‘Don’t leave it to the judges!’

A recent headline said that the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) knew about the presence of terrorist Marwan in Mamasapano. As the noted sleuth of fiction would have said: “Elementary, my dear Watson!” Everybody in the country knew, or believed, that Marwan could not have stayed in the area without the knowledge – and protection – of the people living there. And why did they attack the Filipino policemen so brutally if they were not defending or getting even for the death of Marwan?

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Now Philippine Army soldiers are engaging the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, in combat and reports say that the BIFF men are even boasting that they are shooting at the soldiers with the guns they got from the Special Action Force cops they had killed during the operation to hunt down Marwan. And if government negotiators are still thinking, or even hoping, that they can win the MILF over to their side completely, they must be more naïve than they seem. It has been reported that the MILF cannot do that because many of the relatives are also with the BIFF. So it’s just a vicious cycle that may never find an end.

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Saturday’s shocker was the report on the attempt of the son of detained Senator Bong Revilla to kill himself. The would-be suicide, who is an adult, and even the vice governor of Cavite, allegedly shot himself in the chin. Actually, that is the first time I have heard a suicidal person shooting his chin. Others believe it was an accident, but what a story the family’s “close friend”, a showbiz personality herself, spun for the media when it happened.

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According to this Lolit Solis, Jolo (from Jose Lorenzo) Revilla did it because he was depressed over the detention of his father, and the report that he may be moved to a regular detention center because of playing hooky and tricking his guards by malingering and instead going on a social visit to the hospital room of also detained Senator Juan Ponce Enrile. Oh what a story of filial concern this Solis wove, a really tear-jerking one, that could pierce the hearts of their showbiz family fans.

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However, a lawyer who was interviewed on TV last night seemed to be surprised at that story. He insisted that he never saw any sign of depression on the younger Revilla, and he seemed quite normal when he last saw him. If Jolo did that so his father would be allowed to leave his detention quarters, isn’t that too big a price to pay? His father is cunning enough to be able to plot out his own escapades, as he had done already. For sure there is more to this “suicide attempt” than the public is allowed to know.

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Meanwhile, Vice President Jejomar Binay has also gotten into the picture by telling the media about his disgust with the prosecutors of Senator Enrile for not allowing Enrile house arrest. Enrile has been detained at the PNP Hospital since they were all arrested, for humanitarian reasons, being already 91 years old. Late last week the news was that he was transferred to the Philippine General Hospital because of symptoms of pneumonia. Maybe Binay is imagining what could also happen to him in case the probes on his alleged overpriced projects and unexplained wealth lead to charges.

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As of last night, Manny Pacquiao was reported to have arrived in Los Angeles City already to start his training for the mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather on May 2. Manny appears to be relaxed and confident, despite all the bragging from the Mayweather camp. What is clear, though is that, many of the top fighters in the U.S. have no fondness for Mayweather and are giving Pacquiao tips about how to go about it when he is facing the undefeated American champion. And, generally, their advice was about watching out for the man’s trickery.

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Even Pacquiao’s former ring opponents, like Juan Manuel Marquez, have advice for him. Marquez says he wants Pacquiao to knock Floyd out because that is his only chance of winning. He recalled a fight between Floyd and a certain Jose Luis Castillo, who seemed to have clearly won, and yet the judges voted for Mayweather as winner. So Marquez’s advice to Manny is: “Don’t leave it to the judges”. Pacquiao already had his lesson in that infamous ruling when he fought against the very beatable Tim Bradley.*

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