Ninoy Aquino: undimmed, forever young & at play

“They shall not grow old
As we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them
Nor the hourglass condemn
At the going down of the sun

And at the rising of the sun
We shall greet them in our hearts
Undimmed, forever young and at play
In the fields of the Lord.”

—-Warrior King: The Triumph & Betrayal of An American Commander in Iraq (Sassman, Nathan Lt. Col., Martin Press, NY, 2008, p.293)

“It is even more clear to me now that Ninoy was never really mine or my children’s to lose; he has always belonged to the people he chose to serve and to die for,” former Pres. Corazon (Cory) Aquino said of her husband Benigno (Ninoy ) Aquino whose 25th year of his assassination is being remembered this year.

Ninoy Aquino came home from exile in August 21, 1983 from Boston, USA as the prime political adversary of then Pres. Ferdinand Marcos and wife Imelda Marcos. Upon arrival in Manila, he was escorted by military men and minutes later he was gunned down in the tarmac. Years of investigations of the gruesome killing failed to unmask the top people behind the murder. A lone gunman Rolando Galman, killed with Ninoy at the airport, was blamed for the murder. Ninoy’s martyrdom sparked a series of mass actions and protests against Marcos, forcing him out of Malacanang Palace and ending his dictatorship with Imelda.

Today, trying to bring back her health from treatments for colonic cancer, Cory faces new wounds of the ignominious murder whose real mastermind(s) and killer(s) are still on the loose. As the memory of the bloody shooting fades in the memory of the country, the culprits who escape judgement under the law, have gone old or have died of natural causes.

The Marcos family has been “rehabilitated” with the passage of time, rejoining Philippine politics as though nothing so nefarious and brutal ever happened. The case of Ninoy and the conspiracy behind it have been a metaphor of the Filipinos’ lack of trust in the court system. It speaks of the countless murders left unsolved in the country. Not only is justice slow, it’s riddled with corruption and nepotism that favor the rich and powerful. =0=

Deteriorating Human Rights Record: another journalist shot dead in Camarines Sur

As the Philippines struggles to shed off the label of being the most dangerous place for journalists next to Iraq, Ronaldo Julia another media person in Bicol died of gunshot wounds in Magarao, Camarines Sur. The hideous killing occurred Friday, Aug 15, 2008, barely two weeks after radio anchorman Dennis Cuesta of Radio Mindanao Network and Martin Roxas, a commentator in Panay Island were shot dead.

A writer of the “Weekly Informer” and broadcaster of Naga and Legazpi, Ronaldo Julia was gunned down on his way home at 11 pm. He died before doctors in a nearby city hospital could treat him.

Since 2001, more than 50 journalists were murdered; another 800 civilians disappeared (desaparecidos) or died from premeditated killings. In most cases, the killers which include those from the military, remained unpunished. Despite Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo’s promises, the murders escalate with increasing viciousness. Exasperated citizens including journalists in local and international media condemn these. They demand justice through effective prosecution under the law. Pres. Arroyo, the Justice Department and the police must not wear a blind eye on these killings that clearly point to a deteriorating human rights record of the country. =0=

Hungry Filipinos, Release of 16 Innocent Prisoners And Cholera Death Toll In Mindanao

14.5 million
—-Is the estimated number of Filipinos (representing 2.9 million households) who experienced involuntary hunger between April and June 2008 according to a SWS survey. The occurrence of severe hunger rose to 4.2% which corresponds to about 3.3 million people in 760,000 families.

34—-Of the 67 prisoners attended to by the Justice on Wheels in Caloocan City, Philippines, 34 were released. Nineteen of them finished serving jail time while 16 were found innocent of their crime. The incredibly crowded Caloocan City jail keeps 1,500 prisoners in a facility that’s intended for only 500.

21—Death toll of the cholera outbreak in Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao between July 27 to Aug 6, 2008. Residents became ill in what experts believe to be linked with drinking contaminated water. As of Aug 6, 2008, 147 individuals are suspected to harbor the disease.

10,000—From January to June 2008, the total number of Filipino nurses who took the licensure examination in the United States. The number is 107 shy of the total number of nurses who took the same test in the same period last year. Almost 500,000 students are currently enrolled in nursing in the Philippines today.

20
—-The number of Filipino girls rescued from illegal recruitment by human trafficking syndicates recently. Coming from poor towns in the provinces, the girls are locked up by their recruiters while they wait for assignments abroad as OFWs, mostly in the Middle East as domestic workers. Some of these girls end up being abused by employers and they seek help from the Philippine embassy.

12.2%—-Inflation rate of the Philippines in July 2008. Exceeding the previous inflation rate of 11.4% in June, this is the highest in 16 years. Inflation rate averaged 8.3 percent in the first six months of the year, surpassing the government’s original forecast of 3 to 5 percent for 2008

P2.50-P3.50—-Price of pan de sal this week after a 50 centavo rise. Correspondingly, the price of a loaf bread went up to by P3 and now runs at P50-55/ loaf.

66%—The percentage of Filipinos who are scrimping on food, said Pulse Asia in a survey conducted last June and July 2008 in response to high prices of commodities. The same survey disclosed households consume and spend less on electricity, cell phones, transportation, water, and medicine.

90%—-The percentage of disabled persons who are poor, according to Geraldine Ruiz, president of the Organization of Rehabilitation Agencies. As per World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 10 to 15% of the Filipino population has some kind of disability.

1,536
—The number of families (with a total of 6,547 individuals) that are displaced due to a new wave instability and chaos perpetrated by the secessionist group MILF in Midsayap and Aleosan towns alone. Burning of houses, destruction of plantations, looting of properties and cattle rustling, among others are the reasons why civilians are forced to leave the troubled spots in Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippines. =0=

The essence of being a nurse, a P10 million bribe, an OFW’s complaint against RP officials in Saudi Arabia, & Dolphy’s secret of being young

“Palagay ko, it’s my job. Kapag nasa linya ng comedy, wala akong iniisip kung hindi katatawanan at puro comedy ginagawa ko. Making people laugh is fun talaga. It’s better sa buhay.”
—Dolphy remarks on his secret of being young at age 80.

“Considering our depressed condition and lowered people’s morale, it is clear that uncoordinated, quickie and populist projects will not work and be just a waste of time, resources and goodwill,”
—Former Pres. Fidel Ramos on the dismal policies of Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo

“Should we worry? There will be pain but maybe worrying too much is too much. We will survive this eventually.”
—Dr. Cayetano Paderanga Jr., a professor at the UP School of Economics on the deteriorating economy and lack of morale of the people.

“More than three million children between the ages of 6 and 15 are now out of school. What is her administration going to do about it? Judging from her SONA — nothing, other than hand out a few scholarships,’’
—ACT-UP Chairman Antonio Tinio asks the government on what to do with children who can’t afford to go to school.

“My advantage of being half-Filipino, half-German is having an exotic beauty which I think is not common with other people. But for me, it’s my multi-cultural values which set me apart because these make me a better and stronger person.”
—Princess Uhrig, a mixed-race candidate in the Miss Limburg-Belgium beauty pageant to be held in September.

“Promoting an NFP-only policy goes against our commitment to the Millennium Development Goals, which targets increased access to reproductive health services and contraceptive prevalence rate — covering both modern natural and artificial methods — to 60 percent by 2010 and 80 percent by 2015,”
—Ramon San Pascual, director of the Phil. Legislator’s Population and Development Foundation Committee, airing objection to the Roman Catholic Church stand against artificial contraception.

“So, they were talking of a win-win situation, which meant offering P10 million for me to give way to Justice Reyes. I politely declined that offer and told the emissary that it was not only a matter of principle but that it will [also] affect the integrity of the court. Before he left, he told me that they were still hoping that I could see it their way,”
— Court of Appeals Justice Jose Sabio bares a scandalous bribery offer he got from someone whom he believes to be an emissary of Meralco.

“Palitan n’yo na lahat ng nakaupo mula sa ibaba hanggang sa itaas. Imbes na sila ang makatulong sa amin, sila pa nagpapahirap sa amin”
—OFW Armando Navarro who said while calling for the replacement of Philippine Consular officials in Saudi Arabia.

“I regret what I did. I’m ready to face any punishment because he is my son,”
—says a desperate man of Legazpi City who stabbed his three month old baby for he can’t care for him any longer.

“When you decide to become a nurse, you have to have passion to serve and to care. The essence of nursing is to care for the people,”
—Nurse Board topnotcher Aira Therese S.Javier said. She believes going abroad must not be the primary motivation of her colleagues in the profession. =0=

Fast and Fair Justice Needed

Although the slow pace of justice in the Philippines has been repeatedly criticized, the verdict on the Julia Campbell case must be the blue print of how fast cases must be resolved. After more than year of investigation, confessed Benguet killer Juan Donald Duntugan, a 25 year-old woodcarver, was sentenced to 40 years in prison without parole. He was asked to pay P39 million in damages to the Campbell family.

“An attack made by a man with a deadly weapon upon an unarmed and defenseless woman constitutes the circumstance of abuse that superiority which his sex, and the weapon used in the act afforded him, and by means of which the woman was overcome and rendered unable to defend herself,” said the decision of Judge Ester Piscoso-Flor of the Ifugao Regional Trial Court branch 34 on June 30, 2008. Philstar (07/01/08, Lagasca, C.)

The monetary compensation seemed huge and the prison sentence apt, but we know the wasted life a US Peace Corps volunteer is more valuable. To compare, those who perished in 911 when terrorists blew up the Twin Towers got an average of $3.1 million from the government, insurances and charitable institutions. Julia Campbell who went missing on April 8, 2008 deserved more compensation. She had a rich and productive life ahead her—more than what the US Peace Corps might have envisioned when it was started in 1961 by Pres. John F. Kennedy:

“Coming from all walks of life and representing the rich diversity of the American people, Peace Corps Volunteers range in age from college students to retirees. Every Peace Corps Volunteer’s experience is different. From teaching English to elementary school children in Zambia to launching a computer learning center in Moldova to promoting HIV/AIDS awareness in South Africa to working on soil conservation in Panama, Volunteers bring their skills and life experiences to where they are needed most.“ http://www.peacecorps.gov

Be as it may, the verdict on the Campbell case brings a sigh of relief to the nation. Filipinos are pushing that other legal cases be handled expeditiously, particularly those involving crimes of citizens, irrespective of who the parties are.

There are still a lot to be desired with our justice system. It must not be too slow or too fast as Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo’s wishy-washy order (Inquirer,07/01/08, Dalangin-Fernandez, L.) that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) wrap up its findings on the Sulpicio Lines ferry tragedy in 10 short days. Critics suspect this haphazard unrealistic presidential edict as a form of political posturing which risks the proper carriage of justice.=0=

The Ferry Tragedy: Lack Of Body Bags And The Dearth Of Forensic Expertise

The advice of UP pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun that “there must be a detailed external examination of all remains recovered while the soft tissues are still intact for documentation and proper identification” seems to be what we know from a pathology textbook. But for those who are aware of how forensic science is practiced in the Philippines, this recommendation is a pipe dream, especially for those who lost loved ones in the Princess of the Stars tragedy.

In spite of advanced forensic technology currently in use today, our investigators are mostly operating on antiquated scientific grounds, very much like the outdated travel guidelines Sulpicio Lines followed which led to the ill-fated ship to its seabed grave. Our forensic doctors may well be 50 years behind in what modern science normally does to deal with deaths of this magnitude.

We don’t have enough freezers and body bags to keep our cadavers. There is no central repository of bodies that’s needed to secure material evidence and specimens for testing. We lack the manpower and logistics to deal with such a catastrophe which upsets all of us. With no time to put up a coordinated team, pressure to bury decomposing bodies builds up. The public is afraid of potential contamination and outbreak of diseases.

Since I left UP-PGH in the 1980’s, little had changed in our way of medico-legal investigation. In those days, as member of the Department of Pathology, I volunteered to help examine remains—a thankless job I did for free, because few pathologists in the academe were willing to do it. I believed it was a calling which I must sustain for those who sought justice. I joined the National Bureau Investigation (NBI,) Commission on Human Rights (CHR,) and some cause-oriented groups perform autopsies and identifications, mostly for victims of violence and killings during Marcos’s time.

The reasons for the dearth of interest in forensic science are largely predictable. For years, the systemic lack of budget has spawned a culture of waiting, inaction, and helplessness on the part of the government. Gruesome and messy as necropsies may be, forensic science is a tedious job. Few doctors go into the specialty for lack of appreciation of its contribution to our society. It appears a sizeable number of medico-legal doctors stick to their jobs as their source of livelihood, not because they gain professional satisfaction in caring for the dead and in seeking the truth behind a person’s passing.

Many medico-legal doctors in the Philippines are trained on the routine crime scene investigation, identification of bodies and autopsy, but they sorely lack support. As basic as a steady supply of gloves, sharp scalpels, or a good morgue assistant, pathologists don’t have standard modern autopsy facilities. Besides, they have only a few credible laboratories with state-of-the-art capabilities which can help put their cases to rest.

The routine death investigations do not usually pose problems. It is the sensational demise, those that hug the news and cause public controversy and pain that bring embarrassment to our medico-legal capabilities. In our ranks, we have forensic workers who are slowed by the endemic problems of the profession: job-overload, lack of facilities, inadequate budgetary support, turf wars, and a dearth in trained manpower.

There are times when we don’t believe what our medico-legal investigators say. Questionable results of past cases make them appear untrustworthy. The question of competence and honesty often crop up, making them cynical and defensive. Burdened by their deficiencies, they end up as apologists and defenders of an institution that needs total overhaul.

Body retrieval and identification disturb us. In mass deaths, our instinct is to ask help from forensic experts abroad, believing that it’s the only way a reliable medico-legal investigation can be carried out. Our unending dependence on foreign assistance makes us lose our drive to learn, work hard, and trust in ourselves.

Who then will do the examination, documentation, procurement of tissue samples that may aid in identifying the dead? Who will provide the freezers that Dr. Fortun asks for (Inguirer, 06/27/08, Uy, J.)—so that the NBI and medico-legal experts like her could do their job to the satisfaction of the grieving public? When will we get the central repository of remains and tissue samples of unidentified victims?

The main purpose of postmortem examination in the tragedy is to recognize the dead as quickly as possible so that their relatives can give them decent burial. Body retrieval and identification will help bring closure to the grief of loved ones. Necropsy is important in the prosecution of case(s) against the culpable. It’s vital in pursuing justice for the victims.

At this time, it is less important to know the victim’s circumstance and manner of dying, for without the ship’s sinking, all the passengers could be presumed alive to reach their destination. Most of those who perished probably drowned.

More than 20 years after I left UP-PGH, I doubt if precise identification could be done on many victims of Sulpicio Lines. An overwhelming number of decomposing bodies, in various stages of decay, at different sites in the islands, some drifting from the shipwreck have been found floating or washed to shore. It appears the manpower and forensic expertise to do a credible job on these bodies, are meager and inadequate. =0=

Recurrent Shipwrecks And The Horrific Maritime Record in the Philippines

“The reason why there is the repeat of negligence among these shipping lines is because the law takes such a long time. We need to execute a swift prosecution and conviction of the guilty on this case,” -Sen. Francis Pangilinan. Malaya (06.25/07, Montemayor, J.)

Sulpicio Lines—that’s the company! The recurrent shipwrecks befalling this shipping outfit are disgusting entries in the bloody maritime record of the Philippines. The inter-island company has the hideous distinction of being involved in several of the world’s unforgettable ship mishaps, one of them, the history’s worst sea disaster which claimed the lives of innocents, larger in number than those who perished in 911.

Princess of the Stars keeled at the height of Typhoon Frank (see pictures by Reuters.) With shifting inaccurate numbers of passengers which cast doubt on the veracity of the manifest, the ill-fated ship was whacked and swallowed by the churning waves—bigger and more fearsome than the rugged tall mountains nearby. Disaster-prone Philippines had been in a state of temporary shock, begging for international aid.

Pray for those who died. They need justice. Think of the victims’ families who shed tears, their eyes red in seething anger. In grief, they know their poor loved ones are gone, never to set foot on dry land again. Perhaps they’ll not get the justice they deserved. Think of the good works the hapless 800+ victims could have contributed in their lifetime if they weren’t cut silent by negligence, bad luck, or act of God.

MV Princess of the Stars, sank during Typhoon Frank, 800 plus missing or lost, June 22, 2008
MV Dona Marilyn, sank during Typhoon Unsang, Oct 24, 1988, 250 lives lost
MV Princess of the Orient, sank during Typhoon Guding, Sept 18, 1988, 150 lives lost
MV Dona Paz, sank after a collision with tanker Vector, Dec 20, 1987, 4000+ died (worst maritime disaster in history)

How can we rest our thoughts with this? We have ample blame to spread around. The “royal” liner sank with several capsized smaller boats at the height of the storm. Littered bloated bodies in the sea soon commingled after Typhoon Frank left, making it hard to know from which sunken ferry they came from. Does God bear grudge on our people?

Not learning its lessons, Sulpicio Lines pulled through (with least accountability) in the past. The rulings on earlier shipwrecks placed little blame on this company whose victims, too poor to wage protracted legal battles, hungered for justice.

Since the storm’s path could be ascertained in real time, its progress could be accurately charted. There should have been ample wiggle room to successfully escape the typhoon if caution was observed.

Negligence and incompetence were more likely when too frequent mishaps recurred in the hands of the same people—the ship’s crew and the Coast Guard. Whether Sulpicio Lines and the Coast Guard took safety and human life for granted was something the whole nation deserved to know.

The United States donated $100,000 to the ferry disaster fund. The French government also offered help. In appeals so familiar, the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP,) Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo and the swanky troop of 59 senators who joined her to the White House, begged for more generous donations.

Who will ascertain that these dole-outs will go to the right beneficiaries? How much will the ferry company spend as aid and compensation? With taxpayer’s money, how much will the government spend to put this avoidable tragedy far in the backstage— so that the next national disaster in the offing can catch our attention? =0=

Heard From The Underbush

“Gusto nilang maging commercial endorser, eh ang papangit naman nila, [They want to be commercial endorsers but they are so ugly],”

-Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago denounces politicians who endorse consumer products. She condemns this advertising as a form of early election campaign. PDI (06/17/08, Cabacungan, G.)

“We hope the government would undertake mitigating programs because there might be further rise in unemployment as a result of the rising power cost in the country.”

-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) spokesman Alex Aguilar reacting to the National Statistics Office (NSO) report which shows the rise of unemployment to 8% in April, 2008 from 7.4 of April last year. Philstar (06/18/08, Jaymalin, M)

“I assure [students] that in 2009 we will prioritize this (the construction of more comfort rooms in public schools.)”

-DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus tells the audience of a Manila morning show, “Umagang Kay Ganda.” how he’ll solve the problem of filthy toilets in public schools. According to the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (based on DepEd’s records,) 51 elementary pupils share one toilet bowl. In high school, it’s even worse — 102 students share one toilet bowl. ABS-CBN Online (06/17/08)

“I appealed, I cajoled, I threatened by telephone…These people do not have an ideology. This is pure banditry.”

-Sen Loren Legarda says on her role in gaining the release of reporter Ces Drilon et al who were held hostage by Islamic militants in Mindanao. ABS-CBN Online/AFP (06/18/08.)

“That will drain more our finances. Now at 20 percent, we are bothered financially,”

-Rustico Jimenez, M.D., president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, saying that it is too much to increase senior citizen hospital discount from 20% to 30%. Inquirer (06/17/08, Alave, KL.)

“Even if cases have been filed against some alleged perpetrators of summary executions, justice remains elusive and the possibility of getting genuine justice remains unsure. This is because forensic investigations of human rights violations are not done with due diligence, either because of unwillingness to do so, or because of incompetence to do good investigations,”

-Dr. Aurora Parong, Amnesty International (Philippine section director,) bewails the lack of justice in the Philippines. Manila Times (06/17/08, Apanay, IK.)