Fraternally yours

By Rolo B. Cena
The Gulf Files
Dumaguete Star Informer
14 November 2010

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – The feisty Justice Sec. Leila de Lima is pushing all tanks to require elders of Alpha Phi Omega (APO) who are allegedly cuddling Anthony Nepomuceno to produce the suspect and two others. In their earlier statements, APO committed to cooperate with the investigators. As to why they changed their position, something must have gone wrong along the way.

In 27 October 2010, Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay, the country’s second most powerful man named as APO’s strongest elder and former Justice Secretary Silvestre Bello III, accompanied suspect Anthony Nepomuceno to the Dept. of Justice for questioning. After the exercise, the suspect was released with the commitment from the fraternity leaders to bring him back when needed. In the same day, in a press interview, the two strongest legionnaires virtually cleared the latter saying they were convinced of his innocence.

The sterling question now is: Why would the vice president and former Justice Secretary clear Anthony assuming that they, along with his legion conducted their self-serving investigation? Do they extinguish touch of the magical excuse and fairly acceptable delicadeza?

On the first note, the Vice President is not commissioned to be a member of the investigating committee and obviously nor of the judiciary. His statement sans the question on substance would apparently lead to influence the media or the Judiciary.

If I were Glaissa, a law student herself and the amputated victim of the blast, I will give a second thought on the credibility of the Vice President now. He, who has been known to be the most credible local executive prior to his national mandate, seemed to be acting like the sole justice of the Philippine judiciary; such was an action uncalled for of a statesman and a statement, substantial or not, premature to articulate.

On the second note, former Justice Secretary Bello III is neither a member of the investigating panel nor of the judiciary. Why on earth he’d do that when he himself was once an advocate of justice? Justice league, look what you’ve done to the Philippines!

Several frat elders claimed that their “brod” is innocent. If indeed he was (or is), what then bars them from producing the suspect to the investigating panel? Are they judging without the benefit of the judicial process? Ironically, most of them are lawyers or law students; they should know better.

Ferdie Ramos, another elder caught in the spotlight, must have been marred by his fraternal attachment when he declared that APO remained firm in its pledge to support NBI in its investigation yet defended “not to the extent of sacrificing” their brothers. What an inconceivable proposition from a multitude whose firm belief is to uphold justice through the merit of brotherhood.

Plato must be disappointed for these disturbing hodgepodges from his fraters that apparently defy the ideals, vision, mission, or philosophy of any fraternity or sorority for that matter, Alpha Phi Omega included. Ostensibly, such active statements of defiance purport the culpability of the ideals of the fraternity and warrant a premature admission of guilt. Shall we blame the Greeks for creating this wisdom that was consumed by the corrupted psyche of obviously corruptible and wicked men?

This potpourri of defenses from no less than the icons of virtues and jurisprudence carries us back to the Martial Law days of the most despised leader of this ailing republic where only the rich and the powerful benefits the judicial system. Or, are they one of them?

Putting my two cents in to these hullabaloos, if the alleged caretakers of these perpetrators do not bring them to the panel, I believe the government should maximize their powers with the full extent of the law to implicate them in the legal suit against the perpetrators, if not to file legal suits on the ground of cuddling suspects which is also punishable by law. Never mind their powers in the Palace or in the justices, they don’t deserve the respect after all for misleading the constituents and the victims into believing the opposite. Undeniably, these people want to place their vested interests at the other side of the scale at all times.

And whether or not the case will gain merit inside the court of law is another story. The Filipino community is addicted to soap dishes the two terrestrial giants of the country are feeding, what more is new if our judicial system will again promulgate the scripted verdict.

Undoubtedly, big brother’s act of clearing the suspected little brother from an offense naked eyes have witnessed in broad daylight is an indication of fraud and miscarriage of ideals of brotherhood.

After all, “he isn’t heavy; he’s my brother.” Isn’t that blood thicker than Water?