Dead in the City

No, we are not talking of a horror version of the Razzie awarded "Sex in the City 2". We are talking of the continuing "salvaging" of alleged, and relatively, "petty" criminals like cellphone snatchers, hold-uppers, etc. We say "petty" because the bigger ones like those plundering hundreds of millions of pesos remain outside the prisons and in most cases even protected by government-appointed bodyguards at the expense of the taxpayers' money.

In the past few weeks kasi, halos sunod-sunod ang itinatapon na salvage victims with corresponding messages like "Huwag akong tularan, Holdaper ako", o "Snatcher ako", o "Magnanakaw ako". Pero ano ba talaga ang implications nito?

1. Nagsisimula na namang maghari ang mga vigilante at mga ala-vigilante. Ja-peyks ba para lang makakuha ng atensiyon.
2. Kulang na ang tiwala ng mga tao sa criminal justice system.
3. Puwede ring ang tingin ng ibang tao, wala nang justice system. Puro na lang kriminal.
4. Usad-pagong ang ating mga pulis. Baka wala nang mga gasolina ang mga police cars na inisyu sa kanila.
5. Usad-pagong pa rin ang mga pulis. Baka masyado na silang gutom at di na kaya ang mabilisang pagresponde sa mga krimen.
6. Usad-pagong pa rin ang mga pulis. Kung hindi sila gutom, baka masyado naman silang busog kaya nahihirapang tumakbo. Sa AFP, milyones ang pabaon. Sa PNP kaya?
7. May problema sa conviction rate. Tingin ng iba, makakalaya rin ang mga kriminal lalo pa at maliliit lamang ang krimen na nagawa nila. Yung malalaki nga na milyones ang involved at krimen pa laban sa bayan ang na-commit nakakapaglakwatsa pa at malayang nagmo-malling, di ba? At puwede pang kumandidato.
8. May problema pa rin sa conviction rate. Ilang beses na nga bang na-deny ang efforts para malaman ang katotohanan simula pa nung impeachment processes kay Gloria Arroyo?
9. Marami na talagang isnatser at holdaper kaya kailangang magbawas.
10. Marami na rin ang mga taong walang magawa kaya yung iba, nang-iisnats na lang at yung iba naman nanghoholdap.
11. Lalong marami ang mga taong walang magawa kaya yung iba, pumapatay na lang ng mga kriminal tulad ng isnatser at holdaper.
12. Baka wala nang ibang puwedeng gawin dahil sa kahirapan.
13. May over-production ng masking tape, panaksak, at mga sasakyan kung saan puwedeng ilulan ang mga salvage victims.
14. Masyadong natutuon ang atensiyon natin sa malakihang krimen tulad ng plunder kaya kailangan ng diversionary tactic.
15. Hindi kaya ng mga vigilante ang mga malalaking kriminal kaya doon na lang sila nakatutok sa maliliit.

Pero interesting na i-test statistically ang number of instances na may salvaging simula nang tawaging "pro-GMA" ang Korte Suprema. Interesting din na alamin ang epekto sa crime rate simula nang mapawalang-sala sina Hubert Webb sa Vizconde Massacre. Kaya lang, sino kaya ang maaaring gumawa? Volunteers, anyone?

The Estradas strike again

In the Senate hearing yesterday on the Garcia plea bargaining agreement, Senator Jinggoy Estrada and former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo had a partly heated argument. Jinggoy was arguing: Walang kasalanan si President Erap. Di ba napardon nga siya?

Nosebleed!

Pero nakabawi naman ang mga Estrada. Just today, the pardoned Joseph Estrada, made a noteworthy comment. Sabi ni Erap: In our history, there are only two women presidents in the Philippines -- one is an icon of democracy and the other is an icon of corruption.

Teka, sino nga ba ang nagsalita?

Nosebleed ulit.

Maguindanao Massacre: Perfect Crime But...

The plan was perfect: Kill everyone and bury them including their cars and properties underground and announce to the world that a UFO (unidentified flying object) came and abducted them. The problem: Something went amiss as the media, indeed being a media, was able to report that the UFO is nothing but the private army linked to the Ampatuans.

Because of the mistake, and the information leak, a planning was done in front of the dinner table according to Lakmudin Saliao, a former household help of the Ampatuans who acted as a close-in aide of Andal Sr. The plan: Release Andal Jr., but only under the care of then President Gloria Arroyo.

Though outside the story of Saliao but the plan was slowly bared with the unfolding of the events. The suspects in the Maguindanao Massacre will be charged with rebellion and not 57 counts of murder plus illegal possession of firearms. Mahirap kasing palabasin kung murder unlike rebellion kung saan puwede agad bigyan ng amnesty ang mga akusado at pronto! Laya na. Kaya nga wala nang masyadong objections ang kampo ni Andal Jr., sa mga pinag-sasabi ng Department of Justice.

But while the plan was overtaken by events. When election was held, wala na silang nagawa. It was clear: Arroyo would step down then. So yung promise to take care of Andal Jr., was not realized. The Ampatuans naman kasi never read history. Whatever GMA says, she does otherwise. In simple terms, sorry na lang sila.

To salvage the situation, Andal Jr., started wearing yellow. He thought he can still court Noynoy Aquino, then the emerging winner of the presidential race. Pero he was disowned and it was a double blow. So ngayon, palpak ulit.

It was a perfect crime sana kaya lang ... palpak!

The twist of fate, Noynoy Aquino and Gloria Arroyo

 The twist of fate is such an interesting subject matter.

A few years ago, it is the administration of Gloria Arroyo that is being battered by a hostage crisis in a bus. That was the 2007 Manila hostage drama perpetrated by Jun Ducat. Now, it is the administration of Noynoy Aquino with the hostage crisis perpetrated by Capt. Rolando Mendoza. But because the handling of the crisis failed, some supporters of Arroyo are taunting Noynoy Aquino and his supporters.

A few months ago and earlier, it is Noynoy Aquino and his group that throw stones at Gloria Arroyo. Now, and with the disaster in the Manila hostage crisis, it is Arroyo and her group that is throwing stones at Aquino. This time, it is the supporters of Aquino taunting Arroyo and her supporters. Ang sagot ng mga kasalukuyang nakaupo sa palasyo through Secretary Herminio Coloma, "We just inherited the state of the Philippine National Police ...The previous administration should also answer for what they did [for the police]. Did they provide enough funds for the modernization of the PNP or did it waste funds for cases like the euro-generals and other corruption cases?''

Earlier, it is Gloria Arroyo who is giving the blessing for the release of pork barrels. She excludes, however, the release of the pork barrel for her critics including Noynoy Aquino. Now, it's the latter's turn. Whether he will bless the release of pork for his critics, only time can tell. But one clear fact is that Arroyo will also be expecting for her share.

Earlier, Gloria Arroyo is being hurled with accusations of benefiting from kickbacks from government projects. These are still unsubstantiated though one can see an increase of her assets from the time she occupied the presidential seat in 2001 to the last time she filed her statement of assets and liabilities. Now, she will be forced to wait on her congressional pork barrel -- barya lang kumpara sa kanyag pork barrel noong siya'y presidente pa.

But the most interesting is whether or not Gloria Arroyo will take her congressional pork. Sabi ni Speaker Sonny Belmonte, bibigyan din daw si Gloria. But wouldn't it be demeaning kung kukunin niya ang pork barrel na hindi niya ibinigay sa mga kritiko niya while she was Gloria in the Palace.

Tikboy's bet: Kukunin niya. Well, she got the guts and the face and took all the humility to run for a lower post despite the fact that she is the highest official of the country. Besides, sabi nga sa Bibliya, "even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs".