A news item (relegated to the Metro section) last Tuesday stated that five supporters of Joseph Estrada were abducted by armed men last Monday. Then yesterday, Eduardo Ermita denies the administration had a hand in the said abduction. Even if it was done by the military, Ermita was quick to wash hands, saying that “These are operational matters that you don’t expect the Palace to have knowledge of.” It is either he is lying, or the Fortress by the Pasig is not in control of the AFP and the ISAFP. Or both?

Hours after that interview with Ermita, the AFP has admitted taking the five men. These men were then charged with rebellion, for allegedly trying to assassinate four Cabinet members.

I have several issues regarding this. One, Why did it take them 2 days before admitting that they have in their custody the five men? Why did it take them 2 days to file charges if they have evidence at hand? I mean, they can’t just “arrest” them without even having any evidence of wrongdoing. Which brings me to the next point.

The seemingly arbitrary arrest made, and the way it was made, should be of concern to all citizens of this country. There should be an outcry. Legal groups should butt in, investigate, and file charges if they found something wrong. For if military can just arrest anyone anytime and anyhow they like, we should be very scared, indeed.

Another point: is assassinating a government official synonymous with rebellion? Since when? Or maybe the news report was badly written?

And I find this sickening, from ABS-CBN News:

Kison, however, was not clear about whether the arrest of the five was covered by warrants. All he said was that charges against Dionisio are pending with the Department of Justice. The four others were rounded up because they were with Dionisio. (emphasis mine)

Also, all rebellion charges filed by this administration this year are all based on eyewitnesses – one eyewitness per case. These cases will turn to I-say-he-says type of cases – flimsy at best. They will all hinge on the character of the witness, and that will be a problem.

Again, since this case doesn’t affect the majority – and their interests are not at stake – they will just ignore this case. Will it embolden the Fortress by the Pasig do push the envelop further? It seems that the three Supreme Court decisions released this month were not enough deterrents for the Fortress; as I have stated somewhere else, those decisions were like slapping a child’s wrists with marshmallow sticks (Justice Isagani Cruz was more restrained when he used the word “felt slippers”). With the seeming apathy, and a paper-tiger SC, expect Gloria Arroyo and her joke court to push the envelop further, until it hurts every one. And hopefully it won’t be too late by then.