BULL’S HIT

Rudy Garcia
Weather weather

Rainy days have come early. The climate is unpredictable so this summer of 2009 becomes the summer of 69 which means it’s the opposite or baligtad. It is unusual to experience rains while the sun shines at its brightest. Maybe this is what they call climate change and global crisis which need not be explained.

Simply put, Mother Earth gave us the message during the recent celebration of World Earth Day last April 22 at Baguio’s Malcolm square where most spectators went home dripping wet but having slight sunburns on their skin for watching the celebration. But what was more funny to watch were people covering their noses every time they passed by those uncollected large piles of garbage after watching or joining the activities.

People keep on complaining but we are doing nothing to help in solving this garbage problem. No, we don’t urge them to go and shout at these sanamagans who deserve to be at the garbage bin, but rather make some noises in front of their office doors to wake them up.

We should be learning our lessons now. We don’t need these clowns who would treat us again to a circus come 2010 election just like what they are doing now at City Hall. But mind you, no amount of any bone-breaking circus act from them would lessen the disgust of the madlang pipol in Baguio over this garbage issue. The Baguio citizenry deserve a better political climate change. As Erap said “Weather weather lang yan”, and we deserve political good weather.
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Anyone who does not know the truth is not in the position to tell or guess what really happened to Trinidad Etong, wife of popular broadcaster/journalist Ted Failon. I bet if even the famous Madame Auring could peep at to her crystal ball and tell to the people if she saw is suicide or not like the Public Attorney’s Office big boss who came to the rescue and earned the ire of Department of Justice big boss Speedy Gonzales.

The DOJ chief could be happy, now that the investigation is turned over to the National Bureau of Investigation that is under his jurisdiction. Lt us see if the probe would be fair and square and let the wheels of justice take its course whatever the findings. Meantime let’s wait and see if the NBI is better to rely upon than the police.

On the other hand, the obstruction of justice case filed by the police is now undergoing investigation at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office. Failon and his co-respondents already submitted their counter affidavits and they are set to be heard as I write this column.

I don’t want to comment or give any opinion on this case as this was already filed and it could be prejudicial anyway I would like to express my disgust to those policemen who arrested the relatives and housemates of the Failons. Based on what I saw on the television footage, the acts of these police officers from the Quezon City criminal investigation unit are unbecoming.

It is harassment with intimidation and I could imagine how Failon felt when these abusive cops did their Martial Law style of picking his housemates and in-laws who were perceived suspects. Holy cow, there are a lot of big time politicians, government military and police officials who obstruct justice and yet they do nothing?

Like Failon and other journalists who are vocal in their opinions against erring officials and policemen, this lowly columnist was once a victim of policemen at compact IV, Station 7 of the Baguio City Police Office. Weeks after I wrote remarks on my article of my column against bad eggs in uniform, some policemen at the aforementioned police station picked me up in the middle of the night despite identifying myself as a media practitioner.

I was lucky at that precise time for I have friends who were able to witness the arrest the reason why I was directly turned over at the city jail, otherwise if not, I could be another person who mysteriously disappeared.

Nevertheless, I believe that there are still a lot of good eggs among our policemen, and I know that they are having thoughts of getting rid of their rotten peers. Mahirap na kasing mahaluan ng bugok o bulok ang mga ito. Right, BCPO Station 7 Chief Insp. Engelbert Soriano? Kilala ninyo ba kung sinu-sino ang mga bulok at hindi sa iyong nasasakupan?” Itanong nyu na lang po sa mga bubwit ko..
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It’s funny for DILG Chief Ronaldo Puno to be insisting now there was no ransom paid for the freedom of Notter. He said Notter was able to escape from his captors, but it was more funny for Notter to say that he didn’t know how he was able to be flee and the funniest thing was for the military to conduct full blown offensive against the bandits when there was still a remaining hostage in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf. So if Vanni vanished, what would be the next story?

It seems that we need to add more budget to the military especially now that terrorists are bound to carry out their plans like what they did at the Iligan City premiere bridges. If the theory of the military that the recent blasts of the two bridges were done by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Mindanao under Commander Bravo then it is high time the national government give full support in terms of financial budget to the military so that the latter would be able to operate on crackdown against terrorists in Mindanao.
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I am not saying that the helicopter used by the supposed presidential advance party that crashed in Ifugao was obsolete. I am not also saying that some of the equipments and armaments of the military are useless and need to be replaced with good ones. I am not also asking where the money intended for them went, and I don’t say that it went to other’s pockets. What I am only asking is for the Department of Budget and Audit to do its job, not for Malacañang or the Queen’s Husband to do the job for them. Period.