‘NBI’s way of harassing me,’ says Salazar of raps
ROXAS CITY — The widow of slain Capiz businessman Dindo Salazar said the
kidnapping complaint filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
against her was a cover-up for the “intentional killing” of her husband.
In a seven-page counter-affidavit she filed during a preliminary hearing
in Iloilo City on the kidnapping complaint, Maria Victoria Salazar said
the complaint was meant to “harass” her family and “preempt any criminal
and administrative charges that they (NBI) expect us to file against them
for the murder of Dindo.”
The NBI filed a complaint against Maria Victoria for the alleged kidnapping
of Madeline Erada. The other respondents were Salazar’s 21 year-old son
Sebastian Philip Michael, her 14 year-old daughter, and employees Romulo
Firmalino, Mercedes Belloca and Rowela Jardiolin.
She is also facing a robbery complaint for allegedly taking Erada’s
mobile phone, a Gucci watch and pieces of jewelry.
The couple owned a furniture shop of Dumalag and a calling station.
Maria Victoria was into the money-lending and jewelry businesses. They
also belong to prominent families in Capiz.
Dindo was killed on May 15 when an NBI-led entrapment operation allegedly
to rescue Erada turned into a shootout in Dumalag town, Capiz.
Also killed were Erada’s sister Perla Erada-Pasoquin and Army Private
First Class Janet Bacanto.
An NBI operative, Clenio Calleja, suffered a wound in the head while
Erada was recovered unharmed.
The NBI alleged that the Salazar couple forced Erada to take a plane
from Manila to Iloilo City on May 9 and held her in Dumalag until the shootout.
NBI regional director Carlos Saunar had said that the couple demanded
P500,000 from Pasoquin in exchange for her sister’s release.
Citing Pasoquin’s statement submitted to the NBI, Saunar said Pasoquin
gave P34,000 to Maria Victoria on May 10 and promised to pay the remaining
amount on May 15.
In her affidavit, Maria Victoria denied the allegations, saying Erada
voluntarily went with them to settle her debt amounting to at least P500,000.
She submitted a copy of a hand-written certification of Erada and a
report of the security personnel of the Manila International Airport that
Erada voluntarily went with the couple.
Her claims were supported by the counter-affidavits of the other respondents
who said Erada was treated as a “guest.”
Erada did not attend the preliminary hearing. She is under the custody
of the NBI. But the respondent’s lawyers Virgilio Teruel and Romeo Gerochi
questioned why she was not serving her jail term for conviction in other
cases.
Erada had been convicted of 23 cases of violating the anti-bouncing
checks law.
“Strong Republic, Insurance for 2004”
“A strong republic takes care of the people and takes care of their future.”
These are the words of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during her State
of the Nation Address (SONA) in the joint session of the 12th Congress
July 22. The 55-minute SONA focused on the President’s battlecry of a “strong
republic” which features her specific programs to develop the country’s
economy and political stability.
Working agenda
The President gave emphasis on the following points as her working
agenda for the next year.
*Elimination of graft and corruption, peace and order and reduction
of the cost of electric power
*A direct hand in the war on terrorism and criminality.
*For Congress to pass the Anti-Terrorism Bill
*Strengthen the strategic ties with the US through military training
exercises
*Pass law to allow Overseas Filipino Workers to vote
*Other poverty alleviation programs.
The President’s second SONA appeared to highlight her (contestible)
achievements to disguise her primary agenda of consolidating and broadening
her political power and political base.
However, a close examination of her working agenda as a formula to
strong republic reveals her real political agenda: to ensure her “winnability”
in the 2002 presidential race.
Economic stability and poverty alleviation program
The President’s Power Purchase Adjustment reduction program is token
(if not a lip service). The promise she made to the Capiceños during
her first Presidential visit in the provinces to reduce the PPA was not
materialized until the anti-PPA protests and mobilizations had escalated.
When the campaign went on a national scale, the President was left with
no better choice but to take heed of the people’s demand. Nevertheless,
the people know that it was a token gesture. Reducing PPA rates is not
what the people need. The people actually demand for its scrapping.
Reducing the PPA rates, however, is a move to recover her sagging popularity.
Indeed, it was wise preparation for her second SONA.
Strengthening the strategic ties with the US
The resignation of Vice President Teofisto Guingona as Secretary of
the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), gave way to the appointment of
Sen. Blas Ople to the vacated post. The Vice President was popularly known
for his opposition of the Balikatan exercises. Mr. Guingona has been particularly
against some of the salient features of the Balikatan agreement. The agreement
has provisions that would free the American soldiers from the crimes they
commit within the Philippines.
The resignation of the vice-president has opened the door for the flow
of $55 million aid from the US for AFP’s modernization program (it was
known that US aid was stopped after the closure of US military bases in
the country in 1992). Furthermore, the aid is in exchange for Malacañang’s
collaboration to Washington’s war against Abu Sayyaf, which allegedly (by
Washington) linked to the al-Qaida terrorist network of Osama Binladin.
GMA believes that the police and the military, the agencies responsible
for the collapse of Erap’s administration when they withdrew their support
from him, are the pillars of her presidency. She needs the military and
the police to strengthen and protect her administration against any
political destabilization. However, with the $55 million flowing in for
the AFP modernization program, GMA will surely win the hearts and minds
of the military and the police. This will raise the President’s stature
in the military.
Thus, with the American aid, GMA is assured of two things: winning
in the Presidential elections in 2004, and military strengthening.
Bush had asked the American Congress to allot another $15 million for
the economic development of Mindanao. This justifies the administration’s
policy of opening the country for strategic US military presence.
With the expected approval of the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement
(MLSA) and with the visit of US Secretary of State Colin Powell, the administration
is pushing, against all odds, the position that the MLSA is an executive
agreement and not a treaty that requires Senate ratification.
An AmBoy
A newly appointed secretary to the DFA, Secretary, Blas Ople, in a
press conference, claimed that he is an AmBoy (American Boy). He also openly
expressed his support to the President’s line of argument and agreed with
the Washington’s interpreparation that MLSA is not a treaty and does not
violate the constitutional ban on permanent basing of US military facilities
in the country. With Ople in the DFA, GMA is sending message to the Bush
administration that she has consolidated her control over foreign policy.
This is also giving them a signal that Washington should take her as the
rightful person to be supported in the 2004 Presidential race.
Anti-Terrorism Bill, a shadow of Martial Law
In disguise to strengthen the country’s legal armory and her desire
to have a hand in fighting criminality and terrorism, she asked the Congress
to pass the Anti-Terrorism Bill to “plug the loopholes by which crimes
spread and democracy is undermined.”
But on contrary, this will lead to very dangerous grounds to abuse
power. Under this proposed bill, warrantless arrest, wire-tapping and freezing
of bank accounts of individuals or organizations are allowed. For a mere
suspicion of being a terrorist, a person may be arrested or prosecuted
without due process of law — a shadow of Martial Law.
How could GMA be so complacent in naming the police and the military
as main implementors of this law (if passed by Congress) when Filipinos
know that these two institutions are full of inefficiency, corruption,
irregularities. They are number one violators of the human rights.
The bottom line
Looking at the formula used by the President when she vowed to build
a “Strong Republic” by breaking the backbone of corruption, criminality
and terrorism, and studying the political, economic and cultural programs
would show that these are tied to foreign policy specifically to the US-led
campaign against international terrorism.
If her working agenda are to be interlinked closely, it says a very
clear picture different with that off the nation’s objective of a
strong and progressive republic.
What is clear now is that she is empowering herself, consolidating
her powers and broadening her political base to win the propaganda war
in all fronts and to ensure her electoral chances in the 2004 presidential
election.
Sadistic act
The brutal killing of Cabugcabug National High School (CNHS) teacher Yvonne
Declarador by her own student Frank Bansales is a gruesome
and senseless act that must be condemned to the fullest. It was a
sadistic act committed under the rules of the jungle.
The incident happened shortly after the teacher dismissed her P.E class
around 10 a.m. July 25 inside the CNHS campus in President Roxas town.
If accounts are to be believed, Declarador reportedly threw unsavory
words at Bansales when the latter asked her why he failed in P.E.
subject last year.
Thus, acting like a "professional killer," perhaps copying the one
he saw in movies and soaps, Bansales pulled out an 8-inch knife placed
inside his school bag and mercilessly stabbed the hapless teacher.
Declarador reportedly shouted for help as she gasped for her life,
but to no avail.
As if these were not enough, Bansales even saw to it that the teacher
was dead by lodging the knife into her throat the second time even as the
teacher was already lying dead at that time.
It is disappointing to hear some people say that the teacher could
not have died and react had she not been strict; had she not "humiliated"
Bansales before his classmates and so on and so forth …
Following this logic, it is then easy to kill a person. A mere
scolding by a teacher on is or her student would immediately invite a violent
reaction to the point of killing that person.
If we don’t find this alarming, then we must indeed be now living in
a mad, mad world.
It is not surprising though why people now think that way.
The influence of media could have rubbed too much on Bansales that
he found it "very convenient" to take the law into his own hands.
In fact, he was overheard as confidently saying on the radio that he did
not regret killing his own teacher.
Bansales, a minor, is placed under the custody of the President Roxas
PNP.
This is the first time that a student killed his teacher for the flimsiest
reason. It apparently sent wrong signals to students.
Nowadays, it would not be surprising to hear students threaten their
teachers: "Patyon ta ka kon indi mo ako papasaron sa akon subject (I will
kill you if you will not let me pass my subject)."
Indeed, have we sunk this low that our students have now evolved
into potential killers?
Maybe there is a need to reexamine our values at homes, schools and
the community as a whole. More than ever, parents must be vigilant
in guiding their children, especially when watching movies and soaps that
tend to portray killers as heroes.
Such wrong value is in fact being reinforced in such TV soap as "Pangako
sa Iyo" wherein the viewers minds' are being conditioned that it is very
easy to kill a person. And for a "handsome" price.
Students and the public in general must be cautious in viewing and
interpreting soap dramas and media releases so that these would not corrupt
their moral and spiritual beings.
Teachers, too, must not be intimidated into doing what they feel is
right. They should also double their efforts in fostering the more regeneration
of their students.
We really have to guard our children and so-called minors against the
onslaught of "violent media." Otherwise, we’d just wake up someday
with many Bansaleses in our midst.
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