Was it murder?

A lot of space is being given by the major dailies as well as broadcast media to the triumph of the National University Bulldogs over the Far Eastern University Tamaraws that enabled them to win the UAAP championship this season. Well, that was really “news” and merited front page coverage, since this was the first time in 60 years that NU had clinched a UAAP championship. In the past years, other colleges and universities, particularly the Ateneo de Manila University and the De La Salle University had been hogging the show.

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So let them enjoy the moment, and let them dream of winning it again before another 60 years pass. The last time the NU team had won it was in 1954, when none of their present players, maybe even their coach, had been born yet. And they have very good reason to be exultant about the victory, they got it with a margin of 16 points, which is quite impressive, considering how close their previous games had been.

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The family of transgender Jeffrey/Jennifer Laude has filed murder charges against the American navyman who is the main suspect in his death. Some of the country’s most visible lawyers are helping them in the case, but one wonders, was it really murder? As I understand it, murder is when there is premeditation or the killing was planned and intentional. Since the two, Laude and the American, had only met shortly before the incident, how could he have a motive or plan to kill him?

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Anyway, the lawyers must know what they are doing, so what we should look out for is how the case will progress. Various groups are demanding that the American be turned over to our courts and detained in our prisons, but will his officers agree? One can’t blame them, knowing the condition of our jails. Also, with all the anger and hatred being whipped up against him for this dastardly deed, can you imagine how the inmates he may have to share a cell with, will treat him? He might be “sentenced” before he gets to the court.

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Speaking about lawyers, it was interesting to hear the one representing detainee Senator Bong Revilla justifying his wealth by pointing out that former movie actor came from a well-to-do family, has a business, and has also been earning a lot as a movie actor. Of course the Sandiganbayan is not likely to accept that without poring into the amount Revilla owns and the sources. The testimonies of whistleblowers, however, may be something else, and both he and his lawyer must tackle that.

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On the other hand, what will the lawyer of Vice President Jejomar Binay say to explain his unimaginable wealth and properties, as presented by whistleblowers who were once his closest associates? The lawyer cannot claim that Binay had inherited great wealth, because he himself has always emphasized his humble beginnings, and how he struggled with poverty. He was able to become a lawyer, but was not known for a lucrative practice because he was perceived to be working for human rights and things like that. So how will his lawyer justify those acquisitions that are now being claimed by other persons? If they had been sold, where is the money paid for them, and were taxes paid on the transactions? Indeed, it is a tangled web.

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Another Ebola case has cropped up in Texas, the second one in the United States involving a health worker. Earlier there was an American, Thomas Eric Duncan, who develop the symptoms after arriving in the country, but he died soon after. This is really getting more alarming, because nobody call tell who were with those victims when they flew in from some infected areas. The whole world is now in a state of apprehension because, with the availability of speedy transport from one country to another, who knows which passengers had been exposed, if not to an actual victim, to someone who had been with an unknowing carrier?

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Meanwhile, there’s a lot of rumors and speculations about the true state of the health of North Korea leader, the enigmatic Kim Jong-un, who disappeared from public view for more than a month. When reports about his absence began circulating worldwide, he “came out” and was shown inspecting projects. But it was later reported that he was not really seen by the people, they were only old pictures and footages on TV and in newspapers. Now the guessing game, played even by international media, is that he is mentally ill or even brain dead! Is there fire where this smoke is coming from? Or wishful thinking from his enemies?*

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