KINAKATAWAN ni BBM ang pwersa ng awtoryanismo ng bansa. Katunggali nila ang lakas ng demokrasya. Kinakatawan ni Rodrigo Duterte ang pwersa kontra rebolusyon sa 1986 EDSA Revolution. Dahil nanalo umano si BBM sa nakalipas na halalan, malamang itutuloy niya ang naunsyaming kontra rebolusyon. Hindi siya maituturing na “born again democrat.” Wala sa kanyang dugo ang ipagtanggol ang demokrasya.
Matapos ipamudmod ang mga piling puwesto sa gobyerno sa kanyang mga kapanalig, hindi malayong pagtuunan ng pansin ang muling pag-atake sa Saligang Batas ng 1987 upang alisin ang mga maka-demokratikong probisyon at mapalawig nila ang kanilang pananatili sa poder. Maliban sa paghahati-hati sa mga pangunahing puwesto sa gobyerno, hindi maalis sa agenda ng kampo ni BBM ang atakihin ang Saligang Batas. Marapat na bantayan ang Konstitusyon.
Sinubukan ni Rodrigo Duterte na isantabi ang Konstitusyon sa pamamagitan ng pagtataguyod ng isang rebolusyonaryong gobyerno. Hindi ito tinanggap ang taumbayan ang panukalang rebolusyonaryong pamahalaan at nabigo na mabale-wala ang Konstitusyon. Muling sinubukan na baguhin ang Saligang Batas sa kanilang panukalang pagpapalit ng sistyemang federal sa unitaryong gobyerno. Tulad ng panukalang RevGov, walang nangyari sa panukala.
Kaluluwa ng buong bansa ang Saligang Batas. Isinilang ito isang taon matapos ang himagsikan ng EDSA. Kinamumuhian ito ang mga Marcos sapagkat pinanday ng Saligang Batas ng 1987 ang pagpapatalsik sa kanila sa puwesto. Nilinaw ng Saligang Batas ang pagtatapos at pagbuwag sa diktadura ni Ferdinand Marcos. Hindi namin alam kung totoong itataguyod ito ni BBM kahit nakatakdang siyang manumpa na ipagtatanggol niya ang Konstitusyon.
Maigi na ang mag-ingat sa mga Marcos. Pinatunayan ng kasaysayan na hindi normal ang mga Marcos. Gagawin nila ang lahat manatili sa puwesto.
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HALAW ang mga sumusunod sa aming aklat “KILL KILL KILL: EJKs in the Philippines; Crimes Against Humanity vs. Duterte Et. Al. At the ICC.” Nasa huling yugto na ako na pagsusulat.
RISE OF DDS. Although Lascanas claimed he was already a member of Duterte’s liquidation squad, their group was not yet known as DDS. It originated in police operations against Alan Tancio, a purported drug pusher. In the police operations against Tancio, Major Ildefonso Asentista and Cris Lanay, a rebel returnee, came out with the idea of putting the words “Davao Death Squad” on a note they left at Tancio’s house. Lascanas recounted it spread like wild fire. “DDS became a household name in Davao City,” he said. His affidavit contained details of operations, which Duterte’s liquidation squad did. These included the 1993 bombing of Davao mosques in retaliation to the bombing of St. Peter Cathedral reportedly by “extremists” in the Muslim community.
Lascanas’s first affidavit contained interesting details that showed his deep involvement in the DDS, particularly the summary executions of many elements in the port city. The murder of the family of a certain Pasajata, or Pajasata, a suspected leader of a kidnap for ransom gang, was a case in point. Intercepted by DDS operatives in Gen. Santos City, Pasajata and his family were brought to Davao City, where they were murdered upon Duterte’s order. This act of collective murder did not spare his four-year old son. His affidavit revealed the summary execution of rogue ex-Constabulary personnel named Jun Bersabal, who led former soldiers in criminal activity. Although notorious and had an arrest warrant, Bersabal was executed and his body was brought to Compostela Valley for disposal.
Since Duterte took over the presidency in 2016, mass media has carried many news and feature articles about his killing ways. Lascañas explained that killings were reported as homicides under investigation (HUI) by the Davao Police, in the same way drug deaths are now being accounted for under the Duterte administration. But he alleged that Davao Police gave “brisk business” to funeral parlors, which gave commissions to police officers, who facilitated use of their funeral facilities even if the victims were listed in the police blotters as “unknowns.” This was a situation, which had resemblance with killing operations in Metro Manila, where funeral parlors were said to have connived with police involved in the killings.
Arturo Baririquit Lascanas, 61, was a police officer throughout almost 40 years of his career. He was born in Davao City on December 16, 1960 and retired from the police service in 2016. Lascanas had a change of heart when he almost died from a kidney transplant surgery, which took place in 2014. According to him, the memory of his two brothers, who were killed because of involvement in drug trade, haunted him after his surgery. The first information said:
“During his public confession, Lascañas narrated how he had given his imprimatur to the killing of his two brothers on account of his blind loyalty and obedience to then Mayor Duterte, who had a very tough campaign against illegal drugs. According to Lascañas, his brothers Cecilio and Fernando were into drugs as users and dealers, respectively. Knowing then Mayor Duterte’s strategy of killing suspected drug personalities and to show his loyalty and obedience, Lascañas gave his consent to have his two brothers arrested, which subsequently resulted in his brothers being killed by his fellow policemen. This shows how the anti-drug campaign of then Mayor Duterte caused even the killing of the brothers of his key lieutenant in the war on drugs.”
Concerning his kidney transplant, the first information said:
“Arthur Lascañas testified in the Senate that in the middle of 2015, he underwent a kidney transplant and thought that he was on the verge of death, prompting him to confess all his sins to a priest. At that time, he dreamed of a demon haunting him, which gripped his conscience. He underwent a spiritual renewal. He made a journal of his criminal activities under the Davao Death Squad. Fortunately, he survived his kidney transplant. When he came to the Senate inquiry on 03 October 2016, in relation to the earlier testimony of Edgar Matobato, he was not prepared to tell the truth, because he feared for the security of his loved ones who were then still in Davao. Besides, he was also told by his police colleagues in the Davao Death Squad to deny the earlier testimony of Edgar Matobato. After his retirement from the police force in December 2016, he had an encounter with a religious nun who later referred him to a high Catholic prelate to whom he made his confession.”
Media reports said private independent organizations in Davao city recorded 1,424 deaths from 1998 to 2015. Lascanas corroborated the claim, but scoffed at the number. “That is a small number. Those are only the bodies that were found. They did not find the bodies we had buried at the Laud Quarry and those we had dropped to the sea,” he said in a media account. Over 100 were allegedly minors. Lascanas confirmed the killing of a three-year-old child on diapers. Lascañas, the once-trusted murder squad leader said:
“Duterte cannot keep this hidden. It will all come out because of the magnitude of the deaths, even if we do not count the deaths in Manila when Duterte became president.”
Subsequently, Lascañas again related the story about Paolo Duterte and Charlie Tan when the latter was suspected by Paolo of having a shipment of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) from China, but which they did not seize allegedly on orders of Paolo himself. Lascañas thus charged: “There are about five drug lords there, including Peter Lim.”
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MGA PILING SALITA: “We’re at peace with our choice.” – Mel Sta. Maria, dekano ng FEU College of Law
“I recall a quote, taken in the context of pushing for meaningful reforms in governance, that has inspired me for over a decade: ‘there is no such thing as failure, only delay.’ Hindi pa tayo tapos sa ang ating sama samang ipinaglalaban. Tuloy ang pagmamahal sa kapwa at sa bayan.” – Kiko Pangilinan
The post BANTAYAN ANG SALIGANG BATAS appeared first on Police Files! Tonite.
Source: Police Files Tonite
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