(We yield this space to the statement of the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law due to its timeliness. – Ed.)
ON NOV. 9, 2018 after 32 long years since the ouster of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, his wife Imelda was convicted by the Sandiganbayan on seven counts of graft and sentenced to more than a decade in prison. The Philippine National Police (PNP), however, cowardly refuses to arrest her, fearing her wrath. “Baka magalit sa atin ang matanda,” is the statement of PNP’s Director General Oscar Albayalde. The stream of excuses continued as Albayalde points to Imelda’s age and health, citing humanitarian considerations, even as the Imeldific was spotted partying the night after her conviction. Sensitivity is not in the PNP’s standard operating procedure. Its refusal to arrest Imelda, thus, point to one thing: double standard.
The PNP’s refusal comes in stark contrast to its rabid attack against elderly and sickly National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant Vicente Ladlad. In the latter’s case, the police was more than eager to arrest a 69-year-old man suffering from emphysema and gave no consideration to Ladlad’s age and health. This irony is enraging, indicative of where the PNP’s loyalty lies.
The police is blatantly and deliberately obstructing justice by refusing to arrest Imelda, and thus deepening the injustice felt by the victims of the Marcos family.
According to Karapatan, out of 517 political prisoners in the country, 40 are elderly and 115 are sickly. Not one of them was given humanitarian consideration. The real thieves and criminals need only to buy a wheelchair to escape accountability.
Our memories, despite the years and age lines, are still crisp and clear. Memories of the rage and despair, dark nights and even darker days during the Marcos years, remain distinct, when silence was demanded and dissent was a crime. How many of those who struggled against tyranny and injustice found themselves shackled, dragged off, or worse, eternally silenced?
We remember because the images of fear and the climate punishing dissent are ever more alive and present to this day. How many lawyers, press people, environmental activists, ordinary people who dared to raise their voice against tyranny and injustice, were forcibly arrested, declared as criminals, and denied justice?
The perpetrators of these crimes, from the time of the Marcoses up to the present, remain scot-free, while the victims are left reeling from the injustice, but nonetheless consistent on their resolve to keep demanding accountability.
