Reporter’s case a
challenge to P-Noy

The manhandling and later shooting of the Daily Tribune Malacañang beat reporter Fernan Angeles is actually a challenge to President Benigno Aquino III to show a bit of attention to the crime incidence in the country.

While crimes had been escalating all over, it seems that the Chief Executive has not seen fit to direct his named Crime Czar to dedicate his time to addressing the problem.

It is unbelievable that whoever had beaten up Angeles and later shot and wounded him could have known that Angeles was a Malacañang beat reporter.

Neighborhood toughies normally know who’s who in his community.

Worse, Angeles had reportedly whispered to his wife the identity of the one who did it. That should spur the police to pick him up, grill him, and get from the suspect the identity of the one who had wanted to silence Angeles.

That incident only holds up to public notice the tendency by the administration to shut off crimes which have gone up all over the country.

Not only in the Metro Manila, but elsewhere. Three were killed yesterday in Mindanao. And even here in Bacolod and Negros Occidental, a lot of holdup and robbery with homicide cases have been happening and the police seem unable to take a handle on them.

Worse, there are also a lot of cases now under investigation where ranking police officers and several policemen have been involved in cases of murder of victims fraud and also of anomalies involving large sums of money.

Time for the President to take a second and serious look at what is happening all over the country and try to impress upon the police authorities and the military to crack down hard on criminals.

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While we have been heartened by the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona and the incarceration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the electoral sabotage, we were also buoyed up by the report that the Sandiganbayan had order the arrest of former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo in connection with the NBN-ZTE broadband deal. These boost our confidence that stature does not confer immunity from the law. That we are, more or less, equal in the eyes of the law.

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The bigger boost to the justice system was the decision by the second justice department panel of investigators to recommend the filing of murder charges against erstwhile Palawan Governor Joel Reyes.

The case involved the gunning down of Gerardo “Doc Garry” Ortega, a radio broadcaster and environmentalist, in Puerto Princesa last year.

Gunman Rodolfo Edrad, Jr. had been arrested. He also yielded to the probers a series of text messages between him and the Palawan former governor that, to a certain extent, sealed the fate of Reyes.

The latter had earlier had been cleared by another DOJ panel who undertook the initial investigation of the Ortega murder.

The production of the recorded text messages between Edrad and Reyes – submitted by Globe Telecom showed that Reyes was in contact with Edrad from December 2010 to January 2011.

Erdad reportedly asked for money from Reyes for himself and two associates who fled to Lucena City in Quezon Province.

A brother of Reyes, then living in Alabang, Muntinglupa City, handed money to Edrad in his house in the middle of the night.

Well, whatever the outcome of the case against him, this is something which boosts confidence in the justice system.

But this is just one of the many cases that has been happening all over. And people expect the government to be more aggressive in cracking down an erring, especially if they are important government officials.

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Negros Press Club treasurer Aquilino “Boy” Ciocon has received warning from an armed group in the province that his days are numbered. The Bacolod police has offered Ciocon security. But the problem with that is it is expensive to maintain security personnel.

I just hope that the police track down the one behind the threat against Ciocon. We just hope that he finally realizes that it does not pay to harm mediamen.

Members of the Association of former Presidents of the NPC joined the NPC board condemning the threats against Ciocon as well as the recent killing in Iloilo of Fernan Gabio, who was shot in front of his house in Barangay Democracia of Jaro Distcit on March 2.*

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