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Thursday, June 26, 2003
Mongaya: Rascals in the force
By Anol Mongaya
PROSECUTION witness Josebil Bacolod said parricide suspect Ruben Ecleo bought P15,000 worth of shabu the night before he saw his sister Alona Bacolod Ecleo for the last time on Jan. 5, 2002. Alona was believed killed on Jan. 5. But the prosecution has an affidavit of an Ecleo helper who said she was still alive on Jan. 6.
I’m glad the Ecleo case is moving fast and we are now getting a sense of the prosecution’s case as well as that of the defense. While many are already convinced of Ecleo’s guilt, I am more interested in evaluating the evidence that will be presented by both the prosecution and the defense panels. After all, Ecleo is still deemed innocent until proven guilty under our justice system.
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The war against illegal drugs gained a lot of headway with the arrest of Robert Hegremosa, who was the subject of the NBI operation that turned awry last December. I just hope local police authorities will follow this up with the arrest of other big time pushers and dealers. Hegremosa reportedly confided to Rep. Tony Cuenco names of other pushers. This could be the opening needed in the effort to get rid of the syndicates.
But the local police still need to be cleansed of misfits and scalawags who are under the payroll of illegal drug syndicates. I think the “four aces” in Manila should start evaluating the performances of local police units and weed the rascals out of the force.
I also hope the administration’s war against drugs will result in arrests and successful prosecution of syndicate members in Cebu, not the piling of bodies of suspected pushers in vacant lots. In Davao, the body count of salvaged criminals is reportedly rising. These criminals have the right to due process.
But justice authorities should make sure the wheels of justice will move fast yet fairly. If the public considers our justice system a failure, they will support extra-judicial killings. This, unfortunately, will lead to a time when law enforcers who are also judges and executioners start abusing their extra-legal powers.
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Sen. Ping Lacson may have to more than double his effort if he wants to win the support of the Catholic laity. The narco-politics label has apparently struck a chord among church workers and leaders. I had a glimpse of this recently when my 10-year-old daughter was invited to an interview in the Catholic station’s sports program anchored by Bobby “Knight” Inoferio regarding her stint at the recent sports climbing championships.
During a commercial break, I talked about the participation in the competition of scions of famous political personalities — Chavit Singson, Nikki Coseteng and Senator Lacson — at the Play Underground gym at the Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati City. I thought eyebrows raised when I uttered Lacson’s name.
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The discreet visit to Cebu last Monday of a low-key personality close to former president Joseph Estrada proved that the move to tap sectoral support for the candidacy of actor Fernando Poe Jr. is serious. The Erap man is going around the Visayas and Mindanao to lay the groundwork for FPJ’s presidential campaign.
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Talks about personalities interested in running against the two congressional incumbents in Cebu City have started to surface. While lawyer Totol Batuhan has not stopped preparations for another bout with Rep. Tony Cuenco, there are talks Vice Mayor Mike Rama is also interested in the position. This fits into the reported plan of former Promdi party list Rep. Joy Augustus Young to seek the city’s second top post.
Meanwhile, some quarters within the Kusug camp are egging former mayor Alvin Garcia’s son Raymond to seek a Council seat or contest the city’s north district congressional post from Rep. Raul del Mar. Though Raymond needs to provide his father with all the support in his rematch bid, politics sometimes takes unexpected turns.
(Send your reactions to Superbalita@sunstar.com.ph or anol_cebu@hotmail.com or text to 09179761193)
(June 26, 2003 issue)
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