Whenever a country is in a state of some radical changes, there is always a real chance of everything going haywire, particularly if some deep-rooted sentiments and the public at grassroots levels is directly involved.

Similar is the situation in the Philippines where the election of Rodrigo Duterte as the President has opened a violent Pandora’s box where all the citizens, except those that are being hounded for being, in some way, involved with drug lords, drug running, and habitual consumption of drugs, are feeling it is their right to do something to rid their beloved homeland of these criminals who have spread the cancer of drugs in the blood streams of the generations of Filipinos.

But then, maybe the adage everything happens for the good might still be true because the drug-peddling had virtually come to overwhelm a whole nations and its three generations.

Things have reached such a low that they can only change for the better is what the author believes as does Duterte and the hordes of do-gooders who might be overdoing it but their good intentions can never be doubted.

When a revolution takes place, as I think it is now, there can be no acceptable patterns or logical actions which can always be justifiable, the useful and good grains may have to get crushed along with the chaff just so that the cleanup takes place.

And, who is to decide the rights and wrongs in such a murky situation; while the people with good intentions are doing their best, the situation may also be exploited by those with a malicious or exploitative intentions.

For the larger good of the nation, there will surely be some innocent people who become the victim of misunderstandings or misinterpretations; but, the good of the majority must be seen to be accomplished.

One neophyte Senator, who has been subject to ridicule, allegations and even attacks, is Leila De Lima; she has been subject to what looks like a campaign that has a malicious intent, and, in her own words the attacks were vicious and incessant.

And, all this for what? It turned out to be false allegations and could have been deliberate and not a case of mistaken identity.

The highly viral social media is very easily manipulated and this is a case in point and the sad part is that most of the viewers believed this unfortunate tirade against her.

And, all she could say was that it is an unfortunate attack which only god can help with. But, she did not allow her faith in the constitution and her firm commitment to her country coupled with a clear conscious made her bear it all.

She challenged all those who were out to malign her but refused to be cowed down by such empty threats. She was totally against the arbitrary killings that were being conducted in a lawless manner and had, earlier in the day, raised a call for the proper investigations into the unlawful killing spree being resorted to by unknown elements.

The video evidence

Senator Leila de Lima who is a neophyte Senator has been accused by the person  called Batang Maharlika who posted a video on YouTube to clearly show her sitting with the druglord, Herbert Colangco, the drug lord.

A voice over comment in the video, which has gone viral shows de Lima sitting quite close to a person who is claimed to be Herbert Colangco, says that the protector is sitting with the drug lord.

Since de Lima is a Senator,  the news soon spread and the social media went into overdrive prompting  a spate of condemnation and threats to the Senator. There are even reports of  some attacks on her.

The video shows her singing some lines from Bakit, a song from Imelda Papin; upon return to her place, she is shown sitting next to a bespectacled gentleman who looks like Herbert Colangco, one of the dons of the drug trade in the Philippines.

Her office was quick to rebut the news as false and it was pointed out that the venue of that party was the Department of Justice (DOJ) and it was filmed in 2015; the occasion was the birthday of the Senator, Leila de Lima herself.

The clarification went on to add that the person who was allegedly sitting next to the Senator was not Colangco but Alfred Vargas, the Representative of Quezon City who was seen sitting next to her.

The same was also confirmed by Vargas himself to clear the air and prevent further damage; other invitees, apart from Vargas, included;

1. Employees from the Department of Justice,
2. Imelda Papin, who was the Master of Ceremonies, and
3. Under-Secretary, Department of Justice, Jose Vincente Salazar, visible in the foreground on the video; he has since been relieved of his duties since it was discovered that one of his accompanying security personnel was involved in the drug trade. Salazar was functioning as the Under-Secretary with independent charge of the Bureau of Immigration.

A rebuttal was also issued by de Lima’s staff’s office which was pertaining to another pic which had been made viral with the allegation that de Lima was singing at the birthday party of one of the drug lords; the pic was taken on December 28 at Zirkoh and she was singing at the concert on the occasion since it was the birthday party of Zaldy Aquino.

It may be remembered that in the first week of this month, the Solicitor General of the Philippines, Jose Calida had come out openly to announce the names of the police officials who had been regularly supporting the drug lords.

He had done so at the behest of the President and the following drug lords had been had been quoted by the Solicitor General under warning of death if they were apprehended.

The drug lords named by Calida are:

1. Wu Tuan alias Peter Co,
2. Herbert Colangco,
3. Peter Lim.

Colangco being in the list makes him one of the most wanted criminals of the Philippines; hence, for anyone found associating with such people, it would only be inviting serious trouble not only from the self-appointed moral keepers but also from the official machinery.

Umrao Singh                                                       umraoz.wordpress.com

Written for:  Lars-Magnus Carlsson                          www.thephilippinepride.com

 

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