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Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Cabaero: Vigilante killings and GMA’s reprieve
By Nini B. Cabaero
Beyond 30
WILL the vigilante-style killings in Cebu stop with the order of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for a reprieve to those on death row?
Arroyo’s order could go either of two ways with regard to vigilante-style killings. One is for the sponsor of these killings to take Arroyo’s word as an order to halt such attacks on suspected criminals. Another is to take the reprieve on death row convicts as a signal to push through with more executions since the government would not do them anymore.
President Arroyo said last Saturday, “On the occasion of Easter, it is my honor to announce our policy to commute the death penalty to life imprisonment.” Over a thousand inmates sentenced to death are to benefit from this presidential reprieve. The new policy does not abolish the death penalty, however. In her message, she spoke of Easter completing the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross. “From our great trials flow patience and experience that, in turn, elevate the hope of salvation. Christ suffered to show us how love can endure sacrifice and redeem souls. We must keep our hopes high as we carry our own crosses, rise from our failings, and fix our sights on a brighter horizon.” As to the vigilante-style killings, the count as of last March 12 was 120 people killed from Dec. 22, 2004, based on records at the Cebu City Police Office Homicide Section. There were other vigilante attacks on 11 people who fortunately survived their wounds.
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and other leaders of the community have called for a stop to these killings. They said these people, despite their criminal backgrounds, deserved due process and the chance of renewal, not summary execution.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who has been sober when it comes to these killings, has maintained his position that going after these vigilantes would not be a City Hall priority. The policy handed down by Arroyo to stop state-sponsored executions is a direction towards giving people the chance at renewing themselves. Even the hard-core may find redemption if given the chance to repent and change their ways. In Cebu, sponsors of the vigilante-style attacks need to take the new policy into consideration and stop those killings.
* * *
The Sun.Star website at www.sunstar.com.ph has uploaded a new section on the Mantawi Festival of Mandaue City. The festival, according to Mandaue City Hall materials, is a rediscovery of the city’s rich cultural heritage. “Its historical past affirms its present identity as a highly urbanized industrial center and a new tourism destination where arts and culture become tools for progress and prosperity,” it added.
Go to the Sun.Star website and click on the icon on the Mantawi.
(ninicab@sunstar.com.ph)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 18, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here.
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