Peace and Order – Page 2 – ellen tordesillas

Pained voices from Mindanao

Published by Ellen on June 4, 2017

Evacuation center. Photo by Erwin Mascariñas

There’s so much pain and suffering in their voices and they all have a common message: End the airstrikes in Marawi , lift Martial Law in Mindanao and resume peace talks.

In a gathering of persons and groups from Mindanao last Thursday, stories about panic, fear, hunger and fatigue since the declaration of martial Law by President Duterte last May 23 were shared.

Norkaya Mohamad said in normal times, it takes only 45 minutes from Marawi to Iligan City. When they fled Marawi last week, it took them eight agonizing hours.

Praning ang marami sa ISIS at Martial Law

Published by Ellen on June 3, 2017

Resorts World gunman. Photo from PNP PIO.

(Unang lumabas ang column na ito sa Abante)

Ang pangamba ng karamihan habang pinapanood ang balita sa nangyayari sa Resorts World na malapit sa NAIA 3 noong lampas ng hatinggabi ng Biyernes (Hunyo2) ay baka gamitin itong dahilan ni Pangulong Duterte sa pagdeklara ng Martial Law sa buong bansa.

Ang mga unang balita kasi ay sumigaw daw ng ISIS ang mamang sumugod sa casino na may baril. Hindi naman pala totoo. Ang sumigaw daw ng ISIS ay yung mga taong nagtakbuhan palabas.

Ito namang si U.S. President Donald Trump, na nagsalita sa White House mga tatlong oras ang nakalipas at tinawag na “terror attack” ang nangyari. Sabi niya sa kanyang pagharap sa media sa White House:

VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Trump calls Resorts World incident a ‘terrorist attack’, was it?

Published by Ellen on June 3, 2017

Unites States President Donald Trump called the incident at Resorts World Manila early morning Friday a “terrorist attack.” STATEMENT Trump, at a White House press…

Who’s the murderer? Who’s the coddler?

Published by Ellen on March 1, 2017

The ‘perya barker”act, in the words of Sen. Grace Poe, of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre at the government-organized Luneta rally last Saturday triggered responses from different personalities which make for amusing exchanges.

Afternoon of Feb. 25 at Luneta , Aguirre, feeling triumphant with the arrest and incarceration of Sen. Leila de Lima on illegal drug charges, he agitated the crowd , “Sino ang gusto n’yo isunod? (Who do you want next?)”
The crowd shouted back, “Trillanes! “Trillanes!”

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre

Lascañas: ‘Superman’ ordered death of political enemies, innocents

Published by Ellen on February 26, 2017

(Read the whole affidavit in VERA Files website. Click here.)

SPO3 Arthur Lascanas at his press conference in the Senate. Photo by Senate media.

By Charmaine Deogracias
VERA Files

They called him Superman.

That was the code the Davao Death Squad allegedly gave former Davao City mayor now President Rodrigo Duterte while they were killing criminals on his orders, according to police officer and the DDS’ self-confessed team leader Arthur Lascañas.

In his 12-page affidavit signed and notarized on Feb. 19, 2017, Lascañas said the squad initially targeted “drug addicts, drug pushers, snatchers, hold-uppers and other criminals.”

“Later on, however, we were ordered by Mayor Duterte to go after and kill his personal and political enemies,” he continued. “We became like hired killers who killed not only criminals but innocent people.”

No such thing as ‘limpio’in a dirty job

Published by Ellen on February 23, 2017

Five days after the explosive revelations of SPO3 Arthur Lascanas of the murders he committed upon orders of then Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, President Duterte has not responded.

In the narration of SP03 Arthur Lascañas of the “jobs” he had done as member of the Davao Death Squad, he recalled the instruction of then Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in a murder operation against the financier of a kidnapping: “Sige, limpio lang.”

Lascañas explained.” Bisaya parlance po ito. Ang ibig pong sabihin “Sige malinis lang.”

Another term that Lascañas said Duterte used complementary to the “limpio lang” instruction was “erase lahat.”

The power of conscience

Published by Ellen on February 22, 2017

SP03 Arthur Lascañas relates the murders he committed in a press conference at the Senate. With him are Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, human rights lawyers Alex Padilla, ArnoSanidad, and Cel Diokno.

“The torture of a bad conscience is the hell of a living soul.”

John Calvin -French theologian and reformer

The turnaround of SP03 Arthur Lascañas on the murders he committed as a member of the Davao Death Squad must have stunned Malacanang, all that it can come up with was Press Secretary Martin Andanar’s preposterous allegation that Senate reporters were given $1,000 each to attend the press conference morning of Wednesday at the Senate.

Senate reporters and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines slammed Andanar for the irresponsible allegation.

Andanar immediately backtracked finding himself trapped in quicksand of dubious press statements with his destabilization angle. The more he tried to wiggle out of his “destab” story, the more that his credibility sank.

Transcript of the press conference of former policeman,SPO4 Arthur Lascañas at the Senate

Published by Ellen on February 21, 2017

SP03 Arthur Lascañas at his press conference at the Senate, Feb. 20. Photo by Voltaire Domingo,NPPA from ABS-CBN online.

February 20, 2017

Ako po si Arturo Barikit Lascañas, 56 years old, isa pong retiradong pulis na miyembro ng Davao City Police Office. Ako po ay pinanganak at tubong Davao City. Dito sa gagawin kong isang public confession, ito po ay pagsunod ko po sa kagustuhan ng Diyos, at labis na takot sa Diyos, pagmamahal sa bansa natin at sa sarili ko pong konsensiya. Dahil po dito, dito po nagwakas ang blind obedience and loyalty ko sa isang tao – kay Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte, na ngayon po ay Presidente ng bansa natin.

Dito po, una ko pong tatalakayin ang mga sinasabi ni Edgar Matobato. Totoo po ang existence ng Davao Death Squad o DDS. Si Edgar po ay isa sa miyembro namin, at isa po ako sa pasimuno nito. Ang pag-umpisa po ng Davao Death Squad, before po ito nag-umpisa, sa una pong pag-upo ni Mayor Duterte bilang Mayor ng Davao City ay nag-umpisa na po kami na tinatawag ng ‘salvaging’ ng mga tao. Ito po ay mga suspect na gumagawa ng krimen sa Davao about illegal drugs. Naimplementa na po namin ang personal po na utos ni Mayor Rody Duterte sa amin.

Lethal mix: small mind and great power

Published by Ellen on February 8, 2017

President Duterte shows a book about anomalies in the Catholic church as he slams CBCP pastoral letter at convention in Davao city, Feb. 2. Malacanang photo by Rene Lumawag.

President Duterte’s reaction to the Pastoral Letter of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on the killings related to his campaign against prohibited drugs read in all Catholic churches last Sunday shows the danger when small minds are given so much power.

“Kayong mg Katoliko, kung naniniwala kayo sa mga pari pati obispo doon kayo. Kung gusto nyo mapunta ng langit, doon kayo. Ngayon, kung gusto nang matapos ang droga pero magpunta ako sa impyerno, sumabay kayo sa akin (You Catholics, if you believe in priests and bishops, go with them. If you want to go to heaven, go there. Now, if you want to end illegal drugs join me in hell),” he ranted in a press briefing in Cagayan de Oro Sunday evening.

It’s doubtful if he even read and tried to understand the full letter. The bishops acknowledge the problem of the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country and that’s in the first paragraph: “This traffic in illegal drugs needs to be stopped and overcome. But the solution does not lie in the killing of suspected drug users and pushers.”

Tourism and peace and order

Published by Ellen on February 1, 2017

Congratulations to the people who made the staging of the 65th Miss Universe in the Philippines a rousing success.
The publicity that the Philippines got from the pageant and the goodwill generated from the 86 beauties were a bonanza to Philippine tourism.

Miss Universe candidates in Boracay. DOT photo.

Last Monday’s pageant financier former Ilocos Sur Chavit Singson said the $14 million he shelled out will return in terms of more visitors to the country that are expected to fill up hotels, resorts airline seats, restaurant and other tourism-related businesses.

The more visitors, the Filipinos would be employed for a more vibrant Philippine economy.

Now, when visitors come, will they feel safe and leave the Philippines with beautiful memories of the country to share with others?

Category: Peace and Order