Monday, October 09, 2006 Mongaya: Hope for justice and democracy By Anol Mongaya
THE conviction of the killers of Sultan Kudarat journalist Marlene Esperat gives us hope in our justice system, which is under fire because of the series of killings of journalists and members of militant groups as well as a result of the activities of vigilantes who delight in killing small time criminals.
It is a step in the right direction, which is to uphold the rule of law, our justice system and whatever is left of our democracy.
Still, the Esperat case is not yet over. Our justice system still has to go after the mastermind.
Like other cases involving the death of members of media like that of Allan Dizon, only the killer had been convicted. The mastermind is still free. As I look at cases like these, most often those convicted belong to the lower rung of the syndicate’s hierarchy. If we want to end the killings, we should also get the brains.
As I wrote in past columns, each death diminishes democracy in the Philippines. Each conviction strengthens it. Unfortunately, there are still more deaths than there are convictions.
To stop the killings, our justice system should convincingly show that taking out critical journalists does not pay.
Today, there are already several avenues that people aggrieved by negative publicity can take. If one doe not want to go to court, one could take the route of filing complaints with the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas or the Cebu Citizens-Press Council.
One could also take the libel route or what Bert Emphasis has demonstrated recently: entrapment. From another angle, Bert’s move serves as a warning to corrupt members of media.
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Talking about journalists and court cases, a friend heaped praises on lawyer Alan F. Siu who successfully helped journalist Shiela Coronel’s aunt and the late Dean Coronel’s sister Amelia win an estafa case involving the sale of a piece of property in the US at the appellate court. Sometimes, winning cases rests on the skill of one’s lawyer.
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Water is definitely a political issue. This is what I can say about Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s intervention in the current Carmen water controversy and the opposition from non-Cebu City local officials in Metro Cebu led by Mayor Thadeo Ouano of Mandaue City.
As of the moment, it seems Capitol is siding with Mayor Osmeña because of the open support of the governor’s brother Pablo John Garcia for the mayor’s position against the Ayala consortium.
However, with the return of Mayor Ouano who had been flexing his political muscle in the sixth district, I expect a strong appeal for Governor Garcia’s support for the Carmen project. It seems Mayor Ouano is raising the large number of poor folk in the sixth district that still has to enjoy MCWD water. These poor people are now buying expensive water from private contractors. According to Mayor Ouano’s camp, the governor won’t take lightly the large number of signatures Mandaue City contributed to her anti-Sugbuak signature campaign.
From where I sit, I now see Mayor Ouano as using his political clout to push for water for the whole district and at the same time putting Mayor Osmeña in his rightful place, as mayor of only Cebu City, not Metro Cebu. There is this suspicion within Ouano’s camp that Tommy has strongly intervened in the Carmen water issue because he wants it connected to his South Reclamation Project, which now only enjoys the rain as its water supply.
(superbalita@sunstar.com.ph or anol.blogs.friendster.com/anols_blog)
