MANILA, Philippines—There’s a complete breakdown of law and order, but it seems the Arroyo administration is not concerned.

President Arroyo’s primary concern is staying in power beyond 2010 through a congressional seat in her district in Pampanga province.

And because the President does not seem to show concern about the robberies, kidnappings and killings in the streets, her chief of police, Director General Jess Verzosa, also doesn’t seem to care, while he awaits his relief.

There is anarchy in the streets because we have a lame-duck and corrupt administration that is held in contempt by the citizenry.

Criminals smell the rot of this inutile leadership and exploit the situation.

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Mayor Leoncio Saldivar III of San Nicolas, Pangasinan, admits two of the members of the Alvin Flores Gang that robbed banks and malls in Metro Manila were his men.

But he hastens to add that he didn’t know what they were doing when they were out of his sight.

If you believe him, you must be naïve.

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Haven’t you noticed that whenever an election draws near, big robberies are rampant?

That’s because some politicians need to raise funds to finance their campaign.

The reason the leader of the Alvin Flores Gang was killed in a shootout is because his political handlers thought he became “too hot” to handle.

Those politicians could have ratted on their ward, using persons who posed as informants.

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The killing of Alvin Flores, the robbery gang leader, in a shootout was too good to be true.

When something is “too good to be true,” most often it’s unbelievable.
Why did the law enforcement agents who cornered Flores kill him when they could have taken him alive?

A lot of vital information could have been extracted from Flores during investigation—like who were financing his group—if he was captured alive.

I’m reminded of rumors, which persist up to this day that the reason the 11 members of the dreaded Kuratong Baleleng Gang were executed by the police was because they had $2 million in cold cash when they were captured.

Dead men tell no tales.

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Do you know that the cop who exposed the Kuratong Baleleng rubout was allegedly not motivated by noble intentions, but by greed?

I have it on good authority that when that cop arrived on the scene, all he reportedly got was an M-16 Armalite.

He allegedly complained to the cops involved in the incident, saying he should be given money reportedly taken from the dead robbers.

But the “executioners” were allegedly too greedy to share their loot with him.

Many say that was why the Kuratong Baleleng gang rubout was exposed.

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A food manufacturing company has filed a complaint against its rival in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for unfair trade practices.

The food manufacturer said the rival company blocks the distribution of its new product in big grocery stores and supermarkets by asking the outlets not to sell its products.

The product being prevented from being displayed in grocery store or supermarket shelves is canned tuna that both companies manufacture.
If the complaint is true, then DTI should step in because consumers are not given a chance to choose what food product to buy.
Monopoly has no place in a free enterprise society.