If constituents go against autonomy: Baguio, Benguet will revert to Regions 1 or 2’

By Dexter A. See

TUBA, Benguet – The status of Baguio City and Benguet as to trade and tourism sites in the Cordillera will be eroded if the two local governments will not be included as part of the proposed Cordillera Autonomous Region and if the regional constituents will reject the third attempt to achieve regional autonomy.

            

Jerry Lab-uyan, general manager of the Cooperative Bank, a staunch advocate for regional autonomy, said the robust growth of business in Baguio and Benguet will significantly drop once the people will not ratify the third Organic Act during a scheduled plebiscite in the future.

           

 “We have to admit that if Baguio and Benguet will reject the autonomy law, we will have to go back to Region I where we will be again classified as second-class citizens since the two local governments will not be qualified to stand as a region,” Lab-uyan said.

           

He added it is only in Baguio and Benguet where there are numerous individuals who still refuse to understand the real essence of autonomy.

            

According to him, once Baguio and Benguet residents will reject the third autonomy law, the existing regional offices of the different national line agencies will be eventually transferred to the seat of the regional autonomous government that will be subsequently identified by the regional legislative assembly thereby depriving the two local governments of employment opportunities and sources of livelihood for the thousands of employees.

            

Lab-uyan said individuals and groups transacting with regional line agencies will be wasting time and resources in going to San Fernando City, La Union just to have their transactions completed unlike the present set up where all regional line agencies are based in Baguio and Benguet and that the temporary status of the region will simply be upgraded to permanent through autonomy.

            

“We are not resorting to a scare campaign when we inform the people that when Baguio and Benguet will reject the third autonomy law, both local governments will be automatically reverted to Region I which is a reality,” Lab-uyan added, citing that in case there are two or more provinces that opt to ratify the Organic Act, the region will be disintegrated.

            

Lab-uyan was one of the speakers on autonomy representing the private sector during the information and education campaign on regional autonomy sponsored by the Philex Mining Corporation held last Tuesday at the Padcal mine site.

            

Earlier, Gov. Nestor B. Fongwan announced his support to the renewed quest for regional autonomy by saying that he is comfortable working with the people in his region thereby breaking his long silence on the matter.

            

Lab-uyan said autonomy will not affect the current set up of the bureaucracy and the rights and privileges being enjoyed by local governments but it will establish the regional autonomous government that will be the one to supervise and coordinate the affairs of government in the Cordillera and that the region is allowed to craft its own suitable policies and programs in relation to pursuing the acceleration of socio-economic and infrastructure development.

            

He called on Baguio and Benguet residents to internalize the real essence of autonomy and not to be hoodwinked by the critics since they will be at the losing end once they commit a grave mistake in rejecting the third attempt towards self-governance.

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NBI nabs 21 Chinese, Taiwanese for fraud

By George Trillo

ANGELES CITY -- The National Bureau of Investigation arrested 21 Taiwanese and Chinese nationals allegedly involved in telephone fraud and extortion during a raid in Angeles City last week.

The NBI identified the Taiwanese suspects as Huang Li Sin, Huang Shih-Ting, TengYa-Huei, Chang Shu-Chu, Lai Chao-Ming, Wu Shu-Lun, Lin Jen Chien, Cheng Chih-Lung, You Jiafu, Huang Cheng Hui, Chan ChihHsien, Yang Yen Chun, Wang Pai Lu and Lin Shia Hao.

The other suspects were Xiang Hong, Hong Xia Juan, Zhang Dongmei, FengJianbin, Li Wu Xiu, LuoJiaXin, and Luo Shi You, all Chinese nationals.

Shih Liang Shia, alias Mr. Chen, the alleged leader of the syndicate, remains at large.

Charges for violation of Republic Act 8484 or the Access Devices Regulation Act of 1998 were filed against the suspects.

All suspects were detained at the NBI headquarters in Manila.

The NBI said the suspects were also involved in swindling their compatriots.

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P7-B power dam nears completion in 2 months

By Jennelyn Mondejar

SAN MANUEL, Pangasinan — Builders of the P7-billion irrigation project component of the multipurpose hydroelectric San Roque power dam, here, assured Monday of its completion in two months or even less.

Engineer Raynaldo Mencias, project manager of the Agno River Integrated Irrigation Program, said the the 560-megawatt power facility is now 95 percent complete.

Mencias said preparations are already under way for the inauguration the project’s 86-hectare re-regulating pond which is being constructed mainly from a US$89.1 million (roughly P3.7 billion) soft loan with China Export-Import Bank.

The Chinese contractor, China Camce Engineering Ltd., which won the bidding at a contract price of US$93.8 million (arounc P4 billion), is now rushing up the installation of the electrical and mechanical systems for the giant pond’s valve gates and spillways, Mencias said.

Considered the country’s biggest irrigation project, the facility is expected to be commissioned on the last week of November following inaugural rites to be led by President Benigno S. Aquino III in time for the second cropping season, Mencias said.

Once operational, the pond will increase crop yield and cropping intensity by 150 percent with the full irrigation of 34,450 hectares of farmlands on opposite banks of the Agno river, according to a study by ARIIP, an adjunct agency of the Department of Agriculture.

“The Chinese engineers are all young, full of vitality and work on precision,” the ARIIP chief noted, as he pointed out that the accomplishment exceeds the expected target of 85 percent for the period.

The contractor started works on the project in early 2010 and latest reports said US$89-million has been spent in finishing the sprawling pond structure, upstream Ogle weir, dam intakes, spillway and operation house buildings on both banks of the river.

Using the national government’s counterpart fund of P4.1 billion, ARIIP is rushing up the rehabilitation of 67.06-kilometers of existing main irrigation canals, along with 327-85 kilometers of lateral canals.

Some 280-kilometers of farm-to-market roads are also in simultaneous rehabilitation works in anticipation of the increased farming activities within ARIIP’s service area covering 28,207 farm families in 18 towns of Pangasinan.

           

At a total cost of P11.2 billion, ARIIP as an irrigation component of the San Roque multipurpose dam, started in November 2006. The project is expected to go on full-swing services on or before December 2013 with the completion of rehabilitation works on all of ARIIP’s facilities.

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Abono urges rice import restrictions

By Freddie G. Lazaro

VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur — A group of livestock raisers requested the country’s officials concerned in the renegotiation with the World Trade Organization (WTO) for a three-year extension of quantitative restrictions (QR) on rice importation.

This was the appeal Abono chairman and Swine Development Council Director Rosendo So, who represented the livestock raisers in Region 1, after he learned that some countries are allegedly opposing the Philippines’ bid at the WTO for a three-year extension of the country’s quantitative restrictions on rice after it ended last June 30, 2012.

“The negotiation should be realized considering that our country have been very cooperative in fulfilling its commitment with the WTO and the ASEAN free trade area,” So said.

He aired his strong condemnation to these opposing countries considering that they are not even considered as traditional rice exporters.

He also asked why several countries are meddling in the Philippines’ renegotiation for an extension of the quantitative restrictions (QR) on rice.

The restrictions on rice imports had allowed the government some control in protecting local rice producers and consumers from the influx of imported rice by allowing the government to impose higher tariffs on rice imports beyond a certain volume.

Earlier, So along with other hog farmers and poultry sectors advocates have expressed full support to the position of Department of Agriculture not to use the livestock and poultry sectors as “bargaining chip” in negotiating with the WTO for the extension of the country’s QR on rice.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala had assured leaders of hog and poultry industry that interest of the local livestock and poultry sectors would not be sacrificed in renegotiating for the extension of the qualitative restriction on rice.

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Cordillera economy drops to 2.1 percent

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY  – The Cordillera office of the National Economic Development Authority disclosed the region’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) dropped to 2.1 percent last year from 6.3 percent the previous year indicating a slump in the overall economic situation regionwide although economists ruled a 3 to 5 percent economic growth this year.

            

Dr. Leonardo Quitos, Jr., NEDA-CAR regional director, said the slowing down of the region’s economy was due to the decelerated growth of the industry sector that accounted for the bulk of the region’s economy with a share of 53.0 percent in 2011, slightly lower than its 53.1 percent share in 2010.

            

The Cordillera had an imbalanced growth in the industry and agriculture sectors, thus, the need for the government to infuse added funds to make the region’s agriculture sector resilient,” Aquitos, adding that the services sector’s share was 36.4 percent, an increase from its year-ago share of 36.2 percent.

            

According to him, the agriculture sector accounted for the lowest share at 10.6 percent which is lower than its 10.8 percent share the previous year.

            

“The industry sector decelerated from 8.6 percent in 2010 to a mere 1.9 percent in 2011,” he said, adding that the sector was kept in a positive growth due to the increase of manufacturing, the major contributor to the industry sector, but the sub-sector suffered a marked slowdown from 10.3 percent increase in 2010 to 4.3 percent last year.

            

Quitos explained the electricity and water supply sub-sector also slowed down from 7.0 percent in 2010 to 3.1 percent last year while mining and quarrying sank deeper to negative 11.4 percent from negative 0.3 percent the previous year due to the decline of gold production by the mining companies regionwide.

            

Moreover, the NEDA-CAR official claimed the construction sub-sector suffered a reversal in growth from a 4.1 percent growth in 2010 to a negative 6.0 percent in 2011 due to subdued public construction and severe government spending on the allocated funds for the purpose.

            

“The service sector also slowed down from 5.8 percent in 2010 to only 2.9 percent in 2011,” Quitos said, citing that the other services such as education, hotels and restaurants and medical services sub-sector cushioned the slow down with a remarkable increase of 9.3 percent last year which is almost four times its growth of 2.4 percent in 2010.

            

Quitos added real estate, renting and business activities also continued to accelerate from 3.8 percent in 2010 to an increase of 5.6 percent in 2011 with the help of the business process outsourcing activities that have rapidly grown mostly in Baguio City while the other sub-sectors also increased but also in slower paces, except financial intermediation which suffered a sharp reversal from a double digit growth of 24.6 percent in 2010 to a negative 7.7 percent last year and public administration from 5.9 percent to negative 3.0 percent last year.

            

He explained the agriculture sector had slowly reeled from the damages of Typhoon Pepeng several years ago and posted a modest growth of 0.4 percent last year from a negative growth of 2.7 percent the previous year.

            

“The fishery sub-sector showed a big reversal in growth from a negative 17.9 percent in 2010 to 3.1 percent last year while agriculture and forestry also rebounded from negative 2.5 percent in 2010 to 0.3 percent in 2011.

            

Quitos emphasized the service sector was the highest contributor to the region’s economic growth rate last year with 1.1 percentage points followed by industry that contributed 1.0 percentage points while the agriculture sector contributed the least with only 0.04 percentage points.

            

In order to enhance the region’s economic growth this year, Quitos cited the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera mandated the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to formulate a 5-year irrigation development plan and for the Department of agriculture to formulate its agriculture resiliency program in order to significantly improve agriculture production in the coming years to strike a balance between infrastructure and agriculture growth.

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Benguet villages benefit from mining operations

 TUBA, Benguet – Remote villages hosting the operations of large-scale mining companies nationwide will have a chance to accelerate their respective infrastructure and socio-economic growth following the ordered increase in the funds being allocated for social development and management projects (SDMP) starting next year, a key mine official of the Philex Mining Corporation said.

            

Engineer Libby R. Ricafort, Philex vice president for operations and resident manager, said the firm was in receipt of an order from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) that SDMP funds should be increased to 1.5 percent of the direct mining and milling cost by next year after the expiration of its earlier approved 5-year SDMP.

            

“Our host and neighboring communities will directly benefit from the increased SDMP funding and the expected increase in the volume of hard and soft projects that will be identified in order to help develop remote villages and improve the living condition of the people,” Ricafort, citing that its robust operations could be attributed to its strong partnership with the indigenous peoples living within its host and neighboring communities.

            

In 2008, Philex entered into a royalty agreement, the first of its kind in the country’s mining industry, with the indigenous Peoples Organization of AlangPukis, Sta. Fe, Sabian, Oliba and Luacan (IPO-APSSOL) which allowed the group to have a 1.25 percent of the firm’s gross output as its royalty share for a period of 25 years.

            

Lawyer Eduardo Aratas , Philex legal division chief, said over the past four years since the royalty agreement was signed, the indigenous peoples group was able to get around P425 million as royalty share from the mining operations.

            

However, he added the company was able to implement more than P200 million worth of SDMP projects to the different host and neighboring communities of the mining company over the past four years which were part of the royalty a share of the indigenous peoples pursuant to the provisions of the royalty agreement.

            

Under existing rules and regulations on the grant of SDMP projects, mining companies are required to spend 90 percent of 1 percent of their direct mining and milling cost for various hard and soft projects that will accelerate the infrastructure and socio-economic development of their host communities.

            

With the new order increasing the allocations for SDMP projects to 1.5 percent of the company’s direct milling and mining cost, Aratas explained more projects will be implemented for the development of communities that will translate to improved living condition of indigenous peoples thereby resulting to increased economic activities for the local residents in preparation for their sustained living condition even beyond mine life in the year 2020.

            

“We will continue to infuse more impact projects to our host and neighboring communities by next year and the new lifespan of our SDMP so that we will be able to instill to the people living in far flung communities the value of sustaining their existing sources of livelihood even beyond mine life,” Aratas stressed, citing that Philex wants to sustain its identity as a world-class mining company that sincerely practices responsible mining geared towards the sustained growth of its host and neighboring communities in a bid to spur rural economic growth for the sake of poverty alleviation. 

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Globe adapts Benguet village for social project

By Dexter A. See

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Around 183 schoolchildren of the Bineng Elementary School and their respective families that located around 1,500 meters above sea level stand to benefit from Globe Telecom's Community of Practice (COP) to showcase the giant telecommunications firm’s social commitment to help fast growing communities design their own sustainable future.

            

Barangay Bineng is the pilot Community of Practice of Globe Bridging Communities and the first recipient of all the five advocacies of the company, particularly focused on governance, excellence in social services delivery, entrepreneurship, environment and sustainability and active citizenship through voluntarism.

            

“We are committed to synergize our initiatives delivered through active partnerships with community-based partners such as local governments, barangay leaders, youth, and the beneficiaries themselves,” Roberto Nazal, head of Globe's corporate social responsibility program, told the media.

               

He said through their community-based projects, Globe can enrich its social commitment to areas where it can make a significant contribution in addressing issues involving the marginalized sectors and also provide opportunities for undeserved Filipino communities so that they too can participate and contribute in the country's competitiveness.

           

 According to him, the program started with the “Roots and Shoots” nursery seedling production of the Cordillera Conservation Trust, partner-beneficiary of Globe in the recently held Globe challenge biking event which generated around P800,000 now being used to establish 20 seedling nurseries provincewide to aid in the reforestation of the Cordillera.

            

Bineng Elementary School was one of the areas for the nursery development project, thus, schoolchildren are being taught the importance of propagating and planting coffee and pine tree seedlings in enhancing the state of the environment and earning livelihood for their families.

            

However, Nazal explained instead of simply focusing on the environment issue, Globe brings to barangay Bineng other important pillars of its comprehensive approach whereby 20 youth leaders from the Ayala Foundation-Globe Telecom Leading Communities volunteered to be part of the nursery building program.

            

Remedios Lamsis, principal of the Benguet Elementary School, expressed her gratitude to Ayala Foundation and Globe Telecom for selecting their school as the beneficiary of the nursery development program since it could be able to produce around 2,000 coffee seedlings and another 2,000 pine tree seedlings ready for sale in the next two years thereby translating to income for the schoolchildren.

            

Going beyond voluntarism, Nazal disclosed the school was also chosen to kick-off Text to Teach in Benguet whereby it illustrates how mobile technology could be used not only to call, text and browse the internet but also to enhance the educational experience of students, particularly in the Grade V and VI levels.

            

Marissa Catangay, program manager of Ayala Foundation's Text to Teach, said Bineng Elementary School was provided with the appropriate mobile technology equipment capable of downloading lessons in Math, Science and Values in order to provide alternative avenues for the children to learn through the mobile classroom which is already recognized and accredited by the Department of Education considering that the modules for the same were prepared by experts from the agency.

            

Globe also provided students, teachers, parents and the community the opportunity to avail of the services of Bank of the Philippine Islands-Globe banko to open mobile bank accounts and gain access to various financial products such as savings, loans, insurance, load purchase and bill payments using only their mobile phones for convenience considering that their place is located around 7 kilometers away from the central business area of the capital town.

            

“Our program will give a chance to test Globe's pillar interventions within a focused geographical area, in this case Bineng, and assess outcome and impact within a period of time,” Nazal stressed, adding that aside from Benguet, Globe is looking at starting the project in other strategic provinces in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

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Addressing disasters

EDITORIAL

Executive Order 137 of 1999 declared the Month of July as National Disaster Consciousness Month and this had been observed nationwide every year. But despite this, time and again, nature has proven that when it wants to inflict damage, it can.

Somehow, over the years, local governments have learned to address disasters and calamities and mitigate destruction and loss of lives and properties. Towns or cities have their tales to tell as regards disasters and how they learned from these and managed to rise from the ruins.  

           

In Baguio where the July 22 killer quake was most felt in the country and where hundreds of lives were lost, volunteers and stakeholders gathered in the heart of the city as part of the nationwide commemoration, even as they reminisced the tragedy 22 years ago.

The city has since risen from the tragedy and is now one of the booming cities of the country. Mayor Mauricio Domogan, who also sits as chair of the city disaster risk reduction and management council said, “preparation(after the killer quake) was a major factor during calamities which saved hundreds of lives.”

The program was spiced with tales of heroism’ from different people who helped during the city’s dark days, the likes of Elpidio Celzo of Benguet Corporation, engineer Alfredo Reynosa of Philex Mining Corporation and Lt. Col. Jose DemarPauly of the Philippine Military Academy.

The Philippine Air Force and other rescue groups demonstrated their skills on ground search and rescue and emergency drills to show their preparedness during disasters and calamities and to highlight their strength and capabilities.

As officials noted, raising people’s awareness on how to deal with natural calamities and emergencies lessens risks.

Parts of the city are still highly vulnerable to landslides and other calamities, reason why the CDRRMCconducts series of lectures and seminars on 128 barangays on disaster preparedness and mitigation every now and then.

Calamity-prone-barangays are also being closely monitored. Somehow, over the years, loss of lives and properties in the city lessened during calamities or disasters, officials noted. Other areas of the country could take a lesson from the Baguio experience.

Meantime, it is a good development that the Department of Science and Technology and PAGASA recently launched the nationwide operational assessment of hazards or “Project NOAH” to help local government units view weather situations anywhere in the country to allow them to address disasters.

Project NOAH (noah.dost.gov.org) allows viewers access to live satellite images of the country’s weather situation through the different Doppler stations.

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Why Cayetano is opposing Sarmiento’s CJ nomination

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

We received an e-mail from Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s office explaining why he was opposing the nomination of Commission on Elections  Commissioner Rene Sarmiento as Chief Justice.

According to Cayetano, Sarmiento “allowed if not abetted,” the perpetration of fraud in the 2007 and 2010 elections.”

Cayetano had written a letter to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) saying, “We have just undergone the painful impeachment of the head of the judiciary. What the judiciary needs now is a CJ who will not only heal the wounds of impeachment, but, more importantly, restore the people’s faith and confidence in the Supreme Court. We cannot afford to commit another mistake in the appointment of a CJ. We cannot appoint somebody like Commissioner Sarmiento whose competence, integrity, probity, and independence are not beyond suspicion.”

Cayetano accused Sarmiento and other members of the Comelec of not deciding with dispatch his nuisance candidate complaint against one JoselitoPepitoCayetano in the 2007 senatorial elections, leading to confusion among voters and the sabotaging of his chances of winning.

           

The senator said the Comelec only disqualified JoselitoPepito three days before the election and, worse, declared on election day that since their decision was not yet final and executory, any vote for “Cayetano” would not be counted in his (Alan Peter’s) favor.

           

“Furthermore, in an unprecedented move, both Cemelecand the Department of Education launched a campaign to call schools and Board of Election Inspectors members to order them not to count 'Cayetano' votes in my favor,” Cayetano told the JBC.

           

This was reportedly happening while the former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo was openly campaigning against him and telling politicians that he should not win at all cost, said the senator.

           

The former First Gentleman is the husband of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who appointed Commissioner Sarmiento.Cayetano pointed out that the decision only accomplished what the handlers of Joselito Pepito sought to do, which was to sow confusion among the electorate.

           

“Many voters thought that JoselitoPepito had already been disqualified so they just wrote ‘Cayetano’ on the ballots to vote for me. Millions of these votes were considered stray by order of the Comelec, resulting in substantial reduction of my total votes,” the senator said.

           

Cayetano said Sarmiento did not protest this “machination” and that “no angry denunciation, no stinging dissent – not even a whimper” was heard from the Comelec official.

           

“Later on during the counting of the votes, he (Sarmiento) would also inexplicably turn a blind eye to the statistically impossible results of zero (0) vote for candidates Noynoy Aquino, Ping Lacson and myself in some areas.”

           

Cayetano also charged Sarmiento, as one of those who took charge of the elections in Mindanao in 2007, which resulted in the orchestrated defeat of then senatorial candidate Koko Pimentel.

           

“During an interview with a news anchor, Commissioner Sarmiento denied having in their custody blank election returns. But when shown a video of  Comelec personnel bringing into Maria Cristina Hotel in Iligan City copies of blank election returns,             Commissioner Sarmiento took back his denial and explained that the blank election returns were brought to the hotel for safekeeping,” the senator said.

           

“Witnesses would later come out claiming that Commissioner Sarmiento was involved in the grand conspiracy to rig the 2007 Senatorial election to try to defeat then candidates Noynoy Aquino, Ping Lacson and myself,” he added.

           

And despite the issues regarding the operations of the so-called “Garci Boys” in the 2004 elections, Sarmiento has not stood up, initiated or moved for an investigation of said individuals. In fact, instead of investigating and punishing these people, many of the said “Garci Boys” were promoted, said Cayetano.

           

“If fraud can be perpetrated to a member of Congress, and in a much-publicized case, imagine how it can be done easily to other citizens. Commissioner Sarmiento had the obligation to uphold the integrity of the ballots and protect the people’s will and not protect the machinations and schemes of powerful traditional politicians,” the solon said.

           

Cayetano added that even after the Senate started investigating the cheating in the 2004 and 2007 elections, where testimonies showed machinations of said “Garci Boys”, Sarmiento did nothing.  

           

“His inclusion in the list of aspirants for the position of Chief Justice to the Supreme Court may prove to be an embarrassment if I do not bring these events, facts, and matters to the attention of the Honorable members of this Council. I will be as guilty as Commissioner Sarmiento if I remain silent. While Commissioner Sarmiento styles himself as an election reformist, his actions--and inactions--show otherwise,” said Cayetano.

           

Sarmiento’s actions and inactions were not only evident during the 2007 and 2010 elections, but even in his voting record, which is far from exemplary, said Cayetano, citing Nila G. Aguillo v. Isidro L. Hemedes, Jr. and Benjamin C. Del Rosario v. Rommel A. Gecolea.

           

“The above-described conduct of Commissioner Sarmiento in the performance of his duties as a high ranking official of the Comelecputs under heavy cloud of doubt his integrity, impartiality and propriety, which are all required from a member of the judiciary, much more from the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

           

“All of the above-mentioned events, facts and matters can be easily verified as they are of public knowledge and borne out by public and official records. Moreover, since most of these were reported in the national media, a simple search in the internet will show the factual background of my statements.

           

Under the rules, the JBC may conduct a discreet investigation with Cayetano expressing readiness to “provide more information and assist in any way to get the truth, the whole truth.” 

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Gun control, now!

 PERRYSCOPE

Perry Diaz

The deadly massacre that claimed the lives of 12 Americans and left 59 others wounded was one of the worst mass murders in U.S. history.  The horrible – and despicable — act of suspected mass murderer James Eagan Holmes has made a lot of Americans wonder: What’s going on with our society?

Indeed, the United States of America — or simply “America,” as we fondly call the land of milk and honey – has gone wild and out of control.  Too many Americans are dying unnecessarily and vainly in the bloody hands of people who have easy access to weapons of destruction, all under the constitutional guarantee of the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms.

           

Sad to say, the suspected gunman used his Second Amendment rights to gain ownership of the firearms – all purchased and licensed legally – that he used to spray bullets in a crowded theater in Aurora, Colorado during the premiere showing of the Batman film, “The Dark Knight Rises.”

           

According to police investigation, the suspected gunman had planned the attack with “calculation and deliberation” by spacing out the deliveries of ammunition and other ordnance in months to avoid any suspicion of what he was going to do. 

           

And before he went on the rampage, he rigged his apartment with “jars of liquid, explosives and chemicals that were booby trapped to kill whoever entered it.” Fortunately, the Aurora police were able to defuse the explosives and bombs without any incident.

           

But 71 victims were 71 human beings too many to sacrifice to satisfy those who live their lives using the rights given to them by the Second Amendment.  And as always, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has a boilerplate defense of the Second Amendment regardless of the circumstance, to wit: “People kill, not guns.”  NRA advocates consistently say that killings happen, with or without guns.  True.  But with guns – especially assault rifles – it is easier to kill, and could kill more than any other killing instrument available to man since Cain killed his brother, Abel.

                        ***    

Indeed, it was so easy for Holmes to buy an AR-15 military style semi-automatic assault rifle, a 12-gauge Remington shotgun, and two .40-caliber Glock automatic handguns.  It didn’t raise any suspicion when he purchased in the Internet 6,000 rounds of ammunition in two separate orders. 

           

He didn’t have any problem buying a military drum-style 100-round ammunition clip that he attached to the AR-15.  And it only took him two minutes to kill or injure 71 innocent people and inflict emotional scars on the lives of hundreds of their relatives and friends.  Yes, such was the speed for which a psychopath with easy access to deadly weapons could do.

           

But the nagging question is:  For what purpose do Americans have the right to bear arms?  This is the gist of the debate on gun control that has evaded serious consideration only because of the powerful pro-gun advocates and their allies in the U.S. Congress who are unbending in their stand against anyone who would challenge the sanctity of gun ownership.

                        ***

On December 15, 1791, the Second Amendment — along with the rest of the Bill of Rights — was adopted and incorporated into the United States Constitution.  It proclaims, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

           

It is interesting to note that at that time the U.S. didn’t have a standing army to defend the young nation.  In lieu of a professional army, the fledgling government of George Washington created a “well-regulated militia,” which consisted of every able-bodied man in the country, to defend the new republic.

           

One can then infer that the right to bear arms was a right granted to the integral components of a “well-regulated militia.”  In other words, only those who were part of the “well-regulated militia” were given the right to bear arms. 

           

But now that the days of the “well-regulated militia” are over, does that mean that the Second Amendment is no longer in effect?  One can argue, however, that the U.S. Armed Forces today has taken the place of the “well-regulated militia” or “citizen militia” of old.

           

And this was probably what led the U.S. Supreme Court to decide what the Second Amendment really means in its ruling on the U.S. v. Miller in 1939.  In this case, the Court held that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to bear arms, but only if the arms in question were those that would be useful as part of a citizen militia.  

           

In effect, the Court merely translated the original language of the Second Amendment to keep up with the evolution of the “well-regulated militia” from the republic’s early days to the “citizen militia” of the 20th century, which are known today as the “national guard.”

           

But the pro-gun advocates interpret the Second Amendment differently, to wit:“The individual right to bear arms is a basic right just like the right to free speech.”

           

And this is where the Supreme Court is divided.  Indeed, U.S. Supreme Court had never reached a consensus on the Second Amendment because of the disagreement among the justices on whether the Second Amendment was intended to protect the right to bear arms as an “individual right” or as a component of the “well-regulated militia,” “citizen militia” or “national guard.”

           

However, in 2008, the Supreme Court issued a decision in the District of Columbia v. Heller.  The Court ruled: “The Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm, unconnected to service in a militia and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.”

           

The decision seems like a Solomonic compromise that satisfied the pro-gun advocates and the proponents of gun-control.  But was it enough to deal with the collateral issues surrounding the Second Amendment such as gun control?

           

Makes one wonder if the founding fathers thought that more than 200 years after the era of the militia men — who used single-firing muskets as weapons — the country would be flooded with all kinds of sophisticated weaponry, some of which could fire 500 rounds per minute? 

           

Had they anticipated that it would have come to this, would they have inserted a “rider” to the Second Amendment that would have mandated gun control to insure the safety of the citizens?

                        ***

Perhaps the issue of gun control should be brought to the front burner of national debate.  Americans can no longer seek sanctuary anywhere from the danger of too many guns in the wrong hands.

           

America is at risk of colossal decline and moral decadence if nothing were done to stop the proliferation of firearms in the country.  Indeed, the bloody massacre in Aurora, Colorado is an eerie wake-up call.

           

I hope that in the aftermath of this dark episode, a shining dawn – splendoremaurora – would finally break in America.(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)

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