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Monday, January 31, 2005
Editorial: The bloody JCF raid
THERE are some things in life that aren't simple and last Friday's bloody raid at the Jesus Christ Followers (JCF) school in Lerio street, Barangay Carmen this city is one such example.
What we did see in the photos and footage surrounding the raid all but pointed overwhelmingly against the JCF followers. And past encounters with the authorities had somehow painted them as nothing more than a bunch of rabble rousers.
There's that tearing of the habeas corpus documents by these school officials led by Rhapsody Dacudao and Emelinda Tiongco. And last month's City Council session showcased Dacudao hurling invectives at some of the councilors.
And there's the complaint by the mother of a 16-year old student that her child had been left untreated after being bitten by a dog and allegedly being brainwashed by the school's students and officials.
All these past events had culminated in the bloody encounter that had three police officers seriously injured and scores of students wounded. And in every raid that turns up as much violence as this incident questions are bound to be raised on how the police handled it.
And if we take the photos and footage by themselves it seems that the police had somehow overstepped its bounds because they tore up the gate and smashed through the doors of the school. In this instance extenuating circumstances had compelled the police to take these drastic actions.
Even City Police Director Chief Supt. Honorio Cervantes was shown wearing only his white undershirt and appealing to the school officials to turn over the 16 year old student to them peacefully.
However with regards to one complaint about the failure of city officials to go to their school and negotiate one must remember that with the run-ins of these JCF followers with the law and numerous attempts to get their side the problem of dealing with these people had become a police matter.
How does one deal with the JCF school whose school administrators had pointed out that they are above Philipine law and the country's educational system which they found to be seriously flawed (at least they have a point there) but who resort to violence to bring their point across?
Somehow the city government and the national government agencies concerned should deal with the problem once and for all.
But handling the situation should also include finding out why they behaved this way and investigating their claims that they had been swindled by some people.
(January 31, 2005 issue)
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