Incredible Tulfo

I could not believe it: Ramon Tulfo asking President Aquino to show mercy to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, using the example of the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, allowing Ninoy Aquino to go to the United States for medical treatment. “This despite the fact that the elder Aquino was convicted by a military court, Senate President (Juan Ponce) Enrile noted” (Inquirer, 6/23/12). How could Ninoy’s “crimes” compare to Arroyo’s? Ninoy’s only “crime” was to protest and defy Marcos’ dictatorship. And why is Enrile deferred to as an authority on justice and fairness? He was a loyal ally of Marcos for years, through the worst excesses of the dictatorship, defecting only when the Marcos ship was clearly going under. Tulfo also stated that sending Arroyo to a regular jail “would not be good for the country’s image, since she is a former president.” This mentality encapsulates one of the big problems of this country—treating the elite with kid gloves. Instead of upholding the basic principle of treating people equally, Tulfo feels the rich should be coddled. That attitude clearly leads to more and more crimes and corruption, as illustrated in Arroyo’s career. Is that the kind of “good image” that Tulfo wants for the Philippines? —DAVID STEINBERG, Angeles City, Pampanga