By Jose Mari Mercader
The cause celebre incident starring Davao City’s woman version of the “Punisher” – a sobriquet for meanness appended by Time Magazine on former Mayor Rodrigo “Rudy” Duterte (for “tolerating extrajucial killings of criminals”), father of the punching lady Mayor Sara Duterte (Calamity Jane in my book), is giving the Philippines a black-eye around the world. Our very own boxing legend Manny Pacquiao’s punches stand to be shamed by Sara’s powerful wallops. Sheriff Abe Andres’ face was bleeding after she struck him. With that incident alone she could claim phenomenal feat in boxing. It may not be pound-for-pound power punches but punches nevertheless.
Analogously speaking, by striking the helpless court officer, Mayor Duterte literally relived the severe beating of Rodney King, a black motorist who was caught for over-speeding by Los Angeles police officers on March 3, 1991. That unfortunate event triggered the wanton killings, lootings and anarchy that lasted several days when the jury acquitted four white L. A. police officers on April 29, 1992, two years after.
Coincidentally, Sara was also caught on video camera punching the Regional Trial Court sheriff who was held by her bodyguards while she pummeled the helpless Andres in the face with gusto. All that happened because he tried to carry out the court order to demolish the emblematic bahay kubos, or shanties if you please, of squatters in a Davao City barrio.
In responding to media questions, Sara manifested detestable contempt for the humble sheriff. Callously defending her brutal assault, she said that Abe refused her request for a two hour respite to talk with the squatters to prevent violence. This is utter nonsense because her temper was already cocked to trigger-touch, which actually exploded on the face of Andres without provocation, when she confronted him in public view.
If that was Calamity Jane’s (Sara) canine idea of preventing violence and reassure the squatters that she will stymie the court order of their eviction, did it not stand to reason to approach the seething situation with tenderness, instead of resorting to the very act she wanted to avoid – violence? Being pugnacious was the last thing she should have done if her aim was for the peaceful implementation of the court order. If anything, her contentious disposition only proved that she advocates the cockeyed interpretation that the end justifies the means regardless if the abrasive means wreaks havoc on justice itself.
Seemingly, Sara forgot the cliché that violence begets violence; that what she did could boomerang on her as a mayor. A velvet-touch from her on the other hand could have deflated the feather-touch tension obtaining at the moment. Oh, but there is one thing she clearly gained with her own version of violence: henceforth sheriffs may no longer be as diligent in carrying out orders of the court for fear of being made into punching bags and humiliated by frustrated lady mayors backed up by fathers obsessed with the vigilante mentality of salvaging criminals without due process; notwithstanding the fact they are entitled their day in court.
It is not far-fetched that other mayors would acquire the same penchant (brutalizing court officers), to ingratiate themselves with squatters, as Sara did. For one thing it impacts idea that they are the political gods in their turf. In Davao City alone nobody dares tangle with the Dutertes less they end up dead or beaten to a pulp. The aggression on sheriff Andres could force him and others to just prostitute their responsibilities to rotten superiors like local executives surrounded by goons in uniform.
After what Sara did, who would be brave enough to question abusive local executives who brandish naked power to cower the public? Even that is a redundancy with what is already happening in provinces under the political dynasties of hotheaded killers. The best example is Mayor Sara Duterte, who is like her father Rudy Duterte, too sensitive to criticisms capable of retaliating on critics with dreadful viciousness.
By the way, Mayor Sara Duterte merely institutionalized the pattern set by her father, Rodrigo Duterte who took it from Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim to salvage criminals without due process, so the rumors glamorizing the decrepit old Manila Mayor Lim as Dirty Harry, say. I don’t question that he and Rudy Duterte are brave on criminals who are helpless to defend themselves with their hands tied behind their backs and who have been prejudged as criminals.
Human rights are enshrined in the Constitution. As such they are inviolate. But why are the very guardians of the fundamental law like public officials mangling human rights with impunity? Should there really be a distinction between public officials and ordinary citizens in the eyes of the law? The hoi poloi is severely punished for violating the law. Those representing the government are free to make a monkey of the Constitution. Is that how democracy runs? And yet, the criminals with official trappings have the brazen audacity to demand respect from the public they oppress! This is ludicrous!
Isn’t it odd that Sheriff Andres is the one who publicly apologized to his torturer Mayor Sara Duterte, when he is the victim? Typical of a Duterte, Sara refused to accept the apology because she wants Andres to do it to her in person not through the media. Does it really matter where the apology is channeled? Does it not inflate her ego that instead of suing her Abe humbled himself by apologizing, which evidently is to avert another round of beating from her? How insatiable is the Duterte pride that an apology from the victim is inadequate if not done in person? Boy, this takes the cake!
To counter demonstrations throughout the country condemning Mayor Duterte, a large Davao City group of alleged supporters for Sara staged a rally to impress the world of their approval of her violence to Sheriff Andres and how much Davao love and respect the father-daughter tandem for their cruel sense of justice. If this is not madness in perspective what else could it be? Imagine a well financed rally paying homage to the cruel Duterte justice? Ludicrous!
This column does not believe the residents of Davao City have no sense of justice – of what is right and wrong. They had to go as far as staging a rally in defense of Sara’s detestable action. The drama is so puking I need a cuspidor.
Clearly, what she did has taken a toll on bureaucrats – sheriffs in particular. Let’s hope and pray the Duterte clan’s concept of authority is not adopted by other mayors in different cities. Let us hope further that governors will not unleash their authority to impress voters that nobody can defy them without suffering severe repercussion.
The beating of Sheriff Andres may not be remote anymore with the example provided by the Dutertes, Lims and other local executives abusing their power in their respective domains. Knowing our politicians this column laments for our people. May God spare them from the tentacles of these characters in the government!
======
Razor’s Edge can be read at filipinotimes.com, globalbalita.com and filamimage.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment