interim release

SO, THERE was a real roasted crocodile served during last Sunday’s prayer rally (or suffering) in Davao City? It was in addition to the 100 or so heads of roasted cows and a crocodile-shaped cake

Crocodile is not among the animals raised for human consumption. Rather, it is to create a more authentic nature in the universe.  So, with the slaughter of the reptile last Sunday and feeding its exotic meat to the hungry prayer rally attendees, what can our animal rights advocates in Davao say?

Will they be brave enough to condemn the crocodile killers and those who present the idea to the rally organizers?

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Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio announced in Nagoya, Japan, that they have now found a country that is willing to host former President Rodrigo Duterte if he were allowed an interim release. The former Philippine President is currently detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention center in The Hague, Netherlands, for alleged crimes against humanity.

The elder Duterte’s lawyers have been petitioning the ICC for an interim release, even if the former chief executive will be allowed only to stay in another country and not in the Philippines.

In the VP’s revelation of finding a host country for her father, she did not mention where. Perhaps it is one condition set by that country’s government in agreeing to host the former Philippine leader. So, despite the efforts of media men to force the VP to name the country, she has to sustain her position not to name it.

Somehow, we could not help but suspect that if there is any country with a strong willingness to have the former Philippine leader under its embrace, it is none other than China.

The only question is whether or not the ICC is agreeable to release Duterte to a country that could make it extremely difficult for the international court to re-acquire jurisdiction of its former detainee if the progress of the case requires Duterte to be under the ICC’s custody again.

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We read the article in this issue of Mindanao Times. It was written by this paper’s top reporter, Ms. Rhoda Grace Saron.

The article we are referring to is the one on the priest’s homily in the mass held immediately prior to the start of the Pray for the Philippines rally at the San Pedro Square last Sunday. According to the article, the priest, who was not named in the story, said his homily was political in nature from start to finish.

Why was the name of the mass celebrant not mentioned in the story? Did the priest make such a request to conceal his identity?

We are just a bit bothered because in the priest’s homily, he was quite frank that he was condemning the absence of transparency and accountability of the people in power, especially in connection with the graft-laden flood control projects that have siphoned people’s money to the corrupt politicians and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) top officials and their co-conspirator greedy private contractors.

It is our take that the priest’s condemnation could have an added weight and perhaps even more convincing if the non-attendees of his mass were able to hear his homily in the air lanes, or read the news about it in the newspapers, had his name been mentioned in the article.

Of course, if the celebrant feels there is more to it in hiding his identity than making it public, there is nothing we can do about it.

After all, everyone has his or her own fear and apprehension, especially with the perceived instability of the government by a number of us Filipinos.

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Indeed, in the Philippines, there is too much freedom that makes it convenient for every person to charge anybody with alleged wrongdoings or criminal acts.

This was manifested during last Sunday’s massive simultaneous rallies supposedly to condemn the too vulgar corruption happening in the country.

In the police investigation into the riot that happened, the ones who started the melee and were later arrested were among the protesters who destroyed both public and private properties. They reportedly told the police that they were allegedly paid by well-known personalities identified with the PDP – the political party of the Duterte-led opposition.

In another rally front, former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson, who joined the rally after doing a somersault from the administration camp, was openly heckled by a number of protesters as just another “corrupt” person trying to cleanse himself.

When asked to comment on the heckling and who they possibly were, Chavit said they were paid to do the heckling by First Lady Liza Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Indeed, with too much freedom comes the convenience of doing anything under the mantle of man’s constitutionally guaranteed rights.