Unwholesome atmosphere

It is really very unfortunate that our country and our people have been so divided and so belligerent against each other under this administration. Very noticeable nowadays especially in social media are the aggressive and personal attacks of the diehard supporters of Duterte against those who criticize him and disagree with his actions. Instead of rebutting and pointing out what is wrong with the criticisms and comments against Duterte, they personally attack and slander the critics and dissenters, calling them all sorts of names and maligning them. It looks like this current situation in our country will even get worse and deteriorate under this administration unless these diehard supporters stop their aggressive and despicable stance which they have copied from their idol, Duterte himself.

Let me again remind our countrymen especially these diehard supporters of Duterte, to always advance and promote the best interest and welfare of our country and people rather than the interest of any political personality or leader; and if there are citizens who express their dissent or criticize the moves of the present administration, these criticisms and dissents should be considered as expressions of concern for our country and our people rather than attacks against anybody particularly those in the government. In other words, all of us must be Pro-Philippines instead of Pro-Somebody specifically the political leaders we supported and voted for during elections.

In this connection, let me point out once again that even if we do not agree with the opinions and comments of others, we must never suppress their rights to express themselves. The freedom of expression is one of the important rights guaranteed by our Constitution to preserve democracy, hence it should be protected especially by the government itself.

Unfortunately again, this is not what is happening in our country now. This observation is clearly proven by the case of Trillanes, the arch critic of Duterte. It seems that Trillanes’ exposes regarding Duterte’s unexplained wealth is really true. So Duterte is taking all steps to stifle and silence Trillanes to the extent of putting him in jail based on some legally questionable grounds which have been merely fabricated. This is manifestly shown by the attempts to revoke the grant of amnesty to Trillanes way back in 2011 allegedly because no application for amnesty and admission of guilt was filed by him as required by law for its validity.

Quite worrisome here is that one of the Regional Trial Courts (RTC) in Makati City (Branch 150) has apparently adopted this administration’s contention on said revocation by reviving the case of rebellion against Trillanes and ordering his arrest simply because he could not submit a copy of his application for amnesty even if he has played videos precisely showing that he has filed it.

This fact of filing the application at Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has even been confirmed by the AFP Chief of Staff, General Galvez during a hearing in the Senate. With this latest development, people are expecting that the other RTC (Branch 148) handling the coup d’etat case against Trillanes, to adhere to the rule of law and no longer revive said case. Of course, even if said RTC still orders the arrest of Trillanes, the Supreme Court can still reverse said order, as the court of last resort. Thus Filipinos are still hoping and expecting that in the end, the rule of law will still prevail in our country. This is the only way we can preserve democracy.

Meantime, with regards to the recent confirmation by the AFP Chief that Trillanes really filed an application, an investigation must be conducted to find out why the original of the application filed and received by their Office has apparently been lost and could not be located anymore. Somebody must be held responsible for such malfeasance. He can even be held liable for infidelity in the custody of documents which is punishable by the Revised Penal Code (RPC), Article 226 which punishes those who in the performance of public functions, regardless of rank, act faithlessly in the custody of public documents (Quilaneta vs. Moscoso, C.A. 50 O.G.2100).

And so as we move forward, let us not stop praying and hoping that this administration, especially the incumbent President, will get rid of irrational hallucinations about the alleged plots to oust him from office. For someone who is firmly and securely holding the most powerful post in the country, he should not give too much importance to the alleged “Red October” destabilization moves to topple him. He should not mind so much those moves of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) to allegedly brainwash and incite students in the leading and well reputed universities and colleges in Metro Manila to rebel against the government. Such kind of mental attitude will even fan the flames of dissent and resentment not only among the students but also within the schools where they are studying. It is really far-fetched to immediately conclude or even assume that conservative, peace loving and God fearing schools like Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas, San Beda University, Far Eastern University, Adamson University, University of the East, Lyceum of the Philippines University, University of Manila, Philippine Normal University, Emilio Aguinaldo College, University of Makati, and Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, would allow its students to be exposed and fall prey to such plots that are clearly contrary to their ethical and moral standards. Hence let us remove and get rid of all sorts of hatred, anger and suspicions now prevailing in our society so that we can achieve unity and peace in our land.

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