First, it’s rule by law. Now, it is skirting the law.

The Supreme Court has ordered the Executive Department, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Philippine National Police to produce Jonas Burgos at the Court of Appeals yesterday. As expected, no Burgos was produced. And most expectedly, the summoned people did not even bother dignifying the Court order with a written reply,

Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Calderon, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Maj. Gen. Delfin Bangit of the Intelligence Service of the AFP (Isafp), Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino, 7th Infantry Division head Maj. Gen. Juanito Gomez, Lt. Col. Noel Clement of the Escort and Security Battalion, and 56th Infantry Battalion commanding officer Lt. Col. Melquiades Feliciano – all of them proved to the entire nation who is in command and who is in power. All of them snubbed the Court; the Emperor had sent his own lawyer, the others represented by an assistant solicitor-general. They snubbed the Court because they know they will get away with it.

And they did.

The main argument that the solicitor-general has employed is the standard AFP reply – they cannot produce Burgos because they don’t have him. Circumstantial evidences will point out that this is false. Cases in point:

1. The car that was used in the abduction was found in a military camp.
2. The AFP had conducted an investigation, but like the Mayuga Report, it will not release the findings, “for confidential reasons.”
3. General Tolentino has branded Burgos as a member of the New People’s Army.

Maybe they did had Burgos, but he was long dead.

Maybe the NPA has Burgos, in an attempt to undermine the AFP. But how come the AFP and the PNP have not said anything in this line? And why are they not investigating this? Why can’t they declare an all-out war against the NPA?

Also, giving Gloria Arroyo a dose of her own medicine, let us cite some numbers. I will quote Jhay Rocas here:

874 cases of human rights violations, 99, 011 individual victims, 14, 302 families in 288 communities, 282 victims of extra-judicial killings, 69 victims of massacres, 147 victims of forced disappearances…

Bangit complains that he and the AFP are maligned. Prove, Mr. General, that you have not done anything. Prove by apprehending and putting into justice the perpetrators of these crimes. But can you? Will you?

Rule by law: using the law to your means. Skirting the law: using loopholes to get away from law. Both are legacies of the Arroyo administration.

What I am afraid of is that the AFP indeed have Burgos in their custody, and they are defying every institution there is, and is undermining the Judiciary, the last institution that the Arroyo administration has not corrupted/destroyed/compromised. Yet.

In a blog post, The Purple Phoenix thinks that Jamby Madrigal is angling for the presidency at 2010. I had commented that I will vote for Madrigal if she will put up reward money (minimum of 3 million pesos) to anyone who can positively point where Burgos is, among other conditions I had posted in the said comment.

Impunity n.

1. Freedom from punishment of any kind.

2. A legal reward given for terrorist actions, when they are carried out by the State. (emphasis mine)