WILL THE Department of Justice (DOJ) file charges of Crime Against Humanity against former President Rodrigo R. Duterte and several others after reviewing its reports and recommendations?
Other than the crime against humanity former President Duterte is also recommended to be charged with his alleged role in the proliferation of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) both legal and illegal.
The first alleged crime to be included as possible respondents are now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Duterte’s first appointed Police National Director, then PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, and also former police director general Debond Cenas. Other personalities recommended by the quadcom to be charged are Sen. Bong Go and former Duterte top aide Muking Espino.
Of course, the filing will depend on how the “experts” at the DOJ appreciate the evidence supposedly acquired by the probe body. Should the DOF “experts” feel they have the beef against those recommended to be charged then the cases will be filed and will eventually be tried by the court should the latter agency have a similar appreciation to that of the DOJ prosecutors.
If this happens this will be the first ever to happen in the Philippines and definitely will be a test case for a President of the republic that has a popularity rating ranging from good to outstanding, according to surveys.
But then, again, perception and appreciation by an untrained public are far different from that of people with training and sometimes even influenced by their own biases and their loyalty to the persons they got their job from.
So, there is no doubt that should cases as recommended by the quad com against the former President et al, be eventually filed and deliberated by the courts all eyes and ears will be trained on the proceedings.
Of course, a very different scenario is expected should the International Criminal Court (ICC) succeed in its intention to bring the former President to its bar for the trial of his alleged crime against humanity – with deaths allegedly reaching several thousand individuals who are claimed to be collateral damage of the former chief executive’s war against illegal drugs.
**************************
Two more days and it is already Christmas. Based on what we personally observed while we were in downtown Davao City last Friday we can understand the happiness of people through the number going out to buy presents and attend Christmas-related activities. As expected humongous vehicular traffic was obtaining in the city’s major thoroughfares. Malls all over were awash with people. Business establishments are decorated with nothing else but those that bring the message of the holiday season.
Music blaring from establishments along the roads is all about Christmas. Banks are full of people and all Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) have long lines of clients waiting for their turn to withdraw money.
In other words, it looks like Christmas is indeed a season of plenty. That is, as far as we can witness in the city’s urban jungle, not in places where the most marginalized sector of the population resides.
Despite the misfortune that our family had only very recently, we are trying the best we can to join the rest of the world in celebrating happily the commemoration of the birth of our Redeemer. We are masquerading our sadness with laughter and smiles the best we can do to be attuned to the happy season.
After all, Christmas is celebrated only once a year and we cannot afford to let it pass allowing ourselves to be relegated to the back burners just because of certain misfortune that we managed to handle despite having our finances literally steamrollered by hospital bills.
Yes, we have enough reasons to be happy this Christmas knowing that in the hours of our extreme need, some relatives and friends did not hesitate to lend their hands and resources just so we could tie over in our most precarious situation.
For these gestures, we would like to once again thank them. And to cap it all, we wish them the Merriest Christmas and Prosperous New Year so they can continue with their generosity.
