BY JOVE!

I’ll be honest. I almost didn’t want to blog about the news tonight and the whole time I was gathering news in my beat today, I got the nagging feeling that the items I gathered won’t even matter.

But don’t worry, we didn’t neglect our jobs. We still covered our beat.

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Hence this ….

THE MELO COMMISSION REPORT: A PAINFUL READ

The report was submitted by the Melo Commission to President Arroyo last January 22, 2007.

After much debate and a full blown controversy… Malacanang finally released the commission’s report today.

Before noon, Thursday, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye turned over the 86 page report to the officers of the Malacanang Press Corps and also posted it in his site. (You can download the whole report by visiting the site)

As my colleague Lira Dalangin Fernandez described it over www.inquirer.net the report basically states that “the commission headed by former Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo found the military complicit in the deaths. It said “a small military group” was behind the rash of killings of left-wing activists and that “the ‘purge’ theory cannot be accorded credence.”

And it zeroed in on General Jovito Palparan:

The rise in killings somehow became more pronounced in areas where General Palparan was assigned. The trend was so unusual that General Palparan was said to have left a trail of blood or bodies in his wake wherever he was assigned. He “earned” the moniker “Berdugo” from activist and media groups for his reputation. General Palparan ascribes his grisly reputation to his enemies, as part of their propaganda campaign to discredit him and to denigrate his excellent performance in implementing the various missions and programs assigned to him by his superiors.

General Palparan, clearly the man in the center of the maelstrom, admits to having uttered statements openly encouraging persons to perform extrajudicial killings against those suspected of being communists, albeit unarmed civilians. Worse, he was reported to have “expressed delight” at the disappearance of at least two persons, mere students, but who were suspected of being communist or activists. Among these inculpatory items are the following:

General Palparan’s numerous public statements caught on film or relayed through print media give the overall impression that he is not a bit disturbed by the extrajudicial killings of civilian activists, whom he considers enemies of the state. He admits having uttered statements that may have encouraged the said killings. He also obviously condones these killings, by failing to properly investigate the possibility that his men may have been behind them.

General Palparan’s statements and cavalier attitude towards the killings inevitably reveals that he has no qualms about the killing of those whom he considers his enemies, whether by his order or done by his men independently. He mentions that if his men kill civilians suspected of NPA connections, “it is their call,” obviously meaning that it is up to them to do so. This gives the impression that he may not order the killings, but neither will he order his men to desist from doing so. Under the doctrine of command responsibility, General Palparan admitted his guilt of the said crimes when he made this statement. Worse, he admittedly offers encouragement and “inspiration” to those who may have been responsible for the killings.

He also admits to having helped in the creation of so-called “barangay defense forces”, which may or may not be armed, to prevent the entry of CPP/NPA in such barangays. Such defense forces are equivalent to an unofficial civilian militia. It is well-known that such militia can easily degenerate into a mindless armed mob, where the majority simply lord it over the minority. This is a fertile situation for extrajudicial killings. In this way, General Palparan contributed to the extrajudicial killings by creating ideal situations for their commission and by indirectly encouraging them.

(OPS photo)

Bunye told us that “The President is pained to read the report that some soldiers are involved.”

During the one on one question and answer portion of President Arroyo’s round table discussion, Miranda de Quiroz asked the chief executive if she regrets inviting foreign observers to check on the reported increase in the cases of extra judicial killings in the country.

PGMA (at least responded) “No, no, not at all…”, then she immediately changed the flow of the interview by referring to her Press Secretary’s earlier statements about the issue. At least she responded.

The Melo Commission wasn’t as harsh (straightforward?) as the UN rapporteur was on Malacanang (and the President). Check the Observations and Recommendations portion and tell me if you also get the impression that the MC report was “kind” to the executive department. Some sectors will say that there’s a lot to say about the Palace’s action or non action about the extra judicial killings, especially if we are to consider the factor of “command responsibility”. They were (rightfully?) tough on Palaparan using the factor of command responsibility, and of course, people may or may not get the impression that the same standard wasn’t used in the case of the palace.

Nonetheless, they commission reminded the President that:

In the field of extralegal killings, it is urged that the President reiterate in the strongest possible manner her expressions or pronouncements of determination and firm resolve to stop the same. If extrajudicial executions are to be stopped, the political will to do what is right however great the cost must pervade all levels of government so that our beloved country can move towards the greater ideals of democracy and justice; it must start with the President who must pursue the prevention and prosecution of extrajudicial killings with urgency and fervor.

As recommended by Amnesty International, the Government must consistently and at all levels condemn political killings. The President and all the departments of the Government should make clear to all members of the police and military forces that extrajudicial executions will not be countenanced under any circumstances.

Some reporters read this as a reminder to PGMA and her spokesperson “not to say that they condemn extra judicial killings BUT at the same time make officials like Palparan (someone that the commission pinpointed as the person in the center of the maelstrom) appear like heroes or people whom they shower with praise and lavish with possible positions.”

The commission also gave this piece of important advice to the military:

The military and police authorities are laudable and necessary institutions, whose smooth operation according to the Constitution is absolutely essential to the country’s security. The military should not be allowed to descend to the level of the insurgents and rebels themselves with their lawless, treacherous methodologies. It is in this light that the whip must be cracked to bring the rogue military elements back in line.

The report also listed as part of the recommendation checklist the ff:
Large amounts of political will, short term deadline on political investigation and prosecution, protection for witnesses, the need for a law on the chain of command responsibility and the upgrade of facilities and capabilities of concerned agencies.

In his briefing Secretary Bunye assured everyone that the government and the President are doing everything to solve the situation by implementing the recommendations of the Melo Commission.

They should because it is no argument that aside from declaring that they condemn the killings, they should also act on the problem.

While the killings are certainly not attributable to the military organization itself, or the State, but only to individuals or groups acting pursuant to their own interests, this does not mean that the State can sit idly by and refuse to act. Ultimately, the State has the responsibility of protecting its citizens and making sure that their fundamental liberties are respected.

And as the commission stated: they should act fast and accordingly.

The palace said that they are ready for the criticisms that they will get after the release of the report. They are even expecting that the opposition will have a field day using the report against the administration.

So it is expected that they will try really hard to even the score by creating spins and making counter tirades.

Why not use their energy on trying to do something about the commission’s recommendations instead?

In my opinion, accomplishing the recommendations may be their best defense against all the noise from the enemy’s camp.

[The Commission: JOSE MELO (chairman), Nestor Mantaring, Jovencito Zuno, Nelia Gonzales and Rev Juan De Dios Pueblos (commissioners). The report was attested by Atty. Rogelio Vinluan.] james cameron avatar Porky’s trailer

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CHEAPER MEDICINE ISSUE The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas download A Face in the Crowd full movie

The President revealed that when she was in Switzerland, officials and lobbyists of a drug company tried to set up a meeting with her about the cheaper medicine bill pending in congress.

She didn’t talk to them because as she told Miranda: “They’re not worth my time.”

Representative Teddyboy Locsin guested on PGMA’s round table program to talk about cheaper medicine. Locsin had a cinematic confrontation with pharma lobbyists at the lower house days ago.

(link)

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AMERICAN IDOL SEASON 6

I don’t usually reveal my picks until the TOP 12’s been announced.

But this season, as early as the first showdown (Top 24) I already have my favorites and I feel quite confident they will reach the next rounds.

How could anyone go wrong with bets like Lakisha Jones and Melinda Doolittle? They shocked and awed last night! They set the bar performance wise and it doesn’t hurt that they have really great stories to back them up. A hardworking, talented and HUMBLE Lakisha is a single mother to a daughter who just turned four on the day of her mom’s fabulous performance of “You’re Gonna Love Me”. Melinda is a hardworking, talented and HUMBLE back-up singer who deserves to be THE star. They are my bets.

And because the Ladies Night was way better than the Boys Night, I am also pinning my hopes on the following deserving Idol contenders: Stephanie Edwards, Sabrina Sloan and Jordin Sparks. In fact, from this batch I can only think of two lady contestants that don’t deserve to be in AI6. The girls were way way better than the lads from last night.

But despite a lackluster Boy’s night (too bland it made the Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest spat THE highlight of the show!), I also found some best in their league.

Blake Lewis- the beat box dude who showed us he can actually sing without the gimmickry. And he looked good on TV, too. Easy to listen to, easy on the eyes, too.

AJ Tabaldo- bias dahil Fil-Am? Of course. But try to watch the performances again over YouTube and you will see that he sounded the most professional and polished among the lot during round one. And yes, I am also protesting the fact that AJ wasn’t given much airtime by the producers during the audition episodes. A lot of pinoy and American viewers were not aware of him before the TOP 24 announcement because there were no storyline about him before that. And when he was included, people checked his details and were shocked that he is a kababayan! Unfair! He’s in danger of getting the boot later, because of this unfair treatment. If he gets into the next round, we will have to campaign ala Jasmine Trias. So what if we do that and may magsabing unfair sa iba? Ang importante, magaling ang sinusuportahan natin. Hindi yung basta na lang suporta, pero wala naman talent ang bet to back up the expectations.

Jared Cotter- he will get lots of votes. Watch him on YouTube again and you will know why.

Chris Sigh- we need his character and his humor to make this season memorable and funny! He sings good anyway.

Can’t wait for the results later.

Are we in for shockers and disappointments?

Hope not.

AMERICAN IDOL SEASON 6 can be seen over ABC 5 (around 10pm every Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays after SENTRO newscast with Martin Andanar)

That’s more time to catch up on AI6! More choices, right ADC?

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(BTW, Tita V: belated happy birthday!)