Updates:
Arroyo called up Santiago on Palparan.
I would not be surprised if the idea to appoint retired general Jovito Palparan, known as the “butcher”, to an anti-illegal drugs body, came from Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.
That would be the surest way to discredit the anti-illegal drugs campaign and lose the cooperation of the civilian community. It’s a stroke of genius that only one with a mind so malevolent could think of.
That it was apparently accepted by Gloria Arroyo, who crowned herself anti-drug czar for two weeks, raises questions if she is still in control of the government.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita last Friday floated the possible appointment of Palparan to the Dangerous Drugs Board.
DDB Chairman Tito Sotto said , “Originally, they were talking about a PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) post. But there was no reaction from PDEA.”
That’s why, said Sotto who is also known to cast a moist eye on the action-packed position of PDEA Director General Dionisio Santiago, he volunteered that there’s a vacancy in the 17-man board of DDB, which is a policy making body on drug prevention and control.
Sotto, bless his mental vacuity, welcomed Palparan to his turf. “If that is his image (butcher), then that will work well for us. It’s the drug traffickers who should fear him, not the public.”
This guy wants to be senator again.
I can very well understand the “no reaction” from PDEA , which is the one in the forefront of the anti-drug campaign. What would be Palparan’s role in PDEA? He can’t be in a position higher than Director General Santiago. Would he then replace Maj. Ferdinand Marcelino?
That would be shooting two birds with one stone that only shrewd geniuses like Gonzalez could think of. Marcelino is sent back to the Marines and Palparan drags the PDEA into the gutter of summary killings like what happened to Jonas Burgos, Karen Empeño and Sheryl Cadapan.
Rep. Ruffy Biazon is alarmed. Writing in Facebook, Ruffy, (to diffenrentiate him from his father, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon) expressed doubt if Palparan’s reputation of employing extra-judicial methods be the appropriate solution to problems in the anti-illegal drugs campaign.
“Instead of gaining the confidence of the people, the Palparan appointment will only draw criticism and dilute whatever public support the government has in the fight against illegal drugs. Naturally, human rights and other progressive groups will raise a howl about the appointment. The grant of a position for Palparan will seem to them as a reward and condonation for the brutal acts being attributed to the retired general”
Ruffy fears that if Palparan is brought into the anti-drugs campaign, he would have to live up to his “butcher” reputation.” And I’m willing to bet that a tough-looking and tough-talking general who has been praised in no less than the State of the Nation Address in spite of protestations from human rights groups, will be more than eager to prove his mettle as a solution to the drug problem.”
Arroyo’s silly gimmick of being a drug czar (as president, even if illegitimate, she has control of the agencies involved in the anti-drug campaign) for two weeks ends on Feb. 2. The unwritten message to law enforcers is to give her something to brag about on or before that date. As one law enforcer said, “Baka ang mangyayari niyan, ang langgam gawing elepante. (We would have to bloat the ant into an elephant.).
Palparan’s entry to the anti-drug government team would bolster the unfavorable image that Gonzalez and his prosecutors are painting about military men in a civilian law enforcement agency. In the congressional hearing, when he was challenging Marcelino to name his “mistah” who talked to him about freeing the Alabang Boys, Gonzalez’ sarcastic putdown was, “Why didn’t you do to him what you do in Basilan?” That was echoed by a lady prosecutor in a TV interview, when they came to the defense of the signatories to the resolution dismissing the complaint against Richard Brodett, Joseph Tecson, and Jorge Joseph.
That statement struck a sensitive chord on Marcelino, who had seen action in Basilan. The Marine major said when the justice secretary uttered the jibe, “Everything flashed in my mind. Bakit ganun na lang ang tingin sa mga sundalo doon. Para bang ‘war freak’ kami. (Why does he look down on soldiers in Mindanao. As if we are war freaks).
“Hindi namin gusto makipagpatayan. Maraming kaming mga kasamahan na namamatay. May mga pamilya yun. Hindi kami pumunta doon para lang makipapatayan. (We don’t want to kill people. Many of our fellow soldiers have died. They have families. We don’t go there just to kill each other,)
“Kaming mga sundalo hindi makapamili kung saan kami pupunta. Sino ba naman ang gustong makipagpatayan. Walang personal na kasalanan sa amin ang mga yun. NPA man o MNLF o MILF. Hindi ko naman kilala ang mga yun. Ngayon ko lang nakita ang mga yun. And yet, pagdating doon, nakikipagpatayan kami.Kapwa Filipino yun. (We soldiers cannot choose where to go. Who wants to engage in killing? Those people have not anything wrong against my person. NPA, MNLF or MILF.I don’t know them. That’s the first time I see then. And yet, we kill each other. They are also Filipinos.)
Marcelino said what is sad about the situation is that the people whom they engage in the battlefield are also victims of injustice. He said, spoken by a cabinet member, and a justice secretary at that, it was as if he does not appreciate the efforts and sacrifices of soldiers.
That’s why the PMA graduates Class 1994, where he belongs, including those detained in Camp Capinpin in connection with the restiveness that followed the revelation of the “Hello Garci” tapes in February 2006, came out with a statement supporting him.
That’s why last Saturday, some 800 PMA alumni , in the presence of AFP Chief Alexander Yano, expressed support to Santiago and Marcelino. “for their exemplary leadership and uncompromising stand.”
Who needs Palparan?
.
The Butcher is being placed at PDEA not to go after the drug traffickers but to protect them. The Butcher’s role is to eliminate the syndicates’ enemies, witnesses, whistle blowers.
With 2010 fast approaching, drug money is crucial to Malacanang’s candidates. Over at the National Printing Agency, another retired General was appointed. And then, Gen.
Bangit, the Evil Bitch’s most trusted aide, might be replacing Gen. Yano. All these moves point to one direction plus the very much alive “Cha-Cha”: The Evil Bitch’s continuous stay in power. Will we allow this to happen? Let’s act now. Time is very short.
They should haul Palparan the Butcher in court for human rights violation but this is a Garcified administration so you expect this kind of mindset coming from a justice secretary whose job he believes is to be the legal counsel of an illegitimate regime…..
Palparan’s projected assignment to DDB is a message intended NOT for the drug lords but rather to the whole nation. It is but a piece of a concerted plan to disorient, instill fear and a veiled threat to us and among us. The message that is lost to us is…Gloria can unleash her rabid dogs anytime she wants. Let us look at the totality of her actions over the specific ones.
1. A “revamp” (musical chairs) of the cabinet was done. Critical among which is Esperon’s PMS. That does not stop there. Rather, it is in preparation for his eventual takeover of the Defense post.
2. Razon gets the Peace portfolio. His mission is not peace but rather to create trouble that would be conducive to something like a declaration of emergency rule (read: Martial Law).
3. Danga gets to print the election paraphernalia. This is a Plan B option.
4. Malacanang floats Bangit as the next Chief of Staff. It may well happen but the real target is Chief of the Philippine Army where he has direct control whence Gloria opts for emergency rule.
5. To camouflage the aforementioned 4 actions, she has to throw in Palparan as diversionary issue. She’s successful in this regard.
My intention in stating all these is to forewarn everyone of a creeping event that may welcome us in one beautiful morning thinking we had a dream but actually, a nightmare awaits.
I believe Palparan would rather go to the PDEA than the DDB. He is an action man and not the paper work type guy.
But his (palparan) problem is, Santiago and the other military officers don’t welcome him there.
Rightly so.
Santiago and Marcelino refuse to dance to GMA and Ermita’s moro-moro dance. Only Sotto agreed.
Ellen, and tindi mo naman kay Sotto: “Bless his mental vacuity.”
I don’t think emergency rule or martial law is in the cards of Gloria even in her most desperate situation, not with Obama as the US prez. Obama’s strong message doesn’t look and sound like a joke, still very fresh in everyone’s mind and Gloria will be the first one to weigh the pros and cons before she do anything foolish that will hasten her already thinning days in power. With the Obama presidency Gloria is boxed-in with just two options; her cha cha train which is becoming doubtful by the day and her stepping down in 2010.
Former military officers being appointed by Gloria to sensitive positions in the government comes as no surprise to anyone. After all these men one way or another contributed and propped her illegal presidency by trashing the basic laws of the land. If not because of these men she will not be in a position to raid the treasury, get the “tongpats” and earned her the title as the worst president ever and a title for the country as the most corrupt in his part of the world. If not for them she will not be able to use her economic expertise to generate more people into living in poverty, getting hungry and unemployed. She will not even get and crowned herself as czarina of various agencies in her corrupt and fake government. It’s her only way of appreciating and thanking all the good things they have done for her.
Appointing Palparan to PDEA is just a window dressing for the agency. He has a reputation and the foremost thing that comes to mind is to scare the drug syndicates to close shop. But everybody knows that the drug business is sooo big, the volume is in millions and whoever says that drug lords will abandon it because of Palparan has no brain like Gloria. Oh yes Palparan will be deployed to scare drug syndicates into submission to come up with quotas and commissions just like in the jueteng game. It’s election time and politicians and Gloria need money for election campaign. So it’s not about stopping the illegal drug trade but flourishing it and again it’s thru Gloria’s economic initiative.
Is this the best that the drug czarina can do? Appoint a “butcher” to sabotage the anti-illegal drugs campaign?
Ang galing mo, Gloria Arroyo!
Syiempre naman, sasabihin ni Santiago kay Palparan, “Welcome”. Utos ng Czarina, eh.
But DG Santiago, a friendly advice: PDEA may have scored against the corrupt prosecutors but the aspect of due process short cut lingers. Having Palparan beside you in the anti-illegal drugs campaign will be you yourself, kumuha ng bato pamukpok sa ulo mo.
You will lose public support. Sayang what you and Maj. Marcelino have started in redeeming the image of PDEA.
Although there is a dark cloud hanging in Palparan’s past,his experience in butchering and torturing can be useful to curb these illegal trades on drugs if he did it in the right path this time.
I think he won’t spray paint your door with RED,but you must have a cedula in your possession most of the time.That’s no problem!you can carry a thousand of cedula in your wallet just like your credit card as long you pay any barangay chairman who issued you with “The Price is Right” Or have your doctor stamp a marujuana leaves on your prescription for “erectile purposes only”. Without any of these legal document in your wallet our purse if you just get out from the closet,Palaparan will tortured you with a “water therapy” or he’ll jumper your with car battery cables in both your nipples until you gave up the name of supplier,so that he can collect his commission.OOPPPPS!!!
Bansot and fatboy pidal have a long list of criminal activities that they can use as a divisionary news to cover an even bigger criminal headline news and/or treasonous act against the republic.
I am talking about the Spratly Islands. I think the UN deadline to submit the legal papers is on March 2009. So, what is the status of that?
Bansot is trying to expedite a law allowing foreigners to acquire a large tract of land. Is that a coincidence?
Cha Cha’s eCONomic policy will make it possible for tsikwa to acquire Spratly by buying it off and will keep bansot off the hook from treasonous act.
…bakit hindi muna hayaan ilagay sa pwesto sa PDEA o DBB si gen palparan para malaman natin kung totoo ang mga agam-agam na nakasulat dito?
…DDB pala..
Only fools like Sotto, another sipsip-alalay ni Glued will agree that Butcher Palparan will be a good official in DDB. May bahid siya ng dugo sa kanyang mga kamay. Period. Paurong na ang ating bansa dahil sa korupsyon, kahirapan, kagutuman, kawalan ng pag-asa, panlilinlang, kidnapan, patayan, kawalan ng hustisya, puro iskandalo, puro kontrobersya, kawalan ng trabaho, puro nakawan at kawalan ng moral ang nangyayari sa atin. Heto naman, puro ex-generals na loyal kay Glued ang nilalagay niya sa mga sensitibong mga puwesto. Pihado para paghahanda para sa 2010 eleksyion (meron pa ba?). Puro kababuyan na ang ginagawa ni PIGloria Kapalmuks sa sa ating bansa wala pa ring nag-aalsa? Sa totoo lang marami akong nakausap na mga banyaga ang nagtatanong kung bakit nagtitiis pa rin ang mga Pilipino sa kabila ng napakarami nang kapalpakan ni Bruhang Pandak. Puro duwag na raw ba ang mga Pilipino? Wala na raw bang magagawang paraan para matanggal na si Bitch?
loloy,
wildcat ka ba?
para sa akin ay mas makabubuting ipagpatuloy na lamang ni gen palparan ang kanyang retirement kaysa patuloy na makaladkad ang kanyang pangalan sa mga katiwaliang namumulaklak sa kasalukuyang bulok na administrasyon sakaling siya ay maluklok sa alinman sa PDEA o DDB.
paikot ikot na lamang ang nangyayari sa ating kasaysayan. kaydaming mga kasong pinag-aksayahan ng panahon ng mga hukuman at kahit ng mataas na kapulungan upang imbestigahan subalit walang nangyaring ikinatuwa ng taong bayan.
itong ating pangulo (peke nga lamang at isang mandarayang mang-aagaw at magnanakaw at sinngaling) wala ng hindi maisipang gawin upang ang ating paniniwala at atensiyon ay mailigaw!
kawawa ka, bayan!
This all of a sudden concern of bansot on the drug trade is just like her interest in the jueteng trade. Kaya tinanggal si Erap dahil gusto ng EK ng exclusive right to the jueteng trade, di ba? So is the drug trade. Kailangan niya ng maraming pera para bilhin ang mga boto para sa mga manok niya kung sakali man at hindi mapigilan ang eleksyon sa 2010. O kaya, kailangan ng milyon milyon para mabili niya ang mga tongressmen at mga senatongs (maybe not all of them but a good number of them) at kung saka-sakali man at kailangan ng Supreme Court ruling sa gusto niyang cha-cha, kailangan din ng limpak limpak na pera para manuhol siya sa gusto niyang suhulan. The drug money comes in handy. I absolutely agree that Palparan will be used to scare not the users but to protect pushers. Malaking business ang drugs. It is an economy by itself!
Magno, I am sorry to tell you that Palparan may have been a straight officer in your time but anyone who will serve the bansot has somehow lost his soul in the dump!
Re: “Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita last Friday floated the possible appointment of Palparan to the Dangerous Drugs Board.”
Talaga itong si Edong Ermita – tumatanda ng pabaligtad (74 anos). Kung ano anong mga kalokohan ang nasa isip. Nakakahiya talaga itong si Edong, Batangueno pa naman, pero naging duwag!
Ano kaya ang gustong mangyari ng PI Gloria, pag-awayin si Gen Santiago at itong butcher Palparan?
Re: “(Why does he look down on soldiers in Mindanao. As if we are war freaks).”
Tama si Marcelino.
In reality, when push comes to shove, it’s those government officials (civilians) who are war freaks — they are the ones that order the onslaught to kill our fellow Filipinos.
“Why does he look down on soldiers in Mindanao. ”
Kasi ang PI SiRaulo na iyan ay sira nga ang ulo!
Re: ““If that is his image (butcher), then that will work well for us. It’s the drug traffickers who should fear him, not the public.””
PI Sotto yan… it’s this type of logic emanating from so called government officials that give rule of law a terribly crappy name.
And what does Sen Biazon say about all these things? He, Honasan, Lacson, all having served in the military and police respectively should give their thoughts about all these shenanigans — why aren’t they saying anything?
Biazon is becoming a complete disappointment. I do realise that he is getting very old (PMA Class 59 turnback) but just the same, he should use his senate position to air his thoughts.
Re: “Danga gets to print the election paraphernalia.”
Yep, in line with his expertise (production sa intel, pareho ng background ni Angie Reyes), he can now manufacture propaganda.
Sayang itong si Danga.
The Senators who are former military officials seem to be not so motivated in investigating their own. This was apparent even during the Euro-General hearings. That could be the camaraderie among PMAers. But what I was most disappointed was when Lacson approved Raul Goonzalez’s confirmation. It was a complete turn around from Lacson’s previous stand against the old shit.
Matagal nang inihahanap ng pwesto yang si Palparan. Hindi pa kasi bayad ang mga Arroyo diyan. Maraming taong pinatahimik si Palpakan noong nasa tuktok siya. Tingnan ninyo ang mga supposed to be retired generals kung nasaan ngayon, e.g. Reyes, Cimatu, Ermita, Lastimoso, Abaya, atbp. Bakit hindi na niya lubos lubusin ang paginsulto sa atin – gawin niyang Commissioner ng Human Rights Commission si Palpakan. What difference does it make?
Come to think of it, whats illegal about illegal drugs? What is illegal is the use of any drug if not what it is prescribed for. What happens is that its economic value over rides its medicinal value because of the limitations imposed by the government. Controls are only for fools. Are we that dumb fools to take what is not good for ourselves? Lets remove those controls. It might even help progress.We save the salaries of the PDEA and others.
Report says “Prior to the briefing, Santiago said Arroyo phoned him to tell him to expect a call from Palparan.”
Even if Gloria did not direct General Santiago to take Palparan in his team, words to the effect “General, by the way, expect a call from Palparan,” is synonimous to “I want Palparan in and you had better not refuse!”
This is the one point where I can be very critical of Santiago. Much as I like him and his wife, the mere fact that he is under Gloria’s thumb regardless of logic, i.e., Palparan will attract more backlash than contribute something positive to the anti-drugs campaign vis a vis the public, Santiago actually won’t lift a finger or utter a word to dispel Gloria’s belief that Palparan will be a positive element in the whole anti-drug scheme.
Our generals have become spineless, without scrupules, thorough pushovers, i.e., when things become tough, the tough don’t get going.
We cannot totally blame Santiago. As a soldier, his training is to obey and follow orders. And it could be economic needs that drove Santiago to accept the PDEA position. I don’t think his retirement benefits are enough. Since he’s a less corrupt General than the rest as proven by his simple and humble lifestyle, his current job is understandable.
“Magno, I am sorry to tell you that Palparan may have been a straight officer in your time but anyone who will serve the bansot has somehow lost his soul in the dump!”
psb, i respect yours. we all here are free to express our respective opinion and nothing will be lost if one cannot convince the others. right?
anyhow or fried, our main target here is the mole of asia and the world.
Most military officials, retired or active, now serving this evil government are guilty of supporting a fake and corrupt regime. Especially those who participated in the 2004 election cheating. They were appointed to juicy civilian positions to reward them and keep their mouths shut.