Someone up there must have intervened between Tuesday, when AFP information chief Col. Tristan Kison denied that five supporters of former President Estrada were in their custody, and Wednesday, when Kison finally admitted Intelligence Service of the AFP had them.
Someone up there must have stopped Gloria Arroyo’ minions from pulling the trigger while torturing Virgilio Eustaquio, Jim Cabauatan, Ruben Dionisio, Dennis Evona, and Jose Curameng – all members of the Union of the Masses for Democracy and Justice, a group identified with Estrada.
Or else, they would have ended the same way as the 585 members of progressive groups and 42 journalists, under this culture of impunity nurtured by Gloria Arroyo.
The five were abducted from the Quezon City house of Eustaquio, UMDJ chair, Monday afternoon. There was no warrant of arrest. Eustaquio’s wife Myrna said abductors didn’t even bother to introduce themselves. She said her husband and his friends were “treated like criminals.” They were told to lie face down, punched and kicked by the ISAFP agents who trained their long firearms at them.
Even as Sen. Jinggoy Estrada delivered a privilege speech Tuesday identifying the abductors as ISAFP agents, Kison with a straight face continued to lie in front of TV cameras. “We have no report about such arrest. There is no truth to that report.”
The next day, Kison, again with a straight face, admitted they had the five. He denied allegations of torture saying the military does not engage in such activities (again with a straight face).
But Kison was not lacking in another incredible tale to regale the public. He said the five were leftist elements out to assassinate some members of the Arroyo Cabinet. Allegedly in the target list were national security adviser Norberto Gonzales, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor and Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane.
We do not join those who wished Kison’s tale were true.
Leftist or Erap loyalists, the point is, the Constitution protects each and every Filipino against warrantless arrests. We are glad that Human Rights Commissioner Wilhelm Soriano has said that the AFP has a lot of explaining to do on how they operated against the five Erap supporters.
The culture of impunity that Arroyo’s vigilantes practice against members of Left, journalists and now, Estrada loyalists, is happening because of the apathy of the public, especially, the middle class towards these groups.
The middle class, being largely either pro-Arroyo or fence-sitters, have no deep sympathy for the Left and Erap loyalists, whom they consider as threats to their comfortable existence. Neither are they in love with crusading journalists.
Arroyo and her minions probably think that since the Left, Erap loyalists, and the journalists (at least the ones who are not in their payroll) are the only ones persistent in making her accountable for the crimes she has committed against the Filipino people, it would be easy to just eliminate them.
If we allow Arroyo get away with her crimes, we are as much responsible for the deaths and the human rights violations that are increasing by the day.
Ellen,
I’m glad the US Ambassador is a woman! She will see what the other US ambassadors FAILED to see.
We cannot continue to tolerate this PUNGGOK because she is the root cause of all the evils today.
When a leader is evil, the morally weak becomes as evil as the leader.
Apathy is as evil as those who propagate Gloria’s lurid and putrid governance.
Ellen,
i beg your indulgence on this quite lengthy input. but i thought it would be nice to remind everyone in the corrupt administration of the fake president about honesty…..
yan ay kung tatablan pa ang pagkakapal ng apog nila… or probably i am just hoping against hope that this will in a way prick their conscience…
this is an email i received, which is really worth sharing.
= = = = = = =
Why Be Honest?
After a week of special meetings, the guest preacher approached the airline desk to purchase a flight for home. Ticket in hand, he took a seat in the waiting area. Checking his credit card receipt, he realised the attendant had undercharged him almost fifty percent. “It’s wonderful how God provides,” he rationalised. The church hadn’t paid him too well and the bills were piling up at home. For the next half hour he wrestled with himself, although deep down he knew what he had to do. Finally he returned to the desk and said to the attendant, “I think you made a mistake.” “No,” she replied, “you see, I was in church last night when you spoke on honesty, and I thought I’d put you to the test.” Why be honest? Because people are watching. Your actions and attitudes, in even the smallest of details, are forming the opinions of those who hear you claim to be a follower of Christ.There’s a golden moment in the life of Samuel the prophet. It’s his retirement. Standing before the nation he’d led for 40 years, he asks, “Have I ever taken advantage of you or exploited you? Have I ever taken a bribe or played fast and loose with the law? Bring your complaint and I’ll make it right. ‘Oh no,’ they said, ‘never have you done any of that'” (1 Sa 12:3-4 TM). When those who’ve known you best for four decades can say that about you, you did it right.
And that’s as good as it gets!
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is afflicted with intellectual leprosy and moral autism.
She cannot govern.
After what happened to UMDJ-5, where the details about this incident starting to come out…i believe there is NO MORE HOPE FOR OUR PRESENT AFP & PNP TO BE CLEANSED & REFORMED UNDER THE ARROYO MAFIA GANGSHIP! If i am a soldier with integrity, I do not want to be lead by these goons. IT IS TIME FOR THE STRAIGHT OFFICERS AND RANKS TO MAKE A MASS WITHDRAWAL OF SUPPORT!!! DO NOT BE A PART OF THESE GOONS IN UNIFORM!!!HUWAG NATING PAYAGANG BABUYIN PA ANG “SANDATAHANG LAKAS NG PILIPINAS AT PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE”
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is afflicted with intellectual leprosy and moral autism.
She should be kicked out most unceremoniously.
26 MAy 2006
Hey Yo!!!!People!!!!
The Armed Forces, whose sole duty is to protect the people from destablization, from enemy of the state and from rebellion???right???that’s what the AFP is doing right now. Please, Please….. don’t shame our armed forces, they are just doing their duties and responsibilties.
Huwag nyo naman masyadong bastusin at husgahan ang mga magigiting nating mga sundalo, kawawa naman sila. I’m sure Col. Kison is correct when he said that the AFP-ISAFP has no information regarding the UMDJ 5. Col Kison is correct to say that the UMDJ 5 is guilty of rebellion, the UMDJ 5 only came out with their story, that they were tortured and made to confess on their plans to assasinate President Gloria MAcapagal-Arroyo + 4 more members of the cabinet.
Bakit naman kayo magagalit, if you were in their shoes you would definitely do the same, am I right about that, right, right, right, right……..
So if I were I will support the administration of H.E. PRESIDENT GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO!!!!!!! MABUHAY SI GLORIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BUT…………………..
That is what the damn!!!!prostituted armed forces of the Philippines are doing right now, Damn the AFP for torturing those people who’se only wrongdoing is to be critical of the leprecahun, damn, the AFP for following the orders of the LYING, STEALING, CHEATING and faking the presidency, damn the PNP-CIDG for jumping the guns at the very sight of telling us, the people that the UMDJ 5 are rebels, Tsk, tsk, tsk…. now they are saying that their target is only of the UMDJ 5, who happens to be a former barangay kagawad for ten years (is he still a kagawad????)damn the PNP and AFP for torturing whoever they see are against gloria and her clowns. This what they call “the enchanted kingdom” they thought all the while that they can escape this one, thay thought that they are the knight in shinning armor and ready to pounce on the enemy of the fairy queen este WICKED WITCH FROM THE EAST PALA, got you all, HEHEHEHEHEH……
KIson even dared sen jingoy to file a case against them if the AFP-ISAFP has in their custody the UMDJ 5, If I were the senator, I will really file a case against them. The gull on these prostituted AFP. We should put a stop on this eveil practice of the prostituted AFP and PNP.
jinx
“Arroyo to continue to be an ‘ardent saleswoman’ for RP,” says an Inquirer headline.
Ardent saleswoman of what? The Philippines as the “Land of Dorobos!”? Gosh, mahiya naman siya! Ang kapal naman ng mukha nito especially when everybody knows by now how she stole votes in the last election no matter how much they try to whitewash the Garcigate!!!
“Dorobo” is “thief” (magnanakaw) in Japanese!!!
This how GMA planned it all. Keep the economy down so that the people will busy themselves with survival, giving her the room to maneuver and perpetuate her hold to power. Cunning little devil. Her dogs tasked to terrorize those who oppose her are unrelenting. She would stop at nothing to achieve her evil goals. She had bought every corruptible soul to help prop up her presidency. This is the reason why we have apathy. She had succeeded to rule by division.
But then again, all evil things come to an end. Soon, the populace will discard their individualistic ways and unite to oust the worst “leader” our country ever had. When that they comes, I hope that we will not treat her as kindly as what we’ve done in the past. Let’s make her an example for future dictator-wanna-bes. Let’s give her and her cohorts the cruelest punishment. Let’s forget even for one day that we are humans and inflict upon them the harshest, brutal and inhumane treatment an animal can give another.
“Mussolini was shot, hanged upside down down in public and his corpse was brutalized by the very people he abused”. Now she is happy and content, hope and pray GMA that the end will not come too soon for you. Your end may be even more inhuman than what Mussolini suffered.
The middle class and rich Filipinos is the reason Nano is still in Malacanang. These are the politicians, Nano’s military officers and businessmen who are living and enjoying in their comfort zones and much more could not care less in the daily blunders and crimes of the Nano’s regime.
Affected are the poor citizenry who are trying very hard in earning their daily keeps to provide three meals to their sons and daughters.
Whatever figures are being published in the newspapers as fed by the administration’s economist can not relate to the present condition and sufferings of the common masa.
Nano can not provide local employment and now she’s tagged as an ardent saleswoman of the Philippines. What? Enough of those bulls…!
Yes Emilio, she is the best “saleswoman”, selling the fathers and mothers to distant lands to remit more dollars and prop up “her” economy. Soon, she will even sell our children. She is the mother of all human traffickers. The mother who “pimps” her own children into slavery. She is the best role model, perfect model of “APATHY”.
Hi Ellen
Let me tell you first that I’ve been an avid reader of your blog, and thanks for accommodating me. I’ve been moved by your article and from the way I see it there is really a high degree of apathy among the majority of the Filipinos, specially the middle/upper class. I’ve not read any expressed indignation from the church, the rich and famous personalities, the businessmen and others on what this horrible government including the military and police are doing to those who belong to anti administration blocs. Regardless of who these people belong to, they are all Filipinos.
Another article that also moved me was that of Mr. Raul Pangalangan, PDI, May 6, 2006 where he said….. “But what bothers me even more is the lack of outrage, of indignation. Filipinos were up in arms over the spoon-and-fork incident at a Canadian school. (I saw a film clip of that boy — he had his thumb close to the base of his spoon, an absolute no-no if you ask the Filipino etiquette police!) Many Filipino Catholics were furious at “The Da Vinci Code.” (I haven’t read the book or seen the movie, but because of you, zealous objectors, I now promise to do both!) We love to speak of the human rights revolution that was Edsa People Power I, yet we remain unmoved by grieving mothers, wives and children we see almost regularly in the headlines”. Pathertic, isn’t it?
Pathetic indeed. I’m outraged by the apathy, of what have become of us.
E-mail from Ed Reyes:
“Lets put an end to this shameless, abusive regime.”
We are just nothing but a broken record. We,ourselves, are to blame.
In a democracy, majority must rule, not the few from Malacanang. We’ve been singing the same tune over and over again about Gloria Arroyo’s shameless behavior. Yet, Gloria has been doing this shameless and abusive behavior even before she grabbed power in 2001. Gloria plotted to usurp the presidency away from President Estrada over five years ago. As a sworn vice president, Gloria went out on the street along with the mob in violation of her oath in clear violation. Remember?
Every single day ever since, Gloria has been breaking the law of the land. Yet, Gloria is still in power. What’s wrong with us, Filipinos?
In my opinion, the greatest fault lies with us Filipinos, for letting Gloria make a mockery of our Constitution and institutions.
Gloria does not know shame.Shame on us,Filipinos, for being timid and afraid of Gloria’s goons. So, we deserve what we get, I suppose.
A question need to be asked:do we really care for our democracy? Do we love Philippines as a sovereign nation? If we do, then why we’re letting Gloria get away with lying, cheating and stealing from us? And, covering up every single crime imaginable. The list is quite too long to even mention them.
Until the day we act as united group with one common objective, I guess we’ve to put up with Gloria. And, we shouldn’t bitch…Shame on us Filipinos!
Ellen,
Manila Times reports that Senate and DND apparently have come to a deal: the Senate will approve the DND budget if the AFP submits is findings/report on the AFP abduction of the “Erap 5”.
DND Chief Cruz, according to the Times has appealed to the Senate not to “prejudge” the probe.
Looks like the DND, with the blessings of intellectual leper and morally autistic Gloria Punggok y Mandaraya is now into BLACKMAIL!
This is really incredible!
The Senate should NOT give the DND a centavo till they release two reports: THE MAYUGA REPORT and the REPORT ON THE ABDUCTION OF THE ERAP 5.
I think the Senate will not be able to hold the budget indefinitely. It will create more harm to the public. Also, they don’t want to be seen as the “contravida”.Maybe they will hold a separate investigation.
It’s really up to the public, with the help of media, to keep on the pressure.
A little birdie told me that the real reason why the retired officers were kicked out is because that area had already been sold by none other than “the FATSO”. He had promised the “new owners” that the “pesky squatters” will be out as agreed upon. The quarters is but a small portion of this lot. Included in the sale is the golf course. Could anyone confirm this rumor? I suspect that the eviction was just for show and the new occupants will soon be moved to another area.
Incidentally Senga was playing a round of golf with some officials from Brunei when this birdie whispered this info to me.
Schumey,
I won’t be surprised if there’s a whiff of truth to that rumor… Anything goes with fatso for as long as he gets a cut!
# anna de brux Says:
May 26th, 2006 at 2:41 am
Ellen,
We cannot continue to tolerate this PUNGGOK because she is the root cause of all the evils today.
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Right, its so easy to point fingers. Ikaw? Ano ba nagawa mo para sa bayan? Were you able to provide employment to people?
Puro kayo salita. Wala namang mga kwenta.