EDITORIAL - Abuse of power

The surveillance video footage shows a young man, accompanied by bodyguards wearing flak vests, punching a security guard on the chest and head, pointing a gun at him and then kicking him as he went down on his knees. The guard’s offense: in line with the homeowners’ rules, he had refused to let the assailant drive into the subdivision without the required resident sticker on the vehicle.

You know you’ve hit the depths of the election season when the initial reaction of the assailant’s father, who happens to be House Deputy Speaker Arnolfo Teves Jr. of Negros Oriental, is to wonder what the fuss was all about, to slam the arrogance of some security guards, and to claim that the stories about his son Kurt Matthew are politically motivated.

Amid flak from the public, father and son seem to have come to their senses. In a press conference in Dumaguete City, Kurt Matthew expressed remorse and announced he was quitting as chairman of Barangay Malabugas in Bayawan City, his registered residence address. As president of the provincial barangay league, he was also a board member of Negros Oriental. Also at the press conference were his father and uncle, Bayawan Mayor Pryde Henry Teves.

All is not yet well: criminal charges are being readied against the young Teves. The federation of homeowners’ associations of BF Homes in Parañaque – said to be the largest gated subdivision in the country – is also reportedly considering declaring the younger Teves persona non grata for beating security guard Jomar Pajares on March 16.

The association has said it has lost contact with Pajares. In an earlier TV interview, the guard had said in tears that he feared retaliation that might include his family and that he had become scared of doing his job. Such is the impact of abuse of power on the less privileged in this country. Those who have less in life are supposed have more in law. Let’s see if this holds true for Jomar Pajares.