LAKAS ang karunungan. Maagang itinuturo ang aralin sa ito sa mag-aaral. “Knowled is power,” “Honesty is the best policy, “Health is wealth” – ilan lamang ang mga ito sa mga aralin sa mababang paaralan. Ngunit hindi namin alam kung naiintindihan ni Robin (nangingilabot kami na tawagin siyang senador). Hindi nangingilabot si Robin na aminin niya na hindi siya makasabay sa proseso ng Senado dahil mahina siya sa Ingles.
Ambisyoso lang si Robin, ngunit walang paghahanda sa trabahong sinuong niya sa Senado. Hindi alam ang paggawa ng batas. Hindi naiintindihan ang mga usapin na pinagdebetehan sa Senado. Lalong hindi alam na umasta bilang isang kagalang-galang na mambabatas. Hanggang ngayon, nauuna ang yabang sa kanya. Hambog na tanga at mangmang.
Kawawa ang bayan kay Robin. Ngunit hindi niya naiintindihan ito. Ang tingin sa Senado at serbisyo publiko ay pelikulang tabing. Ganyang talaga ang kahihinatnan natin habang nilalagay ang mga walang kakayahan sa poder. Isang malaking aral ito sa atin.
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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.
EMERGENCE OF DDS ‘HITMAN’
ABOUT this time too, Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed hit man of the “Davao Death Squad” (DDS) hovered on the radar and came out openly to reveal the operations of the DDS, which stands for the Duterte’s Death Squad, or the Duterte’s killing machine. His public appearance did not come out easily. It was a complex process that was triggered by his realization in 2013 that his DDS involvement was wrong before the eyes of his God and society. It was a complete but unexpected turnaround for this functionally illiterate murderer. The moment he realized his murderous ways, he neither went back to his old ways or entered into any compromise with Duterte’s camp. It was a complete break. Several characters came out to participate in the spine-tingling process.
Seeing clear signals from the European Parliament and the ICC, which came out with public statements opposing the EJKs, Trillanes hastened to prepare the crimes against humanity charges against Duterte. The Magdalo Party List Group intended to file the charges immediately before the ICC. But a snag struck him and his legal advisers and staff. They have to present and prove that local remedies had run out; Duterte’s machinations had reached to a point he could do anything that pleased him and kill people with impunity. They had to show to the world they could do nothing within the available domestic legal means to stop Duterte. This is what the Rome Statute provides with ultimate clarity. This is the principle of complementarity. They brainstormed the issue and agreed with a solution: impeachment of Duterte in Congress. This is a win-win solution. If the impeachment complaint prospered, it could lead to Duterte’s impeachment by the House of Representatives and eventually a trial to remove him from office by the Senate. If it lost, it would prove that the available legal system was not working to provide justice. Because impeachment was a political process, it did not win and lost on the opening salvo. It did not reach the first base, making clear that filing crime against humanity charges against Duterte and his cohorts before the ICC was the final solution.
By the third week of October, 2016, Trillanes started to prepare the crimes against humanity charges, which Magdalo would bring to the ICC against Duterte and his ilk. They needed a lawyer, who would represent them before a court of law and file the information before the ICC. Sensing the futility of going to his reluctant colleagues, Trillanes consulted with the leaders of the democratic forces, which have stayed at the periphery of Duterte’s authoritarian government to voice out their advocacy for democracy and adherence to clean governance. He consulted the Church and civil society leaders, including liberation theologians whom he came to know in the pro-democratic mass actions. Trillanes approached lawyers, who have established a good reputation in representing for free the poor, the oppressed, and the downtrodden. But because of the intricacies of the issue and their unfamiliarity, Trillanes did not immediately get a positive response. This is something easy to understand. Filing crime against humanity charges against Duterte before the ICC would be the first in the country’s history. This was an area where even angels fear to tread.
OBSCURE LAWYER. By November, 2016, Trillanes met Fr. Alberto Alejo, a Jesuit priest, who suggested getting an obscure lawyer from Mindanao to represent Matobato, who upon a public reappearancec, went into the care of the Magdalo. Matobato, who reached only Grade 1, needed a lawyer to advise him of his rights. This time, Matobato made public what he knew about Duterte and his DDS in his previous two appearances in the Senate inquiry on EJKs. Trillanes could use the lawyer not only to represent Matobato but file the crime against humanity charges as well mainly to save on cost. Alejo proposed Jude Josue Sabio, a trial lawyer based in Cagayan de Oro City. Alejo knew Sabio not personally but only from his posts in social media. They have developed online friendship; the Jesuit priest proved pivotal to facilitate his meeting with Trillanes. Meeting Sabio sometime in November, 2016, Trillanes was impressed by Sabio’s uncompromising stance on EJKs. Sabio did not only oppose EJKs along lines of principles based on philosophy and law, but exuded the bravado and bravura to bring Duterte before a court of law.
Born in 1964 in the idyllic town of Libona in Bukidnon province, Jude Josue Sabio grew up in the quiet town of Tagaloan, Misamis Oriental. He completed his AB Political Science at Ateneo de Manila University, He finished his law degree at the University of the Philippines, where he was an honor student and a member of the reputable Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity. He earned his law degree in 1993, took the Bar examinations the following year, and passed it without hassles. Sabio had a fairly encouraging law practice in Cagayan de Oro City but a marital spat led to his bitter and acrimonious separation from his wife.
Life took a downward spin for Sabio. He momentarily lost verve for life, wandered aimlessly, turned wayward and became unproductive for a while. It was said he literally slept on street sidewalks. He recovered and picked up the pieces though. Sabio had a knack for writing and he wrote well. He wrote opinion pieces for Mindanao Gold Star, a daily newspaper in Cagayan de Oro City. Many of his opinion pieces were reposted and that was how he was noticed by Alejo, who, after reading his hard-hitting posts, took the inititive to befriend him. Soon, he flew to Manila to assume a new role – as counsel for Matobato.
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MGA PINILING SALITA: “Ang lata na walang laman ay maingay. Si Robin Padilla yan! Obviously, ginagaya niya taktika ni Boy Kulambo na patok sa kapwa nila inutil. All noise!” – Chi Yap, netizen
“Parehong tanga’t mangmang si Lito Lapid at Robin Padilla. Pero marunong mahiya si Lito kaya hindi madaldal. Kabaligtaran si Robin.” – PL, netizen
“Somebody the SONA affair was a big, expensive cosplay (costume play), which was irrelevant and useless for the people. Agree.” – PL, netizen
“Before, when you were stupid & ignorant, you were ignored; when you were a criminal, you were doomed. Now, every stupid & ignorant is defended – even hailed. Every killer today is admired for his bravery, & even encouraged to be strong. What an idiotic race!” – Jed Q. Cepe, netizen
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Source: Police Files Tonite
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