WHO would have thought that it takes a Martial Law-Action Group to raid the premises last week of this self-proclaimed leader, who happens to be a lawyer, Elly Pamatong, and found illegal firearms causing to be charged with various counts of violations related to it.
Together with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the local police, his private compound where his private army is also residing was served with at least 42 search warrants issued by a trial court in Gingoog City that led to the confiscation of these illegally procured weapons for the use of his so-called United States of America Freedom Fighters of the East (Usaffe).
I thought there would be an escalation, and that his private army would fight back. If that happened, the situation might get complicated.
Luckily, Pamatong’s minions did not “nanlaban,” and only to prove that they are not as tough and courageous who they seem to be under the pretense of camouflage and combat boots, with phony Usaffe logo and other markings of junk.
Pamatong cried foul, insinuating that the illegal firearms the police confiscated and charged against him were planted by the police against him, but this is not the first time when he accused apprehending authorities of planting evidence, as he did so in 2004 when he was charged with same violations in Manila.
In 2014, he was implicated in a foiled bombing of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport when his minions attempted to detonate an explosive within the airport’s premises, he was charged with sedition but was able to get away by posting bail. And up to now, not much is heard whether these cases are still ongoing as there was no verdict yet from the courts were issued.
But Pamatong can still get away with these new charges, especially if his defense lawyers will invoke that he has an incapacitated mental faculties and all his activities were results of his mental or psychological condition.
Pamatong - who claims himself of all the superiority in the world, associating with United States and still calls himself a Filipino; running public offices just to get attention, and inciting violence, and yet no one dared to disbar him as lawyer - or is he already a disbarred pseudo lawyer?
Friends told me not to write about Pamatong, it’s pointless and he would go at you once you did. But I am writing this for a more holistic cause.
I am writing this as way of saying that indeed it is time we talk about mental health in the Philippines and establish programs in the government to reach out those who need help.
The thing is, if people suffers mental health problems, some get into depression that would in suicide, and some would establish a private army and proclaim that he is the universal supreme leader of our god-forsaken country. We need to help them.
But as to Pamatong, I think he needs to be exiled in the contested islands in the West Philippine Sea along with his USAFFE minions; so that they could put those firearms and combat uniforms to good use.
(nefluczon@gmail.com)