Playing it safe

While he may have his share of being “missing in action” at the height of recent Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) five-day protest rallies, President Benigno “Noy” Aquino III must not bear the sole burden of responsibility for the mess that ensued. From hellish traffic to trash left behind by the “occupy EDSA” protesters, the INC-staged drama on this busy highway in Metro Manila thankfully ended without serious incident last Monday morning.

If there is any positive outcome of the hellish traffic jams we suffered last week due to the INC protest rallies, it is the presidential directive that now placed the traffic management at EDSA to the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG). On the first day of HPG’s taking over traffic management at EDSA, satisfied motorists posted positive feedback that bus drivers have become disciplined at the sight of uniformed officers.

However, President Aquino’s appointed officials and other concerned government executives must be made to account for their absence during the crucial hours of the INC occupation at EDSA. Known as the site of the two “people power” revolutions – the first one in February 1986 and its copycat version in January 2001 – the INC-led protest tried but failed to replicate a third one.

As taxpayers and law-abiding citizens of society, these officials owe us a reasonable explanation. No one from the national government came out to assuage the public on what’s taking place on the ground during the first two days of the INC drama when word spread of their march to EDSA.

The INC initially came in droves at the office of Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila de Lima at Padre Faura in Manila Thursday. They accused De Lima’s alleged application of “selective justice” in going after INC leaders charged with illegal detention complaint filed at the DOJ by disgruntled INC executives. The DOJ Secretary had to take the back gates to escape the protesters. The INC did not leave the DOJ front gate until the next day.

The INC protesters demand no less than the resignation of De Lima. They also accused De Lima of being part of the purported plot of the Aquino administration to deliberately weaken the INC organization. Known to deliver solid bloc voting to any candidate they endorse in elections, the INC suspects De Lima’s special interest in the case has something to do with the coming May 2016 elections.

This after the DOJ assumed jurisdiction of the illegal detention case against certain INC leaders. Attorney Ferdinand Topacio, a member of the INC, questioned why De Lima did not refer the complaint to the Quezon City prosecutor’s office which he cited has jurisdiction.

“I was only doing my job,” De Lima swore to high heavens why she took over the case. But Topacio argued the DOJ Secretary is supposed to rule upon whatever would be the recommendations of her prosecutors. How can she perform her function if the DOJ central office took over the case and immediately placed under Witness Protection Program the complainants, Topacio pointed out.

It was only on the third day when a national official in the person of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas II appeared on Saturday. Acting as the Cabinet official in charge of the developing situation triggered by the INC occupation of EDSA, Roxas asserted “the rule of law” must prevail. To which the DILG Secretary earned kudos even from his own arch critics and detractors.

As the “anointed” presidential candidate of President Aquino’s Liberal Party (LP), Roxas had the guts to incur the ire of the INC. 

But how come the Philippine National Police (PNP) – which is under Roxas as DILG Secretary – “allowed” INC vehicles to occupy the busy streets for days? Roxas must ask his PNP officers to explain. This, amid claims – unsubstantiated or not – that a number of high-ranking PNP officers owe much of their promotion due to INC backing.

We would like also to hear the explanation of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis Tolentino on why he also “permitted” the transformation of busy roads into parking lots. Those vehicles could have been towed immediately after they were parked illegally in national roads. He has a lot of control and say on how it could have been managed and staged without causing commuters and vehicle owners tons of problems.

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos who issued the permits to the INC rallies were apparently being made fall guys by the national government. As local government executives who have jurisdiction over the protest rally sites, they were being accused of being a party to purported anti-administration destabilization plots.

Obviously, this is because Estrada and Abalos do not belong to the ruling LP coalition. Estrada and Abalos are identified with the opposition as both are allied with the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejomar Binay.

To his credit, Abalos faced up to the challenge at his turf. During our weekly breakfast forum Kapihan sa Manila Bay last Wednesday at Luneta Hotel, Abalos, NCRPO Chief Superintendent Joel Pagdilao and Topacio all agreed the INC rallies at EDSA were generally peaceful, except for one incident involving irate rallyists who allegedly mauled an ABS-CBN cameraman.

Abalos showed to us the permit rally he granted to an applicant by the name of Eraño Cordera who submitted to his office the INC letter request last Friday. It turns out Cordera is the INC political affairs chief and minister and one of the respondents in the criminal complaint filed by expelled INC member Isaias Samson Jr.

The questions begging to be answered remain: Does a permit to hold a rally or protest action allow the organizers to impact negatively on the general welfare while using the public site for their exclusive event for several days? Does the permit also allow the organizers to disrupt the conduct of business of establishments in the affected areas of their protest action?

 Gentlemen, please explain. Don’t go “missing in action” and come out only after the smoke has cleared and dust has settled. Playing it safe in the last ten months of the Aquino administration is no excuse.