government to do it, clustering is again used, pulling the natives from their source of livelihood, in the process. The government had to do this because of the intrusion of the subversives into the ancestral domains of the indigenous Filipinos. Unfortunately, some military contingents became abusive. The land grabbers, meanwhile, using fraudulent documents are practically driving the natives farther into the wilderness. On the other hand, the subversives employ psychological tactics in winning the natives to their side, and in some instances, even with force.

In a not so distant past, some tribes were the ones that complained about the intrusion of the subversives into their midst. Their presence required support which of course meant, doubling of effort on the part of the natives to produce more from their tilled lands. It is only when they could no longer tolerate the mulcting of these subversives that they complained to the government authorities. This is the reason why the government came into the picture – to purportedly protect the natives, necessitating their presence in their communities. In cases of land grabbing, the natives approach militant groups for help, and most often, results are not encouraging due to inaction of the government agencies concernced, that is why, during anti-government rallies, this is among the issues being shouted, a sad reality because most land grabbers are government officials using dummies!

Aside from clustering, another effort of the government to provide protection is the organization of the local defense forces composed of the able-bodied male members of the community. The Abbu Sayyaf was “developed” in this manner. Originally envisioned to augment the government effort in fighting insurgency, it later became into what it is now because of many reasons blamed on the government. In the case of the displaced natives who are seeking the protection of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) in Mindanao, their community-based paramilitary group is called Alamara.

The latest news about the displaced 700 indigenous Filipinos who live under the protection of the United Church of Christ in the Philippine (UCCP), displaced from their ancestral domains for several months now is disheartening. The primary reason why the natives left their homes and farms, is the presence of the military in their communities. The question now is, “who” told them that such presence is not good for them? The quest for communistic ideology is far from being dead in the Philippines. Splinters of communistic groups are well distributed throughout the archipelago even the once-peaceful Bohol, Panay, and Palawan islands.

The issue on displaced tribal communities is not new, especially, as an effect of land grabbing which started when the Spaniards came,  got complicated with the intrusion of Communism in the country, worsened by the politicians who use dummies in this scheme, and got further muddled by the abuse of some military contingents.

As a conclusion, for as long as there are adherents of Communism, land grabbers, abusive military contingents, and corrupt government officials, the problem of the indigenous Filipinos will not be solved. The consolation, however, are the religious groups, one of which is the UCCP, that provide support and affordable protection.

The “Extraordinary” Resolute Stance of Sacked SAF Chief Getulio Napenas

The “Extraordinary” Resolute Stance of
Sacked SAF Chief Getulio Napeῆas
By Apolinario Villalobos

Ever since the sacked SAF Chief Getulio Napeῆas gave interviews, until the first day of the Senate Hearing on February 9, 2015 about the Mamasapano massacre, the guy sounded resolute and sure of his statements. His body language implies that he is leaning on “something” strong or formidable. Is that “something” a promise that everything will be alright for as long as he takes responsibility of the SAF’s intrusion into the MILF’s “territory”? Who gave him that assured “something”?

Although, he mentioned the name of Purisima during the hearing, all that he attributed to him were the “suggestions”, which for him were not “orders”. But why take such suggestions to the point of following them to the last letter from a suspended boss? Why did he disregard the Secretary of a Presidential cabinet, DILG, and who is after all, higher than Purisima? And, worst, why did he disregard the OIC of PNP? It should be noted that during his early interviews he clearly stated that he was coordinating with Purisima and Ochoa, with the latter, he believes to be confiding with the president. By having knowledge of what are afoot, puts the parties involved in a questionable position, short of saying that they are in collusion with the active party who, in this situation is Napeῆas.

Again, was Napeῆas given assurance that there will be no investigation? Or, is he hoping that if ever there will be one, and which unfortunately there are several going on, the expected results are expected to be conflicting, and eventually will be just be junked as had happened to the rest of investigations? Obviously, during the Senate hearing, he got rattled and struggled with his replies when bombarded with questions by unbelieving senators. But he did not waver in blaming the Armed Forces for not immediately giving assistance….at least he has some party to blame for the casualties that the SAF suffered, aside for course from the MILF and the BIFF.

It is very observable in the country’s justice system, that unless the ones tried are political foes, the cases are not given much attention. One glaring example is the Maguindanao massacre which up to now has no convicted party yet, despite the strong evidences. But for the corruption cases tagged to Napoles that involve the political foes of the administration, the action is very swift, resulting to the detention of Enrile, Estrada and Revilla. The same is true with the Binays who are drenched to the bone with graft cases, to make sure that the elder Binay will not have a chance during the Presidential race in 2016.

The senators are smelling something fishy and just like the rest of the Filipinos who are patiently following this latest case of irresponsibility, they cannot accept the alibis of the sacked SAF chief.