Never Again!

Tuesday, 23 November 2010 04:11

Written by Malou Tiquia

As a Martial Law baby, my generation would often associate September 21, 1972 with the phrase NEVER AGAIN! In my days as a student at the University of the Philippines, I would often recall friends who never made it to graduation because of fighting for what is just. Some, thinking that the movement was the right way to remove a dictator joined it. Others kept romanticizing about it. Many in my generation have their share of narratives that they continue to carry on today. Others drifted in the opposite direction. I thought the killings would stop once a dictator was removed. The killings remain to continue, even under the second Aquino administration.
Then November 23, 2009 came to fore where 58 Filipinos were executed by a group of men whom I would characterize as having no heart, no soul, no guilt and with the coldness of demeanor and a laughter in their faces violated the soul of a nation.

It will never be a NEVER AGAIN! unless leaders get rid of private armies; until institutions are bold enough to finish in an expedited manner rendering justice where angels have fallen. Justice is blind so they say. The Lady of Justice’ eyes are blindfolded, she balances the scales of Truth and Fairness and holds a double-edged sword symbolizing Reason and Justice. As we commemorate the death of 58 Filipinos, the system seems to be protecting more and more the rights of warlords – Andal Sr., Andal, Jr., Zaldy and the rest. The pillars of the justice system are being tested and talks are ripe that probably, after 7 years can we see a resolution of the case. That is not justice.

The Amapatuans were created by a political system that relies on the ability of ensuring block votes are delivered. Myth or not, all national candidates do know the Ampatuans. They pay homage, they hold them in high esteem. If Amapatuan is for you, you get Maguindanao and more, you win. The Amapatuans give gifts to national leaders too. Most of the gifts are guns, some are collector’s item. It’s a relationship that is very transactional.

Pinagayaw Amapatuan was appointed by Marcos as OIC in the municipality of Maganoy (Shariff Aguak) in 1986. Cory Aquino appointed the Vice Mayor, Andal, Sr. to replace the father. Andal Sr. won the 1988 elections and served for 10 years. He later ran for governor in 1998 and remained in power until the massacre in 2009. The son of Andal Sr. became governor of ARMM and 18 of the mayors in Maguindanao belong to the clan.

We saw their mansions, their armies, their cache of firearms and their lifestyles. Theirs would pale with the Italian Mafia. For them, money talks and money could get them anywhere. They are a shame to Muslims and yet, with time, they now appear to have the upper hand because even media coverage is negligible. Effort to hide the news is being done. PR and media operatives are being given oodles of money to get stories removed from the radar screen.

Meanwhile, the Presidential task force formed by the exiting President Arroyo identified 117 private armed groups in February 2010. The 7-member Zeñarosa Commission were supposed to come up with action plans to conduct an inventory and eventually dismantle the same. Retired Justice Monina Arevalo Zeñarosa headed the Commission with Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos, Mahmod Adilao of the Ulama League of the Philippines, retired Army general Jaime Echeverria, Dante Jimenez of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, and retired police director Virtus Gil as members.

So, if this administration really wants to get to the root of the problem, they should start an honest to goodness inventory of private armies and dismantle them. If not, there will be another Maguindanao and Never Again! becomes a battle cry made only every anniversary just like the desaparecidos of the Martial Law and succeeding years. Let’s learn our lessons and let’s not tempt the gods! Ampatuan represents greed and corruption; poverty and neglect; manufactured mandate. In the olden hopefully not forgotten days, Amapatuan is Guns, Goons and Gold and we thought we have moved forward.

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