Hunyango
HINDI na nakagugulat ang dagsa-dagsang paglilipat-bakod ng mga pulitiko sa Partido Liberal. Sa isang kisapmata naging mayorya ang partidong ito sa Kongreso dahil ito ang partido ng nanalong pangulo ng Pilipinas.
Ganito ang kalakaran sa sawimpalad nating bansa dahil wala naman kasing tunay na prinsipyo ang nangungunang mga partidong pulitikal. Pwede silang magpapalit-palit ng kulay gaya ng hunyango o chameleon depende sa kapaligiran o kung saan sila makikinabang.
Kaya ’yung dating mga tuta at tagapagtanggol ng dating presidente e biglang lumipat at kumakahol ngayon depende sa kumpas ng bagong amo. Kaya ’yung mga pulitikong walang kahihiyang nagsayaw ng Cha-cha para kay Aling Gloring e walang kahihiyan ngayong nangangakong sosoplahin ang panukalang Cha-cha ng dating pangulo na ngayo’y kasama na nilang nakatira sa Bahay ng mga Kinatawan.
Nakakapanindig-balahibo ang kakapalan ng mukha ng mga pulitikong palipat-lipat at papalit-palit kahit walang malinaw na dahilan kundi sariling kaligtasan o ganansya. Alam kasi nilang hindi mapuputol ang dating ng kanilang pork barrel kung kakampi nila ang namimigay nito. Alam na nila kung sino sila.
Ang kabilang dulo ng mga partidong “mainstream” e ang ilang makakaliwang partido na may tendensyang maging “sectarian” naman o panatikong sarado. Isang halimbawa ang ginagawang pag-atake ng isang grupong makakaliwa sa dating kakamping sina Etta Rosales at Risa Hontiveros dahil lamang kakaiba ang bersyon nila ng pagiging “kaliwa.”
Nanghihinayang ako at hindi nakapasok sa Senado sina Hontiveros, Ka Satur Ocampo at Lisa Maza dahil nagkaroon sana ng kinatawan ang kaliwa kung nakapasok sila. Sigurado namang hindi magbabago ang sistema ng pamahalaan kung naroon sila pero nagkaroon sana ng boses ang masa kahit mahina.
Nakalulungkot ding makita na hindi na nga solido ang kaliwa, personal pa kung magbanatan sila sa publiko. Sino ang maniniwala, halimbawa, na kakampi ng human rights violators si Etta Rosales at hindi siya bagay ilagay sa Commission on Human Rights? Sino ba ang tingin nilang bagay sa CHR? Hindi ba dapat silang matuwa na ang “burgis” na pamahalaang ito e handang humirang ng mga taong galing sa kaliwa at sa gayon ay mapalawak ang larangan para sa tinatawag nilang rebolusyon?
Ito rin ang linya nila nang akusahan si Hontiveros ng pakikipagkaisa sa mga berdugo ng bayan at mga panginoong maylupa noong panahon ng kampanya; ginagawa nila iyon habang ipinagtatanggol nila ang isa ring panginoong maylupa at inaakusahan ng corruption na si Manny Villar.
Hindi ba sila pwedeng maging masaya para sa mga hindi nga nila kakampi pero nagmamalasakit din sa bayan at pinapayagan ng administrasyon na magsilbi?
Ang totoo nga niyan baka hindi rin magtagal sa pwesto ang mga kagaya ni Etta tulad ng nangyari sa mga Leftists na itinalaga ni Tita Cory sa gabinete niya noong katatayo pa lamang ng kanyang “revolutionary” government.
We never learn from history
My brother Samuel, a soldier in the Philippine Army, should have been 50 years old today if he was not killed in Bicol 10 years ago. He left a sickly widow and two small children who have been fending for themselves since then.
He was killed after seeking the State Witness Protection, he being a witness to his superiors’ murder of a businesswoman they tagged as a member of the New People’s Army. The Commission on Human Rights helped him dig the grave with the murdered woman’s family by his side.
He was a foot soldier who rose from the rank and promoted as a sergeant, but was demoted and assigned to another area where he was a killed a few months after his expose.
Just last week, Lieutenant Senior Grade Nancy Gadian of the Philippine Navy exposed the alleged “dirty pattern” of corruption by military higher-ups handling funds for the Balikatan exercises under the US-RP Visiting Forces Agreement since 2007. She disclosed that the Philippine Navy has reported spending P46 million for the Balikatan but actually disbursed P2.3 million only in 2008. She dared the military to conduct a lifestyle check after her superiors accused her of spending the P2.3 million for herself. She called this “retaliation.”
Fearing for her safety and that of her two children, Gadian never reported back to the Philippine Navy after her official leave ended last April. Her superiors, in turn, issued an apprehension order, asking her to report immediately otherwise she will be stripped of her position and salaries.
Back in 1995, young Navy officer Philip Andrew Pestaño, fresh graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, was allegedly murdered because he was about to expose anomalies in the Philippine Navy. Pestano’s parents revealed in a letter which circulated in the Internet 14 years ago that their son had knowledge of military officials’ involvement in drug trafficking and illegal logging.
Pestaño was found dead, allegedly a suicide, inside his stateroom aboard a Philippine Navy ship while returning back to headquarters in Roxas Boulevard from Sangley Point in Cavite . His parents had been convincing him not to return to the service fearing for his safety after the son told them of his predicament.
In June 1899, General Antonio Luna was killed by Emilio Aguinaldo’s men, his fellow Katipuneros, for having a military strategy different from that of Aguinaldo’s and instilling strict discipline in the military. The “best general” the country ever had, Luna was strictly implementing the code of conduct in the military punishing those who were caught looting, raping or even not wearing the military uniform while on duty.
We never learn from history.