Mayor Rodrigo Duterte asked yesterday if his rival, administration candidate Mar Roxas, is doing drugs. I don’t think Roxas is on anything—but I really wonder if I can say the same thing about President Noynoy Aquino.
Aquino yesterday announced in a televised speech that the proper way to honor the 44 commandos who were butchered last year in Mamasapano, Maguindanao is to pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, which he has long been pushing. And unfortunately, I am not making this up.
Here’s what Aquino said: “If the peace process does not succeed, if we return to the status quo or if the violence gets worse, isn’t this the exact opposite of what they gave their lives for?”
Of course, the basic flaw of Aquino’s reasoning is that he equates, like his government panel that is negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, peace with the BBL. It that an old line that both the government and the MILF have long been spreading: No BBL, no peace.
But the new twist discovered by Aquino, apparently all by himself, is that passing the BBL is doing honor to the Fallen 44. Not by awarding them the Medal of Valor, by the way—the highest award that can be given to uniformed personnel who die in the line of duty and which has still not been given to them—but by passing the law that the MILF, which helped butcher them, wants passed.
Never mind that the non-passage of the BBL was directly caused by the involvement of the MILF in the killing of the SAF men in Mamasapano. And never mind if the MILF, up to this day, has not surrendered or even identified its members who were involved in the massacre.
And didn’t Aquino and his men call on the entire nation to “move on” from the horrific killings because, after all, he already promised to bring that sad chapter of his presidency with him to his grave? Why should anyone then dredge up the killings now, especially if they will only be used as yet another reason for Aquino to ram BBL down our collective throats?
I think what Aquino is trying to do is clutch at whatever straws he can in order to have his pet law passed—something that, at this point, is simply not going to happen. And Aquino will do anything, even dishonor the policemen who died in Mamasapano, to get what he wants.
Aquino has always had an unusual way of looking at things, which some people think can be attributed to the drugs he supposedly takes. But asking Congress to honor the SAF 44 by passing the law that their killers want is just going a bit too far.
Thank God there is simply no more time to enact the law, with just two weeks’ worth of Congress sessions left. Or else there might be some congressmen, as drug-addled as the BBL’s main proponent, who would pass the law just to honor the slain policemen the way Aquino wants them honored.
In Aquino’s fevered mind, the passage of the BBL is of supreme importance. The only explanation seems to be the effect of very powerful pharmaceutical products.
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The old party of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, has issued a warning to the public about persons, who promise financial incentives to those who join, claiming to represent it. Apparently, some unscrupulous individuals and groups saying they speak on behalf of the KBL are offering the unsuspecting money in exchange for (surprise, surprise) a “joining fee.”
Yes, the KBL is still alive and it is duly accredited by the Commission on Elections, the party said in a statement. It is led by Rep. Imelda Marcos, who is the party’s chairman emeritus, and by its chairman and president, lawyer Jose Vicente R.M. Opinion.
But the KBL said that it has nothing to do with statements appearing in the traditional and social media to the effect that its vice presidential candidate, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has distanced himself from his running mate, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. Reports that Marcos is supporting another presidential candidate did not come from the KBL, the party said.
In fact, according to the statement, the KBL has not declared any presidential candidate, even if it is supporting Marcos’ bid for the vice presidency. Those seeking clarification about the status of their party membership and who wish to join are encouraged to visit the KBL headquarters at 354 P. Guevarra Avenue, San Juan City or to call (02)3585401 or (02)7303934.
The KBL may also be reached through its Web site at kilusangbagonglipunan.com and by email at kilusangbagonglipunan@gmail.com.