Kidapawan massacre: Another government’s monumental blunder

Any responsive and responsible government, especially one, which proudly claims to follow a "Daang Matuwid" does not order its heavily-armed police forces to shoot of unarmed protesting farmers. There is neither excuse nor any exempting circumstance whatsoever. The president, as head of government, must accept full and unconditional responsibility for such a monumental blunder. If this happened in Japan, the Prime Minister would forthwith call for a press conference, bow low and tender his irrevocable resignation. But, this is the Philippines and nobody resigns in this country. There shall be investigations and a series of investigations again and again, "ad nauseam" and "ad infinitum." And then everything shall be forgotten.

And so, we expect the Commission on Human Rights to call for an investigation. Both CHR Chair Chito Gascon and Commissioner Gwen Pimentel have announced that such full-dress inquiries are going to be held.  Most probably, the human rights guys will find abuses and impulsiveness on the parts of the police. Then the Philippine National Police shall investigate and find ways how to cover themselves from allegation of police brutality. Most probably, the PNP will find that the policemen were just exercising self-defense alleging that the protesters were guilty of unlawful aggression, and the police used reasonable means to repel the aggression. We already know this zarzuela.

Then the Senate and the House shall call for a series of investigations in aid of reelection, or, we should say, in aid of legislation. But how could they legislate if they would not be reelected? Thus, they would take advantage of the extensive exposure via national television when a Senate and/or a House hearing is conducted. They would do grandstanding and filibustering, expressing outrage and anger, and then appearing sad and agitated for the sake of being politically correct. And then, everything will be forgotten. The Mamasapano massacre will be forgotten, the Ampatuan cases will be forgotten. And more blunders and massacres will come.

This government has already been on the spot by the failure of the authorities to find an immediate solution to the RCBC-Bangladesh money laundering hullabaloo. This is a great embarrassment of our government especially that the country which is victimized is ten times poorer than the Philippines. This government is unable to assure us that it has the guts and the wherewithal to defend our national territories, vis-à-vis the insults and arrogant bullying of China. And, until now, this same government has not issued a public accounting of the billions of dollars of foreign aid to the Yolanda victims.

That is why, most of the Filipinos are sick and tired with and of this "Daang Matuwid." Hit as a collateral damage is the Mar Roxas candidacy. People are fast jumping ship towards Duterte because people want decisiveness and a strong hand against crimes and drugs. This government is a huge failure on drugs and crimes. The people are going to Grace because they want a fresh hope, and this government is hopeless. And so, when policemen start shooting down at hungry and angry farmers, then that is the biggest proof that this government should go. It has no right to be perpetuated with another LP residency. There is no need to investigate again. This government must plead guilty and resign. The faster they do that, the better for all of us.