The spate of bombings in Mindanao and the planting of bombs in Metro Manila have the fingerprints of government agents all over them. They really could have been planted by the military to give an excuse for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to declare martial law.
Arroyo learned a lot from Marcos. The latter was nearing the end of his last term when he caused a series of bombings that he blamed on communists. He even faked the strafing of the car of then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile (JPE was safely not on board) the night before martial law was declared.
The military was well prepared, showing that they were planning this all along, and it was not just a reaction to JPE’s ambush. The morning newspapers had just finished printing their provincial editions bannering the ambush, with photographs of JPE’s bullet-riddled car, when soldiers swooped down on our offices and printing plants and announced that martial law had been declared. Only a few vanloads of newspapers made it to the airport and to the provinces.
It is as if Arroyo is copying Marcos step by step.
But hasn’t she learned from the mistakes of Marcos? He was driven out of Malacańang by People Power. Isn’t she afraid the same thing will happen to her?
Alas, tyrants never learn. They always think they know better than their predecessors—only to fall into the same trap.
Besides, Arroyo is desperate to stay in power by whatever means. Time is running out on her. Steel bars loom at journey’s end. She has to take desperate measures for desperate situations. In Tagalog, “kapit sa patalim” (clinging to a sword’s sharp edge).
She cannot run for reelection as president. She can run for a seat in the House of Representatives or as member of Parliament and then be elected as prime minister (if our system of government is successfully converted into a parliamentary system), but she is not sure of winning both. The opposition will combine forces to defeat her.
She cannot flee to other countries for asylum as other tyrants did before her. The world has largely come to an agreement to prevent this. Even secret bank accounts in Europe and the Caribbean are things of the past. Countries do not want to be havens of thieves. So the prospect of fallen dictators enjoying their loot in some haven is now only a dream that cannot be realized.
So what is left for Arroyo is to brazen it out and stay in power. If she has to declare martial rule to do it, she will do it. So expect more bombings. Stay away from crowded places. Stay home and listen to the radio instead.
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Remember when councilors of Quezon City passed a special ordinance allowing the construction of high-rise buildings in La Vista subdivision, a strictly residential zone beside Miriam College and Ateneo de Manila University on Katipunan Avenue? The residents protested vigorously, and the developers relented.
Well, the QC councilors are at it again. They have issued a special permit for the construction of three high-rise condominiums in QC’s 4th district, in particular in Barangays Horseshoe and Lipunan, along C. Benitez Street.
Councilors Edcel B. Lagman Jr. and Ricardo T. Belmonte Jr. sponsored the proposal, which was co-sponsored by councilors Suntay, Banal, Medalla and Borres. The council rapidly passed the proposal without allowing the aggrieved residents and townhouse owners to air their objections.
The buildings violate the zoning laws applicable to the area. These residents are appealing to Mayor Feliciano Belmonte and other officials to stop the project as it would worsen the traffic jams which regularly occur in its narrow streets.
They are also appealing to the councilors of the 4th district to work for the revocation of the ordinance. They threatened to campaign next year against the reelection of councilors and other officials responsible for allowing this project.
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A few columns ago, I wrote about a bill pending approval in Congress that would legalize greyhound racing here. Animal welfare groups oppose it because not only would it introduce another form of gambling in the Philippines, but also because it is cruel to the dogs. Large numbers of dogs are put to death when they are not fit to race.
Greyhound racing used to be popular in the United States, but many racetracks are now closing down because of dwindling attendance and betting. That is why the operators are moving to other countries like the Philippines.
The following cruelties to the dogs have been common in greyhound kennels in developed countries with strict animal welfare laws like the United States:
Greyhounds are kept at track kennels in stacked cages, often muzzled for a total of 18 to 22 hours a day.
Many tracks use wooden crates which get soaked in urine, making sanitary conditions difficult.
Greyhound adoption groups regularly report that incoming greyhounds suffer from an incredible variety of afflictions. Untreated conditions and injuries such as missing and broken toes, broken hocks, and incredible internal parasites (whipworms, hookworms, tapeworms, coccidia, and giardia) and external parasites (fleas, ticks, mites) are common. Teeth and gums frequently show advanced signs of neglect, diseases and weakness attributable to diet, as well as stress-related trauma from chewing on available materials in the environments due to stress and boredom.
Dogs are routinely fed “4-D meat,” the meat of dead, diseased, dying or downed (unable to walk) animals deemed unfit for human consumption. The micro pathogen, drug- and disease-laden meat can cause the dogs to become ill. The meat is used because it is cheap.
