BLIND SPOT: Hard Times of Heat

Two years ago, I was being annoyed with the difficulty of sending a text message right in the middle of the fiesta activities. It would turn out later that signal was intentionally jammed to prevent phones from being used as detonating devices for any bombing during a major fiesta activity. Consistently enough, signal would be jammed during the major parades and during the fluvial procession. Same thing happened on the following year. At least, that time, we expected and understood what it was for. That was the time when bombs exploded in Davao City; and reports or rumors had it that Naga would be next, if logic would follow that the hometown of the second highest leader of the land would be the next target. This time, we have this. I got the message from a couple of groups; and I thought to myself, “Oh man, this one’s probably a hoax.”. But for all it’s worth, let’s indulge ourselves in the issue. Let’s be like DDS and take at the preposterousness of such a scenario. Could a head of state do such a thing? Could a President pull together human resources with the instruction to impose stricter traffic regulations to motorists, plant evidence and flash a fake hologram of a hotbed? Come on. Who could even think of such an orchestration? On another hand, would law enforcement operatives really cooperate in such a heist over the citizenry? They probably wouldn’t. Would they? (Millenials are probably oblivious to the time when PC?INP played an active role in human rights violations in the Martial Law era. That was much worse and it happened. Stopping drivers on the road and making them look like drug pushers and users would be relatively tamer.) But still should not a head of state focus on giving resolutions to a rocking national economy than execute such an elaborate harassment? We have witnessed ruses before, and this is probably a prank to plant revulsion against the President; whoever instigated this scam, if it really is such. Now let’s cross sides and explore the implications in the assumption that this is an accurate accusation. If it were really so, the Philippine nation is being administered by someone hellbent to prove his point to discredit a legal successor and loathed opponent. If all these were real, were silently surrounded with shock waves of inconspicuous influences of a tyrannical madman, all so willing to twist the truth for egotistic ends. If this were truly so, someone in Malacañang has developed the penchant for fashioning facts if they do not suit his whims. If this were really true, what for? To discredit an opponent? To undermine someone’s leadership? To defame a particular locale? Just to hammer and prove his own point and shame naysayers? Still in the presumption of its authenticity, even if law enforcers succeed to a sufficient number of people caught with illegal substance, it would be like a discolored spot on a skin of different complexion, an abnormality which would seek explanation and require restoration. It would be an unexplainable ugly data that would not correspond to other official records. It would be ridiculous when all of a sudden they record a large number of apprehended handlers of methamphetamine which would run inconsistent with existing records, and far exceed statistics of the real hotbeds. Yet, underneath it all, we are well aware of its intense intents. Along that line and in keeping with the season, the public is faced with the dilemma with the definition of the term, amnesty. Let’s take it one by one. Could amnesty be revoked? Could one succeeding official revoke amnesty granted by a predecessor? Does amnesty come along with duties to be complied with, as in a parole? I remember the de facto First Lady once gave a speech in which she mentioned something like that the evidence of the administration’s abuse would be the misfortune of Sen. Trillanes; and since he has been free to roam and recite rhetorics, the President is nothing he is being accused of. So now, that they’re hiking up the heat on the former Oakwood mutineer, would it logically follow that the accusations are now being acknowledged? Is this the latest episode of a series of witchhunts? Early on, they incarcerated Sen. De Lima. They filed charges against the former President. They pressured COMELEC Commissioner Bautista. They incredibly managed to eliminate Chief Justice Sereno. Competence of the Vice President is continually being questioned. Now, they’re pouncing at Sen. Trillanes. What is this? The lynch mob is back from their hiatus and momentary redirection against Former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. “You shall not rule over him with severity, but are to revere your God.” 24:14