These past two weeks, I have it up to my eyeballs about news of wang-wangs confiscated, who was late and who was not, who stopped for the red traffic light and who did not. And it was Noynoy who started it all.
In a bid to clearly differentiate himself from the previous unpopular administration, he sought to endear himself to the public by connecting with them on a more realistic level, traffic pet peeves.
Who hasn't experienced being pushed aside by those self-proclaimed VIPs who put in wang-wangs in their car to provide the public a sense of importance and urgency whenever they pass by?
But, my goodness, the novelty of this news has worn off for me! With only two weeks into the Aquino administration and already with 5 activists and a journalist killed, this is not a good sign. Not a good sign at all.
"In the past two weeks, five activists have already been killed. Fernando Baldomero, 61, a municipal councilor in Lezo, Aklan and Bayan Muna provincial chairperson, was shot dead in front of his son July 5. Pascual Guevarra, 78, was killed by a lone gunman inside his house in Bgy. San Isidro, Laur, Nueva Ecija. His grandson was also wounded. Three days after, on July 9, public school teachers in Masbate, Mark Francisco, 27 and Edgar Fernandez, 44, were gunned down in separate incidents.
After the elections, the killings never stopped. On May 19, Jim Galez, a member of Bayan Muna in Panabo City in Davao was shot dead. On June 2, union leader Edward Panganiban was killed on his way to work in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. On June 14, Karapatan member Benjamin Bayles was also killed in Himaymalayan City, Negros Occidental. On June 22, human rights lawyer Ernesto Salunat was slain." (From Bulatlat)
And what has Noynoy said about this, a simple and, quite honestly, a naive statement that the AFP should observe human rights while investigating these matters. Hah!
Oplan Bantay Laya II, the very same operations condemned by UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston in his report on the human rights situation in the Philippines, has not been scrapped by this newly installed "pro-people" administration. OBL II has been one of the deadliest campaigns against perceived enemies of the state as it DOES NOT distinguish between an armed combatant and a non-combatant, which will explain why most victims have been unarmed activists.
Noynoy's sincerity to put an end to these extrajudicial killings have further been doubted when Etta Rosales announced that she is waiting for official word from the Malacanang to give her the CHR post. Acckk! Notwithstanding the gall of Etta to announce this herself, as if making insinuations that Noynoy has been remiss in his "promise", the very thought that Noynoy made this proposal to her makes me cringe.
For a very thorough discussion on this, please visit my this blog.
And so now, please, please join me in shaking some sense into the administration and news reporters as well to stop making such a mountain out of a molehill of wang-wangs when more pressing things, like extrajudicial killings, have to be addressed.
And also, no Etta in CHR please.
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