Friday, November 30, 2007 Ledesma: The tall tale of Philip Alston By Jun Ledesma Sunbursts
PHILIP Alston, the UN appointed rapporteur assigned to look into the human rights violations in the Philippines, blamed the Armed Forces for abetting and failure to solve summary killings.
His report is creating furor and places the country in bad light. Alston had succeeded in painting the Philippines as a "killing field."
Unfortunately for us, rapporteur Alston’s astigmatic report appeared to be culled from the propaganda materials of radical organizations that are fronts of CPP/NPA and political opposition who will not stop at anything to discredit President GMA.
Of course, there were "salvaging" done by scalawags in the military and police, including CAFGUs for that matter, but to attribute the executions to the AFP is grand distortion and deception.
It is unfortunate that even HR Commissioner Dominador "Jun" Calamba, who hails from Davao, seconded the report of Alston. It is as if Calamba was not aware of the atrocities committed by the NPA hit squads in Davao known as "sparrows."
Have you forgotten Jun that no less than 15 people were executed each day by the Sparrows? Have you forgotten the "Rano massacre" in the city where you come from, Digos? Have you not related this to your friend Philip Alston?
Well, there's no question about drug lords and drug pushers making it to the "unsolved crimes" statistics. Alston can replete his report with that and we can laugh it off.
Communism had been decriminalized. In fact, they have all the rights to participate in all legitimate political exercises. That is why we have seen the likes of Ka Satur Ocampo, ka Crispin Beltran and Ka Teddy Casino to name a few.
I see nothing wrong with this for this allows free and dynamic exchange of ideas that gives us a clearer roadmap to whatever options we take. But what's wrong with it is that while the fronts want political freedom and equal protection of existing laws, their armed partisans subvert not only the government but assault and extort from private establishments.
When one is drawn and swallowed by hardcore radicalism, he or she is as good a target of the AFP in the same manner that the AFP is to them. When casualties result from this, the AFP blows the bugle for its fallen soldier. The commies advertise theirs as "victim of human rights violations."
Alston is like a moron in dapper suit gathering his report in the comfort of a hotel suite. It is our misfortune that he came at the time when Davao had gotten rid of the NPA hit squads.
Had Alston been around when the Davao City was virtually under control by the CPP/NPA or when drug lords and pushers vend their opiates here with impunity, am sure he could have left in a huff like many scared businessmen did in those dark days.
