Clones EDITORIAL 06/05/2010

Clones

EDITORIAL Click to enlarge 06/05/2010 Noynoy Aquino may not realize it yet, but he does face a problem with his pledge to do justice in the cases of extra-judicial killings. United Nations Special Rapporteur Professor Philip Alston pointed out that Aquino, who is soon to be proclaimed president-elect by Congress, is more likely to “go slow” on his campaign promise to prosecute perpetrators of summary executions and other human rights violations, as the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), both top ranking and regular soldiers, would be resisting any presidential move to strike hard against one of the military’s own, since the military officers tend to think enemy vs state, with the leftists and other militants seen as the enemy. Like it or not, Aquino will have to rely heavily on the military and police, if he is to retain his crown for six years, no matter the claims of the AFP that it is a professional force. Like Gloria, he will have no choice but to even go the extent of keeping the top brass happy through financial rewards, to get them to be personally loyal to him. In much the same way, he also has to do the same to the Philippine National Police, that is also alleged to engage in torture and summary killings of claimed suspects, whether drug suspects or just plain criminals. He too, must make the PNP top brass happy through financial gifts. And in the case of the AFP and PNP, it may not be as easy as keeping the congressmen happy with their allocation of the pork barrel. The reality of maintaining Philippine political power rests on the military and for sometime now, also the PNP. In many instances of the unsuccesful coup plots against Gloria Arroyo, for instance, it was noted that the police were always first to come come to the Palace rescue. Of course if the chief of staff and his service commanders come to an agreement to withdraw support from their commander in-chief, that’s the end of the Malacañang tenant and there is nothing that the police force can do. This was experienced during the coup d’etat mounted by Gloria and the military, headed by then Chief of Staff Gen. Angelo Reyes, against then sitting President Joseph Estrada... MORE     Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100605com1.html

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