TO HAVE TWO OR TO HAVE NONE?

By Oliver Palileo

They have a father… for now.

The Court of Appeals (CA) released a writ of preliminary injunction that makes Makati City Mayor Jejomar “Junjun” Binay Jr. to stay in his position as the head executive of the city.

In this resolution, the CA extend indefinitely its restraining order to halt the suspension of the office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and other agencies against Binay and other Makati City officials in regards to the corruption controversy revolving the construction of Makati City Hall Building II.

In response, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila de Lima recognizes the decision, saying that it ‘clarifies the intent of the earlier Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on the acts that were subject to restraint’.

And because of the decision, everything must be back to normal. Because, there are reports that the Vice Mayor’s staff and City Councilors have not yet receive their monthly payments due to the confusion which lead of having ‘two fathers’.

It is nice to know that the government recognizes the power of the Court of Appeals as a co-equal branch of government and not overpower it as in the case of the President and the Supreme Court.

We just hope that these issues will resolve to a further peace and development of the City and it will not affect the business and the lives of their constituents.

Massacre or a ‘mere misencounter?’

NEARLY two and a half months after the clash of the Special Action Force (SAF) and the combined force of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) that led to the death of 60 people in a gruesome bloodbath in Mamasapano, Magunidanao, one big question is in the minds of most Filipinos: was the incident really a ‘massacre’ or was it just a ‘mere encounter?’

To add to the drama, the leaders of the Senate committees, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) are also debating about it.

CHR chairperson Loreta Ann Rosales found the response of Senator Grace Poe, regarding the senators’ final report on the incident, were too rash that Poe “easily jumped to conclusions” in stating that it was indeed a “massacre” instead of it being a “mere encounter.”

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, on the other hand, “insisted” that what happened in Mamasapano “was a massacre and not simply a misencounter,” according to ABS-CBN News.

According to Secretary Leila De Lima, the evidence that the National Bureau of Investigation-National Prosecution Service (NBI-NPS) has gathered so far showed that it was just “an encounter and not a massacre.” They are also looking if the 44 SAF members were killed for a “justifiable act of self-defence,” which was claimed by the MILF, or if it was “an act of unlawful violence.”

This debate has been showing up in the news for over a week and there is still a big hole wherein we can’t give justice to the families, friends, and loved ones as to how a simple operation to target two of the world’s most wanted terrorists lead to a gruesome death of 44 of the SAF troopers.

This doesn’t just concern the families of the SAF troops, but also the ones of the MILF. All who were killed were humans and right now, debating whether the incident was a massacre or a misencounter is not really the most important thing right now. Yes, it may clear up the issue a bit but it will only spark more disagreement within the government instead of carefully investigating the situations that happened last January 25.

If only the bodies can talk, they might be able to give their families a peace of heart, but what they do know is that they were all brutally killed. But they can’t talk anymore, they just can’t.