Like giving candy to a crying child
If President Noy thinks public anger over his absence at the arrival honors Thursday for the 44 fallen police commandos at Villamor Air Base was lessened when he stayed with the families of the deceased the whole day of Friday, he has another think coming.
The citizenry can never forget he chose to attend a much less important event—the inauguration of the Mitsubishi plant in Laguna province—because, according to his apologists, the ceremony at Villamor Air Base was not in the President’s itinerary.
His callousness and insensitivity were blatant.
His gesture of staying with the families of the dead heroes from morning until midnight seemed hollow.
In fact, it even highlighted his big blunder of the previous day.
It was like giving candy to a crying child after spanking him for no reason.
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By giving the families of the Fallen 44 extra financial help, like scholarships for their children, over the usual benefits given to soldiers who die in line of duty, even asking the public to donate, the Aquino administration has alienated the families of soldiers who were killed in encounters with Moro and communist rebels in the past.
For example, what about the families of the 19 Army Special Forces troopers who were massacred by Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas or Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Al Barka, Basilan province?
Why were they not also given extra financial help like the families of the 44 members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF) who were killed in a turkey-shoot fashion?
What’s the difference between the 44 SAF troopers and the 19 Special Forces men?
What’s the difference between the fallen 44 SAF troopers and other members of the security forces who were killed earlier in ambuscades or encounters with enemies of the state?
The other fallen troopers were not given the same honors and their families did not get the same benefits as the 44 SAF commandos.
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In both incidents, the dead troopers were reportedly mutilated.
It showed the savagery of the enemy in treating their defeated victims.
In the Maguindanao encounter, SAF troopers who were still breathing and who could have lived had they been given medical treatment were allegedly shot again and again in random fashion by the rebels who also collected their firearms and belongings.
In war, bodies of dead enemies are treated with respect by the victors for fighting gallantly.
How can we have a peace agreement if such acts of savagery are allowed to continue?
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The government should negotiate peace with the Moros from a vantage point, not as a defeated entity.
The rebels don’t respect the bodies of their defeated enemies whom they behead or mutilate.
So why does the government want to forge a peace agreement with them?
The Aquino II government should take a leaf from the book of former President Erap who tamed the Moros.
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The President has praised a newspaper for its “accurate and responsible” reporting of issues.
That’s because it’s the only paper that does not criticize the government no matter what mistakes it commits.
The newspaper always sings praises to the government of whatever administration.
It does not believe in playing an adversarial role toward the government in nation-building.
In a democracy, the media should always play the role of a watchdog.
