Wasted efforts for a drug mule

Vice President Jejomar Binay. FILE PHOTO

What a waste on the part of the government which tried in vain to get a reprieve for a Filipina drug mule who was reported to have been  executed in China  Wednesday.

No amount of pleading from the government for the Filipino woman, who tried to smuggle heroin into China in 2011, could have prevented her execution.

Vice President Jojo Binay’s planned trip to China to personally appeal for her life was turned down by China.

Our government lost face after Chinese authorities rejected  the plea.

Just how important was that drug courier, who reportedly made 18 trips to China, that our government had to shame itself before the Chinese government?

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Binay said  we should keep   her identity a secret in accordance with her family’s wish.

Why should we give importance to the drug mule who has brought shame to our country?

And why should the government give in to her family’s wish that her identity, as well as that of her family’s, be held in strict confidence?

Was the drug mule doing spy work for the government when she entered China carrying several kilos of heroin and, therefore, should be considered a hero?

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As if the problems brought about by typhoon “Pablo” that visited her province last year were not enough, Davao Oriental Governor Cora Malanyaon is facing a much bigger problem in Davao City.

She faces numerous estafa cases there for allegedly selling or pawning lots which she had already sold.

One of the complainants, Ramir Limsiaco, 56, came to my office Wednesday.

Limsiaco claims he bought a 127-square-meter lot from First Oriental Property Ventures, owned by Malanyaon.

Limsiaco said he and his wife were surprised to find that the lot, which had already been paid for, was used as collateral for a loan from the Land Bank which had foreclosed it.

Limsiaco was crying as he showed me the receipts for the lot in question and the sales contract for the lot.

He also showed me a list of 13 estafa cases filed by several persons against Malanyaon in the Davao City Prosecution Office and the courts.

Limsiaco also showed me a letter from Land Bank saying he should vacate the place as the bank already owns it.

“I worked in Japan for many years so I could buy a house and lot in Davao City only to find out that I don’t own what I already paid for,”  said Limsiaco.

Governor Malanyaon ran unopposed in her reelection bid.

Do the people of Davao Oriental know about the estafa cases against her?

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From now on, most of our policemen will be carrying a Glock 17, caliber 9 mm pistol.

The Philippine National Police  made an excellent choice.

Glock pistols are carried by 60 percent of law enforcers in the United States and Europe.

It  is very light as it is mostly made of unbreakable plastic, and requires the least care and maintenance.

Except for its barrel, all parts of a Glock pistol can be cleaned with just soap and water.

It’s an excellent weapon for our policemen, most of whom would get  a “zero” rating in gun maintenance.

Glock pistols can still be used after being soaked in mud for days.

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Ronald Ho, an inmate at the Sablayan Penal Colony in Mindoro Occidental serving a life term for drug trafficking, was killed last week.

He was reportedly riding a motorcycle and had a gun tucked in his waist when he was shot dead.

Why was Ho, a maximum security prisoner, allowed to leave the penal colony in the first place?