Impunity at its Worst

What the QCPD did to Ted Failon, his household and to her sister-in-law Pamela Arteche merely reflects the impunity prevailing in the country. The last time the government, the AFP and the police, then integrated under the Philippine Constabulary, acted with such impunity was during the height of the Marcos fascist dictatorship. It was also under Martial Law when corruption became so scandalous. Today, the country is supposedly under a democracy. But the impunity in the commission of human rights violations and corruption is again at its worst.

BY BENJIE OLIVEROS
ANALYSIS

No television show could beat the twists and turn of events in the death of Trinidad Arteche-Etong. The scriptwriters of CSI must be green with envy that they were not able think of such a bold, nay absurd, angle. The investigation and arrests made by the Quezon City Police Department (QCPD) were so swift that they were able to immediately arrest not only the husband Ted Failon but also the sister of the deceased Pamela Arteche, the two house helps Carlota Morbos and Wilfrida Bolicen, the house boy Pacifico Apacible, and the driver Glen Pulan. In cases of mysterious deaths of married women or men, the husband or spouse is automatically made a suspect and is investigated. However, in this case, Trinidad Etong had just been brought to the hospital when the QC police arrested Ted Failon. This is a record for a police force that is not known for swift action, especially since Ted Failon was not even caught in the act of killing his wife; in fact, they had not yet established whether there was foul play surrounding the death.

The height of absurdity unfolded when the QCPD decided to drag Pamela Arteche away from her sister’s bedside and out of the hospital to arrest her for ‘obstruction of justice’. This is really one for the books. It boggles the mind to think what kind of justice the QCPD is enforcing. The editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer last April 16 surmised that the QCPD is getting back at Ted Failon for his stinging radio commentaries regarding the EDSA rubout, which involved the police. It added that if the police who are supposed to protect the people are now our oppressors then it has become a really scary situation.

This is nothing new; it has been happening all along.

How could the QCPD not be emboldened to commit such brazen acts when its counterparts in the provinces have been party to or have at least tolerated the killings of journalists? Why should the QCPD and provincial police think twice about doing such condemnable acts when their counterparts in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been shooting political activists at will? What would stop the AFP from doing so when the killings of political activists have been sanctioned by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who covers up for them, and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales? And when the spate of political killings had elicited international condemnation, no less than Justice Sec. Raul Gonzalez, acting in tandem with Norberto Gonzales, has been orchestrating the filing of trumped-up charges against leaders of militant organizations and the opposition. In running after the perceived enemies of the Arroyo administration the Justice Department has been violating due process and has been resorting to manufacturing witnesses and evidences.

What the QCPD did to Ted Failon and to her sister-in-law Pamela Arteche merely reflects the impunity prevailing in the country. The last time the government, the AFP and the police, then integrated under the Philippine Constabulary, acted with such impunity was during the height of the Marcos fascist dictatorship. It was also under Martial Law when corruption became so scandalous. It was the darkest period in the country’s history. But it was the impunity in human rights violations and corruption that spurred the struggle of the Filipino people against the Marcos fascist dictatorship.

Today, the country is supposedly under a democracy. The Filipino people are supposedly free from the oppression of a fascist dictatorship, which it has ousted 23 years ago. But the impunity in the commission of human rights violations and corruption is again at its worst. The twisting of the justice system and the debasement of all institutions of governance make a mockery of the supposed democracy prevailing in the country. At least during Martial Law, the dictator Marcos made no pretensions about the functioning of the justice system, he simply overpowered then ignored it; as far as the other institutions of democracy were concerned, he merely padlocked them. In the end, Marcos was ousted. Arroyo has not yet been ousted; but she is so afraid of what might happen to her when she leaves Malacanang that she has been moving heaven and earth to secure her future either through ChaCha or massive cheating during the 2010 elections. However, she is constantly hitting the wall of the people’s resistance. Whatever happens on or before May 2010, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would surely join Marcos in the list of dictators who have fallen into ignominy.(Bulatlat.com)