Himala ni Leni

HINDI basta tagumpay ang nangyari sa rali ng tambalang Leni-Kiko sa San Fernando City sa lalawigan ng Pampanga. Itinuturing ito na himala. Pinakamalaki ang bilang ng mga dumalo sa kasaysayan ng kasalukuyang kampanya. Mahigit 200,000 katao, ayon sa pulisya. Bumabalong ang suporta ng tambala. Hindi namin alam kung anong legal na paraan ang gagawin ng kanilang mga katunggali upang mahigitan ang suporta sa Leni-Kiko.

Buhay na buhay ang diwa ng bolunterismo sa mga rali ni Leni at Kiko sa buong bansa. Inspirado ang bawat dumadalo. Hindi siya binayaran at hinakot. Kusang loob ang pagdalo sa mga rali. Hindi maihahambing ang karanasan sa rali ni Leni sa ibang rali. Totoong may nais ang bawat dumalo. Pinaparamdam nila na hindi sila sang-ayon na si BBM ang susunod na pangulo. Isinisigaw ng kanilang damdamin na hindi karapat-dapat si BBM na mahalal.

Hindi kami magtaka na ganito ang kalakaran sa panahon na kampanya. Hindi kami magtaka kung manalo si Leni ng landslide si Leni sa Mayo 9. Sa tantiya namin, lalamang si Leni ng mula limang milyon hanggang anim at kalahating milyon sa pinakamalapit na katunggali. Hindi kami magtaka kung maglaban sa second prize si Isko Domagozo at BBM. Marami ang pumunta sa rali ni Isko kahapon, pero sa Maynila lang niya nagagawa ito.

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PINAKATAMPOK si Kiko Pangilinan sa rali ng tambalan sa San Fernando City. Nandoon ang kanyang maybahay na si Sharon Cuneta at dalawang anak. Sumayaw ang pamangkin na si Gab Valenciano kasama ang mga pamangkin tulad ni Benjamin Pangilinan at isang pinsan. Tahasan ipinamukha ni Kiko sa mga katunggali na mayroon siyang maayos na pamilya. Pinapatamaan niya ang karibal na si Sara.

Hindi alam ng maraming mamamayan kung ano ang estado ng buhay ni Sara. Nagsasama pa ba silang mag-asawa o hiwalay na? May ilalabas ba siyang pamilya? Ang natatandaan namin ay ang mga kakatwang pangalan ng kanyang mga anak. Pero maigi na huwag ilagay ang kanilang mga pangalan. Pangalagaan natin ang kapakanan ng mga bata.

Pinatingkad ng rali na mahusay na tao si Kiko. Maski si Leni at Sharon nagbigay na patunay na may integridad si Kiko. Hindi nadawit ang pangalan ni Kiko sa 18 taon, o tatlong termino bilang senador. Malinaw na dala-dala ni Kiko ang agenda ng seguridad sa pagkain sa kanyang pagtakbo bilang pangalawang pangulo.

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MAY ISINULAT kaming munting sanaysay tungkol sa kampanya. Pakibasa.

‘PINOY SPRING’

THE emerging groundswell of support by the people for Leni-Kiko is truly astounding. In the social science discipline of sociology, it is called collective behavior, mass movement, social movement, among others. In modern political science, it’s called people power, or volunteerism. I intend to call it “Pinoy Spring.”

The 2016 victory of Rodrigo Duterte was a counterrevolution of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution. Although his counterrevolution did not succeed, as his plans for the creation of revolutionary government did not succeed, or even the adoption of a federal form of government was not adopted, the BBM candidacy is seen as the continuation of the counterrevolution. Let’s end this counterrevolution by having the Pinoy Spring.

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HALAW ang mga sumusunod sa aming aklat “KILL KILL KILL: EJKs in the Philippines; Crimes Against Humanity vs. Duterte Et. Al. At the ICC.” Nasa huling bahagi na ako na pagsusulat.

EMERGENCE OF DDS ‘HITMAN’

ABOUT this time too, Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed hit man of the “Davao Death Squad” (DDS) hovered on the radar and came out openly to reveal the operations of the DDS, which stands for the Duterte’s Death Squad, or the Duterte’s killing machine. His public appearance did not come out easily. It was a complex process that was triggered by his realization in 2013 that his DDS involvement was wrong before the eyes of his God and society. It was a complete but unexpected turnaround for this functionally illiterate murderer. The moment he realized his murderous ways, he neither went back to his old ways or entered into any compromise with Duterte’s camp. It was a complete break. Several characters came out to participate in the spine-tingling process.

Seeing clear signals from the European Parliament and the ICC, which came out with public statements opposing the EJKs, Trillanes hastened to prepare the crimes against humanity charges against Duterte. The Magdalo Party List Group intended to file the charges immediately before the ICC. But a snag struck him and his legal advisers and staff. They have to present and prove that local remedies had run out; Duterte’s machinations had reached to a point he could do anything that pleased him and kill people with impunity. They had to show to the world they could do nothing within the available domestic legal means to stop Duterte. This is what the Rome Statute provides with ultimate clarity. This is the principle of complementarity. They brainstormed the issue and agreed with a solution: impeachment of Duterte in Congress. This is a win-win solution. If the impeachment complaint prospered, it could lead to Duterte’s impeachment by the House of Representatives and eventually a trial to remove him from office by the Senate. If it lost, it would prove that the available legal system was not working to provide justice. Because impeachment was a political process, it did not win and lost on the opening salvo. It did not reach the first base, making clear that filing crime against humanity charges against Duterte and his cohorts before the ICC was the final solution.

By the third week of October, 2016, Trillanes started to prepare the crimes against humanity charges, which Magdalo would bring to the ICC against Duterte and his ilk. They needed a lawyer, who would represent them before a court of law and file the information before the ICC. Sensing the futility of going to his reluctant colleagues, Trillanes consulted with the leaders of the democratic forces, which have stayed at the periphery of Duterte’s authoritarian government to voice out their advocacy for democracy and adherence to clean governance. He consulted the Church and civil society leaders, including liberation theologians whom he came to know in the pro-democratic mass actions. Trillanes approached lawyers, who have established a good reputation in representing for free the poor, the oppressed, and the downtrodden. But because of the intricacies of the issue and their unfamiliarity, Trillanes did not immediately get a positive response. This is something easily to understand. Filing crime against humanity charges against Duterte before the ICC would be the first in the country’s history. This was an area where even angels fear to tread.

OBSCURE LAWYER. By November, 2016, Trillanes met Fr. Alberto Alejo, a Jesuit priest, who suggested getting an obscure lawyer from Mindanao to represent Matobato, who upon public appearances, went into the care of the Magdalo. Matobato, who reached only Grade 1, needed a lawyer to advise him of his rights. This time, Matobato made public what he knew about Duterte and his DDS in his previous two appearances in the Senate inquiry on EJKs. Trillanes could use the lawyer not only to represent Matobato but file the crime against humanity charges as well mainly to save on cost. Alejo proposed Jude Josue Sabio, a trial lawyer based in Cagayan de Oro City. Alejo knew Sabio not personally but only from his posts in social media. They have developed online friendship; the Jesuit priest proved pivotal to facilitate his meeting with Trillanes. Meeting Sabio sometime in November, 2016, Trillanes was impressed by Sabio’s uncompromising stance on EJKs. Sabio did not only oppose EJKs along lines of principles based on philosophy and law, but exuded the bravado and bravura to bring Duterte before a court of law.