Was that necessary?
7 Am Jan. 18, 2007
Last night I saw on television how Junjun Tupas, son of Iloilo Gov. Neil Tupas and Board Member of the province, was pushed around by policemen in fatigues. Worse, they pointed their M16 rifles at him and his companions. Junjun was later seen waving a piece of paper, a Temporary Restraining Order from the Court of Appeals, which stays the order of Ombudsman dismissing Gov. Tupas allegedly for graft and corruption. The DILG Secretary ordered the Governor to vacate their posts.
Aside from Tupas, the others who were dismissed or suspended were Gov. Armand Sanchez of Batangas (suspended) and Mayor Pewee Trinidad of Pasay (dismissed). Tupas is a known ally of opposition senator Franklin M. Drilon of Iloilo. Trinidad is also with the opposition. Sanchez is with the administration, but GMA is distancing herself from him because he is allegedly linked to illegal gambling operations in his province.
The timing is suspicious, because the election period has started. This will practically make it difficult or impossible for these officials to run for office.
In Iloilo, was it really necessary for the police to treat civilians that way? Especially that they were public officials? The police officers threatened those poor fellows with M16 rifles as if they were terrorists or as if they were armed, and they were not. The DILG Secretary must discipline those policemen.
The administration is showing its might. And we have seen what it can do in these supposedly democratic times. It is scary to think what the military and the police are capable of when the administration is given emergency powers.
One test of the people’s reaction to these events is the coming elections in Iloilo and Pasay. These events are but a prelude of how violent our elections can get, not because the candidates will be at odds, but because the police and the military could be trigger happy.
