CONGRESS AS WELL!
MANILA,
FEBRUARY 11, 2011 (STAR)
SHOOTING STRAIGHT By Bobit S. Avila - The unexpected death by suicide of former
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff, Defense and later Energy
Secretary Angelo "Angie" Reyes last Tuesday has no doubt shocked the nation…
that the Senate or Congressional hearing has now resulted to the death of
someone being targeted for corruption. Now pundits are pointing their accusing
fingers in many directions. But the most scathing comments are directed at
Congress for their sheer arrogance, where those invited to the hearing either in
the Senate or in Congress are already treated as guilty suspects. These
lawmakers have so conveniently forgot that our basic law affords the accused of
their right of innocence until their guilt is proven. So why treat them so
harshly?
These Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and Congressional hearings may be done
purportedly "in-aid-of-legislation". But to a jaded journalist like me, these
hearings are in reality done "In-aid-of-election" because these Senators or
Congressmen use this TV coverage to show to the Filipino people whom they should
be voting for come next election. In the end, our lawmakers behave like the
bullies and grandstanding lawmakers they really are. This is why I fully agree
with what some pundits are saying that TV coverage in these hearings should not
be aired live as it were some kind of telenovela.
Please don't get me wrong, I fully agree that these Senate or Congressional
(this is why I've always maintained that there was no need for a Truth
Commission) hearings have done some good for our country, but there should be a
certain decorum that should be observed not just for the people who get invited
to appear before the panel, but it should include our Legislators, who ought to
observe certain rules of decency. Is there a need for Legislators to reveal
their ill-mannered selves by shouting at people?
These Legislators have so soon forgot that they are supposedly "Honorable"
men and women who represent the Filipino people and in our Filipino culture we
are known as a genteel people, we are not a hostile race. I write this in the
hope that our Senators and the members of Congress would show some sense of
decency during their next hearings.
As to the reason why Gen. Reyes decided to commit suicide, your guess is good
as mine. Let me share a text by my good friend Mr. Francisco "Paquito" Unchuan
that I got last Tuesday, ""I do not condone in anyway what Reyes did. It was
wrong and nobody should take his own life. But Reyes a coward for what he did? I
beg to disagree. Wrong as taking one's life might be, he did it to spare his
family from the public humiliation and persecution that will inevitably follow
for what he might have done. Giving one's life for your loved ones is something
only the brave can do.
Ratting on people just to save one's own skin and become a "hero" like
what Lozada and now Rabusa is doing does not gain my admiration. Mendoza is the
real hero. I admire her because she's doing it for the right reasons. She's not
ratting against friends, but just exposing graft as she found it. I know people
will disagree with me on this, but again without condoning his action, Reyes has
my sympathy and understanding. May God have mercy on him and bless his soul."
Yes, too many people claim themselves as whistle blowers (we even have a
notorious one in Cebu who claims to be a whistle blower, but in reality, the
fellow is a carpet bagger trying to push a deal with the government) in order to
save their necks. This is why I praised Heidi Mendoza because she has the
passion to rid this sick nation from the cancer of corruption.
I never knew Gen. Reyes that well, though I did have a short chat with him at
the Cebu Country Club (CCC) a few years back, then a couple of years ago, when
he was the Energy Secretary I sort of gave him a piece of my mind regarding the
high pump prices of fuel in Cebu, which until now hasn't changed. But we can
only reckon that he took his own life because it was the only honorable way out.
But after Gen. Reyes is buried, we should resume this hearing for it is indeed a
great opportunity for our nation to finally fix whatever is wrong with the AFP.
I have been supportive of the AFP since I began writing and it pains me that
there are certain high ranking military officers who would dare create "Ghost
soldiers) in order to extract money from their payroll. These people should be
thrown to jail as it would make our poor soldiers happy.
Meanwhile, in a TV interview, Sen. Antonio Trillanes said that he did not
regret the way he "interrogated" his former AFP Chief. Sen. Trillanes showed no
respect and only contempt for Gen. Reyes. Watching the replayed footages of the
Senate hearing, you can see how Sen. Trillanes has morphed from a meek lamb when
he was imprisoned into an arrogant Senator of the land!
I'm sure that the entire nation wants to see reforms in the AFP, but in my
book, our Senators and members of Congress too can do very well to have
themselves reformed for our nation's sake.
Chief News Editor:
Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011
by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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