WARNING!

Graphic images of human blood in this post. Not for the faint-hearted and/or of weak stomach.

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Early this morning, this scene greeted me as I got to the corner of 10th Avenue and B. Serrano St. in Caloocan. Here is where I take the bus or AUV on the way to North Ave. MRT station.

(Photos taken using Sony Ericsson P1i. Photobucket reduced the size to 1024×768. Click on the thumbnail to view large image.)

Must be an engine trouble causing the truck to stop, I thought.

Then I saw this on the sidewalk:

My blood run cold. I had not bothered asking what had happened, so I made several deductions. A male child, probably between grade 3 and 1st year high school, met his death in this place. A block away is a small college with an elementary and secondary school. The pants for male students in that school is blue.

So I looked around and took some shots, to support my deductions. Some of the photos are not for the weak of heart (and/or stomach).

The back of the truck. Notice the green cloth, a part of which is also in the picture of the tattered pants and shoes.

Scratch marks on the road. Maybe at this point the truck driver realized he was going to hit the child, and stepped on the breaks.

Some blood marks on the pedestrian lane, which was at the back of the truck after the accident.

The sign of death. (I had deliberately inverted the image to negative. Click on the image to view the positive. WARNING: Blood.)

The truck’s plate number: PUU 396.

I am assuming the child, a male, is dead. For those who believe in God, please pray that he is alive; otherwise, please pray for the eternal repose of his soul, and that he may get justice. For those who do not, hope that he will get the justice that he deserves.

As an ordinary citizen, I am befuddled and confused and angered by the way the Arroyo administration works. You know, I am sick and tired and annoyed by the “focus on economy” sh*t, as if that’s the only goal in the world. The hell with accountability. The hell with transparency. The hell with the truth.

Anyway, everyone but my hamsters hark and hail the Sandiganbayan’s decision to convict Joseph Estrada of two counts of plunder. He was indicted for four counts, but only found guilty in two. One of them was about jueteng.

The decision, 200-pages of fallen trees, is replete with details, like how Luis ‘Chavit’ Singson threw money as if he was a professional juggler, from one jueteng lord to a certain bank account. The prosecution alleged via Singson that Estrada pocketed millions via jueteng payoffs, of which the three justices of the Special Division found Estrada to be guilty of.

May I ask the prosecution team, led by Dennis Villa-Ignacio, and Singson, the following questions?

1. Who are these gambling lords?
2. Are they being investigated?
3. The information alleged by Singson as old as the case itself. How come no jueteng lord has been charged?
4. Is Singson willing to name all the jueteng lords that he knew? Is he willing to testify against them when the time comes?

***

Last April, Gloria Arroyo went to China to attend an economic summit. She also saw several agreements signed between the Philippine government and several Chinese companies. One of the agreements signed is the National Broadband Network project to be built by ZTE Corp. and funded by China via a loan.

Seems to be a straightforward business. Yet, several months later, it remains so controversial that the Arroyo administration has to resort to its tried and tested tactic – that is, to ignore all protests and full speed ahead.

Why should this be so controversial?

1. The contract was signed during the election period. The Omnibus Election Code bans such transactions unless otherwise authorized by the Comelec. There is no such clearance from Comelec. How come this administration signed such a contract, when it is expressly forbidden by the law?
2. The current administration has failed/refused to open the contract to public scrutiny. Heck, it even concocted such a stupid story – that the documents were stolen. If the contract is above-board, as this administration is wont of saying, why can’t they let the people see the contract?
3. Is the contract beneficial at all? Several companies allege that their offers are better and on a build-operate-own scheme, with the government only paying for the use of the network. The ZTE deal is hinged on a loan by China; that means we have to pay it.
4. There was no public bidding for the project. Why?
5. Several officials of the administration said things that contradict each other. Heck, some of them said damnable things about the ZTE deal. One official was transferred because he said something that smells fish; some speculated he was transferred so that he won’t be an impediment. Who amongst these officials say the truth? Or are they engaging us in misinformation campaign?

***

Leah Navarro said in an early morning show that justice is not blind in this country. Unless this administration proves otherwise, I am inclined to believe Ms. Navarro.

For: Everyone
From: History
Subject: What fairness?

This memo is being issued for those who have forgotten their history and/or think the Arroyo administration is fair.

Remember Jocelyn Bolante and the Fertilizer Fund scam? The Senate Committee on Agriculture and the Blue Ribbon Committee finished their investigation, and issued a report March 1, 2006. They recommended that charges be filed against Bolante, who is now incarcerated at the United States for entering the country with a cancelled visa. February last year, the Ombudsman began investigating the fertilizer scam. Nothing has been heard about this case since.

There is no excuse for the delay. The Senate Committees had already forwarded their findings to the Ombudsman. All the Ombudsman needs to do is to verify the facts. It should not take a year to file a case. Maybe because Gloria Arroyo is linked to the scam.

Then, there’s Hernando Perez and the IMPSA deal. While the CBK-IMPSA deal has been in the works since 1992, the deal was approved four days after Gloria Arroyo and cohorts booted out Estrada. Here is PCIJ’s expose and timeline. The Ombudsman took 6 years just to find out that Perez is liable. The case is languishing in the Sandiganbayan ever since, as it had languished at the Ombudsman for 6 years.

That’s just two cases. Here is Dean Jorge Bocobo’s Google search queries for all the scandals and scams under the current dispensation.

Compare that with the speed at which Joseph Estrada’s case was dispatched. After his ouster as President in January 20, 2001, the Ombudsman filed cases of plunder and perjury against Estrada April 4, 2001, using the evidences presented in the aborted impeachment trial. (Heck, PCIJ even complained that Estrada’s trial would last ages!) The articles of impeachment were transmitted to the Senate in November 13, 2000, a month after Luis Singson’s allegations were publicized.

How’s that for fairness. FYI.

Reference:
The iniquity of selective prosecution

Joseph Estrada is found guilty of plunder and is sentenced for life imprisonment. He is found not guilty of perjury.

His son Jinggoy Estrada and other accused are acquitted of all charges.

My view: For those who are claiming that this verdict should be a warning to all corrupt politicians – in your dreams. The justice system remains broken as ever, and nothing has changed. A single verdict will not change the system. As long as you continue electing corrupt politicians, as long as you selectively put corrupt people in jail, as long as you tolerate petty violations of the law, as long as apathy reigns among us, no amount of jail time nor gun shots can address corruption.

This is not the time to celebrate. We must now buckle down to work, and start with ourselves. Start by following simple traffic rules. Start by stopping bribery in any form. Start by electing the right people. Start by holding ALL OF OUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE. Start by paying attention to what is happening around us.

If we don’t start now, it is only a matter of time before another Chavit surfaces. Yes, he should be in jail, too.

UPDATE:

Here is Black and White Movement’s statement on the verdict:

BnW REACTION TO ERAP VERDICT

We respect the decision of the Sandiganbayan in regard to the plunder case against former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada.

We presume the court arrived at its decision after careful evaluation of evidence presented during the trial.

The Black & White Movement, however, laments the selective application of justice – expedient and with a heavy hand for those perceived to be enemies of the GMA regime, while slow and protective toward those allied with her.

What is the difference between Jose Velarde and Jose Pidal?

Why has this government not pursued the cases against Nani Perez, Joc-Joc Bolante, Virgilio Garcillano, and more recently, Benjamin Abalos’ alleged complicity in the ZTE deal? Instead of pursuing these cases, this administration has stonewalled through gag orders such as the illegal EO 464 and questionable MO 108.

This reflects the sad state of our justice system where political patronage is the rule of the day. Those out of favor with the powers that be are prosecuted while those in the inner circle are beyond the reach of the long arm of the law. As former President “Erap” himself has put it… “weather-weather lang.”

We can only hope that when the political winds change direction, those who are currently in the circle of power, who are allegedly involved in crimes more sinister and heinous than Erap’s plunder, will have their day in court.

Here are the links to the decision (I suggest clicking on Mirrors 3-5):

Mirror 1
Mirror 2
Mirror 3
Mirror 4
Mirror 5

Here is the ABS-CBN News report: Erap guilty of plunder (slow load at this moment, you have to wait for a few minutes)
Here is Inquirer.net news report: Estrada guilty of plunder; perjury rap dropped
GMA 7 news report: Sandigan verdict: Erap guilty of plunder, cleared of perjury