Sa isang malayong bayan sa Ifugao, tinawag ng isang Fiscal o Prosecutor ang isang lola na nasa loob ng court room ng judge.
“Lola, kilala ninyo ba ako?”
“Siyempre kilala kita. Kahit noong tutoy ka pa kilala na kita. Sa totoo lang nakakahiya ka, sinungaling, babaero, at naninira ng dangal ng mga kaibigan pag nakatalikod sila,” ani ng lola.
Muntik ng mahulog sa platform ang fiscal sa taranta at biglang napasambulat:
“Lola, kilala ninyo ba iyong defense lawyer ng akusado na naka upo?”
“Siyempre kilala ko rin! Katulad mo lasenggo, laos, at babaero rin iyan. Isa sa mga kabit niyan si misis mo!” ani ng lola.
Muntik ng mahulog sa kanyang kina-uupu-an ang defense lawyer.
Tinawag ng mahinahon ng judge ang dalawang nagtutungaling abugado, at matigas na binalaan ang dalawa:
“Oras na isa sa inyo ang magtanong sa lola kung kilala niya ako, ipapabit-bit ko kaagad kayo sa police sa labas para i-diretso na kayo sa Muntinlupa para ma electric chair!”
***
Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted recently ambivalent presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Rod Duterte who opined on our country's military position with Mainland China: "Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said the government committed a “blunder” when it bought two used F-16 fighter jets because these would not be of much help in securing the country against aggressors like China.
***
Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted recently ambivalent presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Rod Duterte who opined on our country's military position with Mainland China: "Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said the government committed a “blunder” when it bought two used F-16 fighter jets because these would not be of much help in securing the country against aggressors like China.
“The decision to buy two F-16s is really a blunder. How would it help?” he said.
My retort: It's not the government that committed a blunder here, it was Mayor Rod Duterte's faux pas. PH bought a squadron of brand new South Korean Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) F/A 50 jets which can also be used as a Lead-In Fighter Trainer (LIFT). Two of the jets would be delivered on December this year. The mayor, to avoid this media blunder, should consult first an expert on military aviation before he opines on Air Force firepowers. The FA-50 is made by the South Korea’s “Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)”, and is a smaller, license-built version of the F-16 Fighter aircraft. It entered the South Korean Air Force service in 2014.
***
Here was an arrogant supervisor of the security guards of the Bessang Pass at the Hall of Justice in Lingayen, Pangasinan telling media men last Monday that they were not allowed to cover fellow media woman, Lina Cervantes of DWPR, who filed her counter affidavits on the libel cases filed by Pangasinan Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr.
“Iyan ang utos sa amin ni executive judge, bawal ang coverage ng media,” the security supervisor named Vallo, who is a dead ringer of movie side kick Bentong, sternly told me.
“Paano naging bawal, hinde naman korte ang iko-cover ko sa office ng fiscal naman ang pupuntahan ko,? I calmly posed.
“Lahat dito hawak ng executive judge,” he hissed.
“Sa buong Pilipinas ngayon lang ako nakakita na ang media bawal pumasok sa office ng fiscal, under sa Department of Justice iyan hinde sa sala ng judge o sa Supreme Court. Noong na libel ako, may dala rin akong national TV (GMA-7) network dito” I protested.
When I insisted that I have to cover it, the watch men’s boss, who is 5’ 2” feet, stood up and held my right wrist as if he was preventing a 5’9” feet athletic but hard headed high school student to escape the school lecture.
“Sige, hawakan mo iyan at ide-demanda kita!” I vigorously warned him instead of hitting him with my left flush hook for a knock-out on his inviting jaw.
He immediately released my hand and dared me that I file a case.
When I registered my name on the logbook tended by his two white clad guards who were armed with their side pistols, one of the guards insisted I could not scribble my name.
After I registered my name, my news outlet , and the time I entered, I naughtily asked them: “Paano kung lumabas bukas itong news sa diyaryo na ni covered ko ang libel ng media woman diyan sa loob, ano ang gagawin ninyo?” as I and other media guys left the guard house.
I saw their eyes became wild, but they could not muster any answer to my question.
They could not muster because, son of a gun, first their sub-par watch men I.Qs deprived them to distinguished the Bill of Rights and Idiocy they were into with their Supervisor Bentong who was revolting inside at the sideline.
***
When I was at the periphery of the prosecutor’s office, broadcasters Jerry Cambay and Sammy Lusala told me how those guards at the guard house prevented the crew of a national TV station, who came to cover Lina Cervantes, to enter the building.
“Dapat mag reklamo din iyang mga taga TV. Noong hini- hearing si (former police provincial director) Colonel Marlou Chan doon sa RTC (Regional Trial Court) 69 kahit sa loob ng sala ng court ina-acknowledged pa ang presence namin kasama ang mga TV crews ni acting Judge Caridad Villegas-Galvez,” I said.
Aside from exposing this suppression of media freedom, I’m going to furnish the administrator of the Supreme Court to investigate these patent violations of our Rights at this Hall of Justice.
***
I already saw the hubris of Vallo and his two security guards at 11 Am of that day when they were barking at litigants who entered the gate of the Justice hall. “Ikaw, saan ka?!” “Ikaw, mag sulat ka muna ng pangalan mo dito sa log book!”, “Kayo, bawal ang mga naka short pants! Huwag kayong pumasok!”.
I should be reminding him and his guards to be courteous and not arrogant in dealing with the public since he is a public servant. But I shunned them as I was too busy calling my colleagues what time would they be coming at the Justice Hall.
(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at P’nan Biggest News. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)
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