Philippines' double standard of justice
Philippines' double standard of justice
Updated 03:06am (Mla time) Jan 07, 2005
By Neal Cruz
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A12 of the January 7, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
IF President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pardons former Rep. Romeo Jalosjos, it will only show that there is indeed a double standard of justice in the Philippines, one for the poor and the other for the rich, powerful and influential. In the first place, he is not yet eligible for a pardon. The law says a prisoner must first serve his minimum prison term before he can be eligible for parole or a pardon. Jalosjos has not served his. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez himself admits this.
But members of Congress, an Old Boys Club whose members protect one another, want to make an exception of Jalosjos. Their justification: "humanitarian reasons," since Jalosjos is reportedly ailing. He had a stroke. For this reason, the congressmen, two of whom are Jalosjos' brother and sister, said the convicted rapist should be pardoned.
A "medical abstract" issued by a doctor of the Makati Medical Center said only that Jalosjos has been "advised to be compliant on intake of medications and avoid risk factors which may lead to probable strokes in the future." The risk factors are "hypertension, high cholesterol, emotional and physical stress." The abstract didn't say anything about a presidential pardon.
What the abstract meant was that Jalosjos should take his medications regularly and should watch what he eats and exercise to avoid high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He can do that in prison as well as outside. There are probably thousands of prisoners with hypertension and high cholesterol, as well as emotional and physical stress, but they are not being recommended for pardon.
Jalosjos can be treated for his cardiovascular problem as well inside prison as outside. If he is a good patient and follows his doctor's orders faithfully, he can expect to live a long life and finish his term. There is no urgent need now for him to be pardoned. If there is really justice in this administration, Jalosjos, the astute politician, should be treated like the other prisoners.
But Jalosjos is an exceptional case. He has an influential family and friends. He is a former congressman. And most important, his political machine in Zamboanga made Ms Arroyo win over Fernando Poe Jr. by 100,000 votes in the last presidential election. It's payback time. So the administration is floating a pardon as a trial balloon to see if there would be opposition to it. If there is not much opposition, Jalosjos is as good as a free man.
Gonzalez cited as a precedent the case of actor Robin Padilla who was also pardoned before he had served his prison sentence. There are other precedents: Bingbong Crisologo, Baby Asistio and Roquito Ablan, who were all pardoned and freed and are now incumbent congressmen. Not to disparage the three, but they seemed to be thoroughly reformed gentlemen who couldn't hurt a fly when they were interviewed together on television recently.
Jalosjos is different. He raped an 11-year-old girl. He has not expressed repentance for it. He has not asked the forgiveness of his victim. He has not served his minimum prison term. What gives him the privilege to be pardoned?
Answer: Because he made Ms Arroyo win in his bailiwick.
* * *
The Metro Manila Development Authority is planning to extend the number coding for vehicles until Sunday. The MMDA is trying everything to ease the traffic congestion in Metro Manila but with little success. There are two reasons why, and they are so simple anybody with two eyes can see them. Anybody, that is, except MMDA officials.
These two reasons are: 1) Traffic rules are not being enforced strictly, and 2) there are too many vehicles in Metro Manila.
No Metro Manila driver today fears being arrested for traffic violation. The MMDA's traffic aides, being former street sweepers, have an inferiority complex and are afraid to arrest unruly drivers. Philippine National Police Director General Edgar Aglipay has pulled out all his policemen from traffic duty, allegedly because many of them were "kotong cops" [mulcting cops]. Traffic enforcement is left to the traffic aides. Alas, they're either as crooked as the regular "kotong cops" or just plain inept.
The MMDA painted yellow lanes on the Edsa highway where buses are supposed to stay on pain of being arrested if they stray out. But watch Edsa any time of the day. Buses stray out of the yellow lanes and nobody arrests them even if they are in plain sight of traffic aides. Buses and jeepneys rush through pedestrian lanes without heed for the pedestrians crossing the street.
Below the flyover at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Tandang Sora Avenue in Quezon City, jeepneys stop to load and unload passengers on top of the pedestrian lane itself, right in front of a traffic aide directing traffic beside a big sign that says: "Strictly No Loading/Unloading-SB" (for Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte). Oftentimes, a barker stands beside the traffic aide calling passengers for the jeepneys.
On the opposite side of the street, they have put up barricades with another "Strictly No Loading/Unloading" sign to prevent passengers from waiting for rides at the street corner.
But passengers wait for rides exactly beside this big sign, making the mayor's SB initials on the sign a laughingstock.
What is strange is that all these blatant violations are in plain view of the Police Community Precinct only five steps away (I measured it) under the flyover. But the policemen there behave as if they were blind.
Updated 03:06am (Mla time) Jan 07, 2005
By Neal Cruz
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A12 of the January 7, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
IF President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pardons former Rep. Romeo Jalosjos, it will only show that there is indeed a double standard of justice in the Philippines, one for the poor and the other for the rich, powerful and influential. In the first place, he is not yet eligible for a pardon. The law says a prisoner must first serve his minimum prison term before he can be eligible for parole or a pardon. Jalosjos has not served his. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez himself admits this.
But members of Congress, an Old Boys Club whose members protect one another, want to make an exception of Jalosjos. Their justification: "humanitarian reasons," since Jalosjos is reportedly ailing. He had a stroke. For this reason, the congressmen, two of whom are Jalosjos' brother and sister, said the convicted rapist should be pardoned.
A "medical abstract" issued by a doctor of the Makati Medical Center said only that Jalosjos has been "advised to be compliant on intake of medications and avoid risk factors which may lead to probable strokes in the future." The risk factors are "hypertension, high cholesterol, emotional and physical stress." The abstract didn't say anything about a presidential pardon.
What the abstract meant was that Jalosjos should take his medications regularly and should watch what he eats and exercise to avoid high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He can do that in prison as well as outside. There are probably thousands of prisoners with hypertension and high cholesterol, as well as emotional and physical stress, but they are not being recommended for pardon.
Jalosjos can be treated for his cardiovascular problem as well inside prison as outside. If he is a good patient and follows his doctor's orders faithfully, he can expect to live a long life and finish his term. There is no urgent need now for him to be pardoned. If there is really justice in this administration, Jalosjos, the astute politician, should be treated like the other prisoners.
But Jalosjos is an exceptional case. He has an influential family and friends. He is a former congressman. And most important, his political machine in Zamboanga made Ms Arroyo win over Fernando Poe Jr. by 100,000 votes in the last presidential election. It's payback time. So the administration is floating a pardon as a trial balloon to see if there would be opposition to it. If there is not much opposition, Jalosjos is as good as a free man.
Gonzalez cited as a precedent the case of actor Robin Padilla who was also pardoned before he had served his prison sentence. There are other precedents: Bingbong Crisologo, Baby Asistio and Roquito Ablan, who were all pardoned and freed and are now incumbent congressmen. Not to disparage the three, but they seemed to be thoroughly reformed gentlemen who couldn't hurt a fly when they were interviewed together on television recently.
Jalosjos is different. He raped an 11-year-old girl. He has not expressed repentance for it. He has not asked the forgiveness of his victim. He has not served his minimum prison term. What gives him the privilege to be pardoned?
Answer: Because he made Ms Arroyo win in his bailiwick.
* * *
The Metro Manila Development Authority is planning to extend the number coding for vehicles until Sunday. The MMDA is trying everything to ease the traffic congestion in Metro Manila but with little success. There are two reasons why, and they are so simple anybody with two eyes can see them. Anybody, that is, except MMDA officials.
These two reasons are: 1) Traffic rules are not being enforced strictly, and 2) there are too many vehicles in Metro Manila.
No Metro Manila driver today fears being arrested for traffic violation. The MMDA's traffic aides, being former street sweepers, have an inferiority complex and are afraid to arrest unruly drivers. Philippine National Police Director General Edgar Aglipay has pulled out all his policemen from traffic duty, allegedly because many of them were "kotong cops" [mulcting cops]. Traffic enforcement is left to the traffic aides. Alas, they're either as crooked as the regular "kotong cops" or just plain inept.
The MMDA painted yellow lanes on the Edsa highway where buses are supposed to stay on pain of being arrested if they stray out. But watch Edsa any time of the day. Buses stray out of the yellow lanes and nobody arrests them even if they are in plain sight of traffic aides. Buses and jeepneys rush through pedestrian lanes without heed for the pedestrians crossing the street.
Below the flyover at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Tandang Sora Avenue in Quezon City, jeepneys stop to load and unload passengers on top of the pedestrian lane itself, right in front of a traffic aide directing traffic beside a big sign that says: "Strictly No Loading/Unloading-SB" (for Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte). Oftentimes, a barker stands beside the traffic aide calling passengers for the jeepneys.
On the opposite side of the street, they have put up barricades with another "Strictly No Loading/Unloading" sign to prevent passengers from waiting for rides at the street corner.
But passengers wait for rides exactly beside this big sign, making the mayor's SB initials on the sign a laughingstock.
What is strange is that all these blatant violations are in plain view of the Police Community Precinct only five steps away (I measured it) under the flyover. But the policemen there behave as if they were blind.
posted by Dante at 4:45 PM
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