SINCE we’re on the subject of gratification, sexual or otherwise, it would be proper that we start with a bit of foreplay just to get into the right mood.
So Leni Robredo will have peace talks with the New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines or NPA/NDFP as announced on social media (where else). This brings us to this question: Who or what will she be representing? Obviously not the Republic of the Philippines. Moi can only think of the Republic of Twitter.
While we’re on the subject, they were “progressive activists”. When that didn’t work, they’re now “human rights defenders”, which is so lame. Of course they don’t condemn the atrocities of the NPA.
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During the “peace summit” organized by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or NTF-ELCAC held in Passi City last week, it seemed “born again” Jeffrey Celiz was way over his head when he lambasted “I Am Iloilo City” mMayor Geronimo for not allowing that gathering in Iloilo City.
I can understand his disappointment. This was to be his coming out performance for his newfound calling, and what better stage to announce it than in front of all the natives of “I Am Iloilo City”?
But in his eagerness he forgot that we are in the midst of a pandemic and Iloilo City is under General Community Quarantine or GCQ. The safety of the natives of “I Am Iloilo City” has priority over his ego trip.
Who is he to question the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases or IATF and the wisdom of Mayor Geronimo?
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Meanwhile, Grace Poe said she will continue what her father started. Considering her father, the late Fernando Poe Jr., “immortalized” his movie persona portraying a blacksmith or panday, I guess this means the next panday will be a woman.
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Human rights is mainly a western invention, an abstract idealization created by people in comfortable societies who might have little or no exposure to what people in societies they see as backward really think, feel and do.
This post on social media by Panay News on Dec. 15, 2020 seems interesting:
The International Criminal Court has found “reasonable basis” to believe that President Duterte’s four-year-old anti-narcotics drive spawned crimes against humanity.
According to the “Report on Preliminary Examination Activities 2020”, Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s office opened in February 2018 a preliminary probe into the slay of thousands of suspected drug users and peddlers, including those killed for allegedly resisting arrest or allegedly gunned down by law enforcers disguised as vigilantes.
“”The Office is satisfied that information available provides a reasonable basis to believe that the crimes against humanity of murder (article 7(1)(a)), torture (article 7(1)(f)) and the infliction of serious physical injury and mental harm as other inhumane Acts (article 7(1)(k)) were committed on the territory of the Philippines between at least 1 July 2016 and 16 March 2019, in connection to the WoD campaign launched throughout the country,” Bensouda said in a report released on Tuesday.
It said the preliminary examination focused on allegations that President Duterte and senior members of law enforcement agencies and other government bodies “actively promoted and encouraged the killing of suspected or purported drug users and/or dealers, and in such context, members of law enforcement, including particularly the PNP, and unidentified assailants have carried out thousands of unlawful killings throughout the Philippines.”
By this time that would have probably made the headlines on the six o’clock news on mainstream media, particularly those with no love lost for President Rodrigo Duterte.
And that would have given instant gratification and ecstasy to Leila de Lima, Leni Robredo and Antonio Trillanes IV and, of course, Maria Ressa and her Rappletes, including all the “devotees to the cult of the yellow ribbon” and the rest of the three percent.
Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for us, it only ends there because nothing will really happen. The International Criminal Court or ICC has no police powers and no police forces to enforce whatever it is they want to do, and the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines considering the fact that we are a sovereign nation and we are not a member of ICC.
Do you think ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda will be foolish enough to come to the Philippines and ask Philippine National Police chief General Debold Sinas to arrest President Duterte or Department of Justice secretary Menardo Guevarra to investigate him? She probably would not even be allowed to step off the plane should she attempt that stunt.
As Sen. Panfilo Lacson commented, “In the realm of possibilities to prosecute the President for crimes against humanity, the statement of Prosecutor Bensouda may only be good as a press release and nothing more, at least at this point in time.”/PN
