CHR's 'unfinished' investigations

Published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on March 13, 2010.

WHEN THE COMMISSION ON Human Rights (CHR) started looking into the extrajudicial killings in Davao City, I was one of those who cheered. At long last, I thought then, we have started talking about it publicly.

In my blog (killthesilencenow. blogspot.com), I even defended that CHR initiative from criticisms. “Some people do not get the point why the CHR had to investigate what CHR Chair Leila de Lima described as ‘one of the most audacious violations against the right to life in our times,’” I said. “Critics of the CHR construed the commission’s move to investigate the spate of killings as coddling the criminals. They narrowly perceived it as only favoring the rights of the criminals and ignoring the other side of the equation, which is the rights of the civilians. The public inquiry the CHR initiated struck them as disturbing the city’s serene status quo, which Davaoeños enjoyed. They even branded the CHR chair as pakialamera. These critics, however, are off the mark. The CHR is first and foremost for human rights. Its job is to ensure that human rights are always respected and protected, regardless of whose human rights it is. It is thus unwise to berate the CHR when it’s merely doing its job.”

Today, however, I begin to wonder what the CHR is really up to. The CHR inquiry, it seemed to me, produced only more heat and less light. The CHR said it is going to release its report after it is done with the inquiry. But until now the report is still to be released.

And yet, where’s the CHR now? Off it went to Maguindanao, investigating another incident. After that, it is now poised to inquire into the case of the “Morong 43.”

I don’t have a problem if the CHR will investigate here and there. It is, after all, its job. But my only question is: Why can’t it seem to finish what it has started? I need an answer. The people need an answer—and fast.

After the inquiry, what?

When the CHR started looking into the extrajudcial killings in Davao City, I was one of those who cheered. At long last, I thought then, we started talking about it publicly.

Today, however, I begin to wonder what the CHR is really up to. The CHR inquiry, it seemed to me, produced only more heat and and less light. It said it's going to release its report after it's done with the inquiry. But until now, the report is still to be released.

And yet...where's the CHR now? Off it goes to Maguindanao, investigating another incident. Tsk...tsk...tsk...

Fighting martial law by way of martial law

[caption id="attachment_1463" align="alignleft" width="120" caption="Teodoro Locsin Jr."][/caption]

Below is the speech of Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr., which he delivered before the Joint Session of the Congress. Satirical and cerebral, the speech makes the case for the martial law in Maguindanao. In essence, it says that there can be no other "adequate response" to the martial law imposed by the Ampatuans but to impose, in return, "martial law by the government which is the exercise of the inherent police power to secure the public safety through the armed forces." Read the speech---it makes you think twice over whether martial law is necessary there. Here goes:

The curious case of the Filipinos

We Filipinos are a bunch of...never mind. We know that a catastrophe is about to break. We see the signs of its coming all over us. Yet we don't do anything about it. It is as though everything's going to be all right. We sink into deep slumber. And worse, we come back to life only when there's death.

Look at the aftermath of typhoons Ondoy and Peping.

Or better yet, look at The Maguindanao Massacre.

Are our five senses malfunctioning, so that it takes us so long a time to stop what needs to be stopped?