BY DUCKY PAREDES
MALAYA

‘By our politicians’ misplaced compassion, we are painting a picture of our country as one where drug-pushing is an accepted profession. It is not.’

TODAY, a Filipino drug mule arrested in China in September 2008 (nameless for now at the request of his family) will die. The 35-year- old Filipino male has been a drug mule over a period of time. This time, he came from Malaysia and was apprehended at the Guilin International Airport, after authorities found the heroin in his possession.

Our officials should have leaned from our earlier experience when our pleas fell on deaf ears earlier this year when three drug mules were all executed in China. Yet, some officials still went through the pointless exercise of asking the Chinese for mercy for persons that to the Chinese are among the worst criminals who are out to destroy their country.

Of course for many of our politicians, what they really want to achieve is to be known for their compassion so that the voters will remember them when their time comes to be elected. (Shouldn’t stuff like these also ought to be listed as prohibited acts under the pending “Epal” Law introduced by Sen. Miriam Santiago?) To my mind, of course, the better way to deal with drug mules would be to show no compassion for those who shame our nation for the money that they can expect from the drug syndicate in Malaysia or the Philippines who hired them to bring the illegal substance into another country. Why waste our compassion on such as they when there are so many more deserving of our attention and our concern.

If they will be killed, why bother with them except to use them, as exemplars of what one ought not to do when abroad. Then, at least, their deaths would have served a useful purpose. Crying over them makes us all co-enablers.

There are two ways of reacting to addiction. One is to become a co-enabler, where through misguided compassion, one helps (enables) the addict to immerse himself even further into addiction; the other is what is called “tough love” where one sets absolute limits to what one will allow the addict and under which regime, continuing the addiction is unacceptable. Can’t we also apply “tough love” to drug pushers wherever they may be. By our politicians’ misplaced compassion, we are painting a picture of our country as one where drug pushing is an accepted profession. It is not. So, why give the world a false picture of a nation grieving over a drug mule when, in reality, drug-pushing is also as condemnable a crime in the Philippines as in China, without the death penalty which was removed by a President who seemed to know what was waiting for her after her term while, as president, she lived as criminal a life as any woman.

There are at present 70 Pinoy death convicts in China, 45 life-termers and 80 serving lighter sentences and 208 drug cases involving Pinots in Macau and Hong Kong. We are a plague on our neighbors. How do we expect the world to regard Pinoys with any respect?

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In its November 2011 Nationwide Survey on our preferred candidates for the Senate in the May 2013 Elections, a full 18 months from now, this is what Pulse Asia tells us it found:

“If the May 2013 elections were held in early November 2011, fifteen individuals would have a statistical chance of winning a senatorial seat. Most of the probable winners are either former or incumbent members of the Senate.

“Emerging in the top spot is Senator Francis G. Escudero (65.6%), with Senator Loren Legarda (58.9%) in second place. Meanwhile, Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel A. Roxas II (43.0%) is in 3rd-4th places. Also in 3rd place (with his lowest showing being 5th place) is Senator Alan Peter S. Cayetano (40.3%). Completing the top five is former Vice-President Noli de Castro whose overall voter preference of 34.8% puts him anywhere from 4th to 8th places.

Sharing 5th to 12th places are San Juan City Representative Joseph Victor Ejercito (30.4%), Senator Gregorio B. Honasan (29.6%) and Cagayan Representative Juan Ponce Enrile, Jr. (29.5%). Senator Aquilino Martin Pimentel III (29.4%) and Justice Secretary Leila M. de Lima (29.4%) land in 6th to 12th places.

Other probable winners are Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV (28.7%), former Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri (26.9%), Aurora Province Representative Juan Edgardo M. Angara (24.3%), former Senator Ana Madrigal (24.0%) and former Senator Richard J. Gordon (22.1%). At best, these individuals would find themselves in 6th to 12th places but their lowest statistical rankings – 14th to 20th places – would put them out of the winners’ circle.

“Less than one in ten Filipinos (5.2%) does not have/refuses to name any preferred candidate for the May 2013 senatorial elections.”

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Of course, there will be changes in these rankings in the next 18 months and those who did not make it to the early list ought not to despair. After all, even if Pulse Asia is totally correct that “if the May 2013 were held in early November 2011,” this would be the result, we all know that the election will not be held now but a year and a half later in 2013; thus, these early, early results really mean nothing much. Just because a presumptive candidate is high up in Pulse Asia’s rating today, this actually means nothing without monetary and party support and a good campaign strategy. The way that a candidate runs his campaign also counts for much. The horse race has begun and we will have to just wait which ones run best.

Remember that in December 2008, who would have thought that one Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino would be our president in June 2010?

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We have letters: “We should respect the law and the Supreme Court. But the people implementing the law are humans and 80% in our justice system who are implementing the law are corrupt.

How do you expect the people to respect the law or the corrupt judges who are humans (not God)?

What the Philippine President did in front of the Supreme Court judges was just right.” — Mar Salazar

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“CJ Renato Corona should be impeached. For as long as this guy heads the Supreme Court, all legal cases to be filed in court against the Arroyo couple would be decided by the pro-Arroyo justices headed by Corona. Walang pagasang magkaroon ng hustisya ang bayang Pilipinas. Hindi mapapanagot si Arroyo at ang asawa niya at mga anak kung mananatiling kontrolado ang SC nang mga itinalaga niyang justices.

“Judging from Corona’s voting pattern in all cases involving Arroyo, I do not think we can expect this man to inhibit himself from cases involving the Arroyos.

The only way to restore the Supreme Court’s impartiality and credibility is to get rid of Corona and Castillo via impeachment.” — Dr. Norberto M. Boceta, Anaheim, CA

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