Something To Smile About

Finally, things are turning up pretty well amidst the circus brought by Election 2007. The Permanent People's Tribunal (PPT) based in The Netherlands handed a guilty verdict for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her Administration for 'crimes against humanity'. PCIJ story (filed by former journalist Rommel Regalado Bagares, who is now working as a lawyer and pursuing masteral studies in The Netherlands), stated that President Arroyo and her government is responsible for:

• Gross and systematic violations of civil and political rights; extrajudicial killings, abductions and disappearances, massacres, torture;
• Gross and systematic violation of economic, social and cultural rights; and
• Gross and systematic violations of the rights to national self-determination and liberation.

The families of victims of human rights violation committed by the government will continue to grieve, but this, for sure, is something for them to smile about.

Jove Francisco wrote in his blog, By Jove! interesting replies from President Secretary Ignacio Bunye and Secretary Norberto Gonzales about the PPT's decision. Bunye sent several BLANK text messages (To read: NO COMMENT? Was he just to lazy to simply type the two-word reply?) when prodded to comment; Gonzales, on the other hand grabbed the wrong portion of his balls (Oopppsss!) by saying words like "propaganda front" and "kangaroo court" as he refered to PPT. Is Gonzales in partial denial of his guilt over his share of wrong advices over issues of national security?

Inquirer said yesterday that PPT will send copies of the verdict to United Nations and International Court of Justice. However the Administration continues to resist facing the issue of human rights violation, international and local attention given to it will force the issue of the Administration's apparent lack of moral standing on protecting human rights.

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I wonder though, what the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) will say on this. Last week, CHR released a statement that there were no direct evidences to pin down Major General Jovito Palparan on the charges of killings and human rights violations in Central Luzon.

Hmmm...