Celebrating women’s power

Last Saturday, I attended the 79th Induction Ceremony of the Negros Press Club and was glad to see another woman president being sworn in, two years in a row and fitting that the induction came just hours before the world celebrates Women’s Day.

Dolores Epacta of Negros Weekly took over the presidency of a male-dominated press club from Carla Cañet of Sun Star Bacolod. I believe the overwhelming support for Dolores was also partly because of the exemplary presidency of Carla which made members believe, it might be good to give the post again to another woman.

Dolores has big shoes to fill but I am sure she had good training during the term of Amado Villacarlos, her partner, who died a couple of years ago. In fact, she mentioned in her speech that she knows she will be guided by Amado.

I wish Dolores good luck and as we bid Carla goodbye, although she will continue to sit as on the board of directors for being ex-oficio, I personally would like to congratulate her for a job well done and hope that she will continue to guide the new set of officers.

Present during the induction was Vice-Governor Bong Lacson while the oath of office was administered by Judge Napoleon Diamante who entertained the crowd with his violin-playing. Gov. Freddie Marañon was represented by Exec. Asst. Eric Loretizo while Mayor MonicoPuentevella and Rep. Evelio Leonardia sent congratulatory video messages.

The guest of honor last Saturday was journalist, Teddy Boy Locsin, who delivered a very challenging speech to the media, reminding them of their role as purveyors of news and not as defenders or mouthpieces of certain politicians or personalities.

Teddy Boy also made mention of another great woman this country, and the whole world lauded. As we all know, Teddy Boy worked under the administration of the late President Cory Aquino, mother of our present President Benigno Aquino III.

He mentioned how people criticized Cory left and right but perhaps, that criticism made her work hard to ensure that she end her term successfully, after all, she took over the country from a dictator and had to foil two coup attempts during her reign.

Teddy Boy said this is probably the problem of Cory’s son, PNoy, because he was praised from day 1 and probably felt so entitled that he could not make mistakes and as such, should not apologize for anything, not for Mamasapano, not for the Luneta fiasco.

Teddy Boy lengthily talked about the Mamasapano tragedy, talked about it bluntly but so poetically that it mesmerized the crowd, all hanging on to his words.

He compared our president with that of the King of Jordan who, after the beheading of the Jordanian pilot by ISIS, led the air strike himself and stood pat on his pronouncements that he will make the perpetrators pay for it. Unlike here where we have a “spoiled brat” president, who would not even acknowledge his participation and fault in the whole fiasco.

The Mamasapano tragedy will not fade away soon enough as the president would want it. His push to have the BBL passed is now dim, not after a survey of House members shows more than 80 percent, allies or not, want to review and revise certain provisions in the BBL.

It is worse in the Senate where a lot of them believe our government has sold us off to the MILF and will not allow the passage of the BBL without thorough review and without the Mamasapano incident resolved.

The MILF is not helping either, threatening that they may not accept a watered-down version of the BBL and has constantly issued statements that they will only take on the present version of the BBL, nothing less.

The MILF, instead of pacifying the public, has helped fuel the outrage against the BBL and their group for denying request to surrender their men who were involved in the Mamasapano massacre. They also said recently that they will not turn over their investigation report to the Department of Justice, but only an executive summary of that investigation.

This is in contrast to their pronouncements that they will cooperate with our government and that they are beyond the clutches of our laws. This just proves the point raised by some senators that the government panel has sold our country to the MILF just so they can pat their shoulders for having passed the peace agreement.

The MILF also said that until the agreement is signed, they remain a revolutionary group. Then how come government has given them financial assistance already and in millions at that. Is our government now funding armed revolutionary groups? Will this be a precedent to future talks with other rebel movements? What happens now if the group reneged on the talks?

There are just too many questions that have yet to be answered and the president brought it all upon himself. If only he had apologized sooner, admitted responsibility with humility, had more compassion for the fallen and their families, strongly condemned the massacre and seek the heads of those responsible, and was less arrogant in his pronouncements, the anger would have died down a long time ago.

Unfortunately, and Teddy Boy is right, we are being led by a “spoiled brat.”*

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