People are very angry at P-Noy

President Noynoy’s no-show at the arrival honors for the 44 fallen police commandos at Villamor Air Base on Thursday to attend the inauguration of a car manufacturing plant was an unforgivable blunder.

Whatever accolades he gave to the 44 dead heroes at the necrological services yesterday, his words of comfort and his promise of financial support to their families could never make up for his noticeable absence at Villamor Air Base.

His making a sign of the cross and saying a silent prayer every time he faced each of the coffins of the fallen men at the necrological services at Camp Bagong Diwa seemed like a fake gesture.

The citizenry is very angry at him. So are members of the military and the police, active and retired.

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The President didn’t foresee the backlash when he decided to skip the arrival honors for his dead men—he’s the commander in chief of both the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces—in favor of attending the inauguration of the Mitsubishi plant in Laguna province.

The people are so angry some of them have made nasty comments they would probably regret later.

Listen to some phoned-in comments to “Karambola,” a morning commentary program which precedes my show, “Isumbong Mo Kay Tulfo,” at radio dwIZ (882 on the AM band).

The comments to “Karambola” were in Tagalog which I translated. I also included the phoned-in comments which I received and read at my one-hour program. Some of the comments:

“I attended the funeral of your father (Sen. Ninoy Aquino) and your mother’s (former President Cory). I went hungry in both funerals, which took so long.

“I lined up at the Sto. Domingo Church and the Manila Cathedral, I got soaked in the rain.

“I had no direct link to your family but I sympathized with you in your hour of grief.

“But when people of my kind who died for the country were given honors at Villamor, you didn’t show up.

“What kind of a leader are you?”

From another listener: “P-Noy really loves the Japanese very much. Instead of meeting the remains of SAF (Special Action Force) troopers who were massacred in Maguindanao, P_____t chose to go to the inauguration of a Japanese plant.

“He took after his grandfather who was accused of being a collaborator (during the Japanese time).”

Another sent this comment: “I am so proud of myself that I did not vote for P-Noy.

“I would rather have 10 GMAs (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) than one P-Noy. He is a disgrace. He should step down.”

An irate caller said: “Our President didn’t care about the dead troopers; rather, he chose to hobnob with the Japanese at their car plant.

“Ninoy and Cory are turning in their graves now because of their pathetic son and their _____ daughter Kris.”

“Now we are sure. P-Noy has an emperor complex. He doesn’t care about the lives of his fellow human beings.”

The last two comments are just as angry: “The citizenry is enraged by the desecration by President A_Noy of the dead soldiers. The b______ k____ instead honored the inauguration of the Mitsubishi plant.”

“Haven’t you noticed whenever there is a calamity, he doesn’t immediately go to the scene to condole with the victims? That’s because he gets shocked when he sees dead bodies. His being g__ and a________c surfaces when he comes face to face with tragedy.”

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Interior Secretary Mar Roxas was a complete picture of compassion when he was seen shedding copious tears at arrival honors for the 44 dead combatants on Thursday and at the necrological services yesterday.

Although he was trying to hold back tears, still they flowed and ran down his cheeks.

It would not be surprising if Roxas, who was never informed of the Maguindanao police operation until news of the massacre started coming in, resigned from his position in disgust.