Justice a la Bin Laden?

The American ambassador was killed during a protest attack in Benghazi. President Barack Obama has vowed justice for the death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens. What does he mean? Will he stage an operation like the one that disposed of Osama bin Laden in his Pakistan hideout?

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Yesterday, a report came out that Ambassador Stevens was not killed by gunshot or bombs, but by smoke inhalation from fire, well, caused by the attack. A doctor who was interviewed by the British Broadcasting Corporation said there were no wounds or bruises in the body of Stevens, and their conclusion was that it was the smoke that had caused his death. But the fire that caused the smoke that caused the death of Stevens came from the rocket fired by protestors. One cannot help wondering what Obama means, therefore.

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Meanwhile, we admire President Aquino for laying down the line and issuing an order naming the waters near our country as the West Philippine Sea. So what if the Chinese leaders will throw a tantrum? Those waters are within our territorial area, and have always belonged to us. Anyway, the Chinese leadership is now engrossed in a tiff with Japan whom they also accuse of stealing their territory. Bully for President Aquino, maybe he felt snubbed when the Chinese president would not spare a moment for him at the recent APEC.

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Another headliner these days is the case of the battered housemaid who has finally gotten a chance to seek justice for her sufferings at the hands of her cruel employer. Bonita Barsan was no Cinderella, just looked down on by her selfish stepsisters and stepmother. Bonita was actually physically abused, and the scars and disfigurement in her body show it. Worse, she has lost almost completely her sight because of the truly “unusual and cruel” treatment she received.

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But when her employers finally showed up in a confrontation at the Senate, the wife denied having inflicted the injuries on the girl, preposterously claiming that she must have inflicted it on herself! She even added that Bonita already had those injuries and marks when she came to work for them, and that her own father had been the one who inflicted them. Weeping and sobbing as Analiza Marsan said these, one may hesitate to accept Bonita’s story completely. So why don’t the investigators require both of them to undergo a lie detector test?

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Speaking of battering, would you believe that “James Bond” was a battered husband twice over? It is true, a report from the international news syndicate, Agence France Presse, said that Roger Moore, who played James Bond in several movies, had confirmed that he was attacked and beaten up by two of his wives. One, he said, even threw a kettle at him, and another used to hit his head! Imagine that, James Bond, everybody’s invincible hero, was not only “under de saya”, battered pa. Anyway, he had a happy ending, his present wife is a wealthy socialite who does not abuse him, and his two tormentors are now dead.

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But I am disgusted with the British iconic couple, William and Kate. They have been touring Southeast Asia and have included only Singapore, Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu (and where’s that?). Why have they not included the Philippines in their itinerary? Hasn’t anybody told them that it’s more fun here? For sure nobody would release their embarrassing photos to social media here, unlike what happened to their kid brother, naughty Harry.

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Naga City will celebrate its famous Peñafrancia Festival on Saturday. This is a fiesta held annually in honor of the Virgin of Penafrancia and the church dedicated to her has become a tourist spot in the city. I have attended that activity once, and it was very impressive, the way devotees adore their patroness. Lately I heard that the celebration may be a bit subdued because of the untimely death of their former mayor, Secretary Jesse Robredo, who died only last month. They say Robredo will be sorely missed as he had been quite a fixture during the celebrations, having been mayor of the city for 18 years! He really has left his mark on his city, and now, even in the country.*

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