Thursday, January 13, 2005
[Cebu City today is again at a crossroad. The present mayor, a person I used to admire for his no-nonsense approach to governance, has set off a very divisive issue. He wants to create a "Hunter Team" to hunt down criminals and bring down the incidence of crime in Cebu. While at it, a vigilante group has surfaced and already it has claimed 14 snatchers/robbers. Is this approach appropriate?
What follows is a string of e-mail messages written by acquaintances and some of my officemates who reflect the varied sentiments of Cebuanos regarding this issue. Some of the messages are mine. You may add yours by pressing the "comment" link below.
Please scroll down to the bottom to find the first thread so you won't get lost. Cheers!]
This is the third thread. My officemate, Alvin, wrote this in reply to my earlier message (see second thread).
Lar, good mood ka ron? hehehe... Kidding.
But bitaw, I disagree with your points man gud. I think it's not being shortsighted or anything like that...
Have they produced the correct results? For me, yes. Thus far, dili na kitang mga taxpaying citizens ang mahadlok maglakaw ug dalan at 10pm. Of course itwould still be stupid to court danger and all that, but at least now at the back of your mind ba, you know na kung there were like 1 snatcher for every 4 people in cebu, 1 out of 10 na lang run. so statistically, mas safe ka.
It might be hearsay, Lar, but I think the "process" that Tom adapted for his Hunter Team is that of Duterte's Death Squad. Speculations lang ni ha, but ang sa Davao (Jun, correct me if I'm wrong) ang tirahan nila is kanang magbalikbalik nag sulod gawas sa ilang jail for the same petty crimes. These people are under surveillance for a period of time then when the Death Squad establishes a routine, they shoot him down. I think more than anything, Tom has gone down to the Barangay level to help identify kung kinsa kinsa ni sila. Of course we couldn't troop to City Hall and ask Tom how he's going about it... but... deduction lang ba... Killing an innocent would be the farthest thing from anyone's mind, especially a politico who would have to suffer through the backlash of public opinion, and would need public approval to advance his career.
And that's my guarantee na dili sila magpataka ug patay.
Mayor O is playing with fire, true. But the criminals have long been playing with something much more dangerous than fire, and the sad fact is that ALWAYS naa jud maamong na innocents.
And honestly Lar, I don't care kung rivals pa na sila ang magpinatyanay, but if you start off with 10 criminals, and end up with 2, I'd be one happy man. Kung 2 ka criminals magpinatyanay, I don't think any of them would be missed.
Also, I'd rather have 10 brutish men working FOR me than AGAINST me.
Tomas has been very clear about it. He wants the Hunter Team, he organized the hunter team, and he's going to do nothing to stop the hunter team... asa ang leeway or avenue for blackmail? It's like blackmailing a known prostitute by saying she's no longer a virgin.
Am not contesting the concept of due process Lar, I think it's one of the greatest concepts in law. But for me, the greatest concept in law is justice, and delivering justice. Mao ray ako. due process is great in protecting the wrongfully accused, but it should NOT be an excuse to pamper KNOWN criminals.
The same manner pud Lar, since you've raised the spectre na what if it's someone we loved ang maigo sa bala... sa hunter team. a fact na although possible is admittedly very minimal. i mean come on. di ba mga hired killers ug mga swat team ni sila? these guys have been selected because they know how to handle and aim a gun.
BUT, admittedly, it can happen na naay maigo na innosente. mao gihapon ang akong argument. what if simbako palayo ha, the guy who got shot and killed diha sa may jollibee mandaue flyover last october over a 5110, was somebody close to you. What if the guy who were stabbed to death in Consolacion over a 3650 was a best friend?
What if it were you?
Ang ako lang, it doesn't really make sense that we do nothing about
it. We've been through the old and tested ways, we've lived by the law. It FAILED. Now it's time to look for other avenues na makasolve sa atong problem. Lar, it's time na sila na pud ang mahadlok, kita lang pirmi?
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