Frightening!!!

The surprise attack of Malacañang against Sen. Antonio Trillanes is frightening except for the fact that in their legal pursuit they jumped to conclusions, did very poor staff work and basically did what Forest Gump said in the movie: “Stupid does what Stupid says” or something like that. By now we all know that the premise that Malacañang used to revoke Sen. Trillanes’ amnesty (not having filed an application) is FAKE NEWS.

Nonetheless the short-lived coup d’état against Trillanes is frightening because it reveals and confirms that the Duterte administration will use anything and do anything to deal with anyone and anybody who pisses off the President and gives opportunity for his minions to bite someone. Let’s not forget that at the very moment Sister Patricia Fox is still fighting for her status of stay in the Philippines, her only sin was giving morale support to the poor and maltreated workers. Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was removed through Quo Warranto because President Noynoy Aquino appointed her, and Sen. Leila de Lima is of course in jail because like everyone else she pissed off the President. Not too far behind is Vice President Leni Robredo whom the President still wants to be replaced by Bongbong Marcos.

As far as press releases and comments are concerned, we now know that the process of revocation of the amnesty has been ongoing for sometime and that the basis for revocation allegedly was Sen. Trillanes’ failure to fill up an application form and issue an admission of guilt. According to DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra the Office of Solicitor General Jose Calida who also initiated the Quo Warranto case against former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno probably did the review of the amnesty. No one from the government has mentioned any offense or violation of the conditions for amnesty being committed by Sen. Trillanes. So it would be safe to assume that the government has long been looking for a way to nail Trillanes on the wall and they have decided to do so on the basis of a shallow and imaginary technicality.

This brazen half-wit legal maneuver gives us a hint of the confidence level that Malacañang has to impose its will or influence on the Philippine Senate and the Supreme Court, the same way it had with Maria Lourdes Sereno and Sen. Leila De Lima? They were apparently so sure to get their way except that whoever was the idiot that produced the premise failed to check the Internet for videos or posts to check if Trillanes did or did not fill and file an application. In one minute flat one of my colleagues found the video posted by the “Malacañang Catering Service,” a political satirical site showing Trillanes doing the filing. 

The question is: Was it a good move on the part of Malacañang to plot and conduct the revocation of amnesty in such a conspiratorial and sneaky manner? By now the public assumes that it’s all an act of revenge. Yes, it is political payback but it is something that will not sit easy with many people who are already very uncomfortable with the leadership and management style of President Duterte. If he can do this what will stop them from doing worse?

All this is ironic after the President spoke about freedom of speech while speaking before Filipinos in Israel. Ironic because the President as well as his supporters are equally guilty of bashing or trolling their critics and political enemies. In fact even their own allies or politically neutral people are just as frightened that they dare not comment on policies and the state of affairs in the Philippines for fear of instantly being attacked or losing favor with Malacañang and its allies.

Senator Trillanes is not everybody’s favorite. In fact he has become somewhat of a pest or the proverbial mosquito that constantly flies near your ear but cannot swat. It would be safe to assume that once arrested Sen. Trillanes will go back to the stockade. It may silence him for a few months at the most and yes the operations will certainly send a chilling effect to people who don’t have a spine or who have not been victimized in the first place. But such a move makes people wary, concerned and most definitely defensive toward people who apparently have no sense of prudence and wisdom regarding vengeance and the use of powers rightly or wrongly. God has said to man: “Leave room for vengeance is mine.” He gave us that warning because he knew only too well that when men take it upon themselves to seek vengeance it ends up becoming a vicious circle. In the words of Sen. Trillanes: “Duterte may araw ka rin!” We’ve already seen two presidents fall and go to detention, senators go to detention and the common thread is that their political enemies initiated it all for political revenge.

Vengeance they say is a dish best served cold but who really gets to eat such a distasteful and wicked serving. Not our people, not our country and in the case of God, it is in the form of judgment and not for the personal satisfaction of causing hurt or harm. Sadly all this shall also be visited upon the children of those who relish revenge. For now, the uncooked dish of revocation and arrest will be sent back to the cook who in biblical times would end up in the dungeon or on the chopping block as the case should be, because he certainly exposed the Kingdom of the Bully Boys for what they are. He also made the President look embarrassingly bad.

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