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Nothing can stop, for now, the Army from defending its claim that an encounter occurred between government troops and suspected New People?s Army members in Dauin town, Negros Oriental, on Sept. 18. Killed were Rachelle Mae Palang of Consolacion town, Cebu, a registered nurse and former editor in chief of a student publication; Jerry Cabungcag of sitio Lawis, barangay Pasil, Cebu City; and Fedrico Villalongha of Bohol.
While it appears there?s no witness to dispute or confirm the military?s claim, the official statement ? that the soldiers fired when they chanced upon the ?rebels? who were showing off their firearms ? issued by a top Army official seems to point to one thing: there was no encounter. Perhaps what happened was an ambush.
?Sorry na lang sila if they were not in an advantageous position. Sorry na lang siya if she (Palang) was with the group, unless the group she was in was not an armed group,? Lt. Gen. Pedro ?Ike? Insierto, Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command (Cencom) chief, said in a report.
Insierto said he could not blame his soldiers for attacking the group because they were seen carrying firearms. He said the area where Palang and companions were killed was an insurgency hotspot.
Somewhere in this area is a huge jatropha (tuba-tuba) plantation. Rice farmers have reportedly been showing their indignation over the destruction of rice farms and their displacement from the place, which is now planted to tuba-tuba. Landowners have been lured by the government?s biofuel program, which seeks to lessen the country?s dependence on fossil fuel. Worldwide, experts see the biofuel program as a ?miscalculation? that negatively affects food production.
A press release issued by Ka Dom Pantaleon, spokesman of the NPA unit operating in southeastern Negros, accuses the Arroyo government of favoring certain capitalists, who also enjoy the protection of the military at the expense of the poor farmers. (Straight Jab, ?Still about social justice,? Sept. 15)
A classmate describes the slain nurse, in a published story, as very concerned about the farmers affected by the jatropha business, hinting that Palang could have been there to demonstrate her compassion. As an active member of the College Editors? Guild of the Philippines, Rachelle?s involvement in campus journalism propelled her beyond academic commitment she consistently opposed her school?s bid for tuition hike, a move that subsequently gained grounds.
CEGP has a history of adhering to the principle of serving the interest of students and the people since it was founded in 1931. The first to fall under such circumstance was Antonio Tagamolila, national CEGP president and editor in chief of UP Collegian, who was slain at the height of martial law. Sadly, Rachelle?s faith in CEGP?s pro-people stand would never be tested long enough.
I?m a CEGP alumnus, but my years of involvement in the group as an active campus journalist never turned me into a communist. Unfortunately, it was enough for Ferdinand Marcos? military intelligence to turn me and hundreds of others into martial-law jailbirds.
Rachelle?s parents said they respected the principles their daughter steadfastly held. It?s the same conviction that made an immeasurable difference in the lives of Filipinos who wallowed under the grip of their oppressive leaders. Lamentably, we see again the recurrence of the vinegary events that Rachelle tried to help address.
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Sen. Mar Roxas will be in Cebu again tomorrow. Never mind his political ambition, but as a lawmaker he can surely spare his precious time to ponder what happened to Rachelle and her colleagues. Lapses in military rules of engagement might have contributed to what?s perceived to be unnecessary killings.
On the basis of Cebu Provincial Board Member Vic Maambong?s resolution for a thorough probe, the Commission on Human Rights has taken action. Mar Roxas could very well provide a more prudent answer to the puzzle ? now that public doubts persist over the bloody incident in Dauin, Negros Oriental ? with legislative initiatives anchored on the promotion of social justice.
Mar will be here primarily to donate P300,000 for the anti-dengue TV campaign to the Cebu City government?s effort at eradicating the dreaded virus that has claimed the lives of several residents, most of them children. That?s peanuts, of course.
Beyond that, as chair of the Senate committee on commerce and industry, Mar can also probably offer some remedy to ?save? the South Road Properties, an elephant that has yet to shed its white skin. The predicament has been depriving the Cebu City of the needed revenues to pay billions of pesos in loans plus interests. The lion?s share of the budget for the loan payment has in effect thinned the allocation for the constituents? basic services. Knowing Mar as a public servant who has been responding to major concerns, Cebuanos expect him to perform more miracles for them.
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About five hours after I began writing this column, I will be at the oath-taking ceremony of the interim officers of the newly re-organized National Press Club Cebu at Club Ultima. Judge Meinrado Paredes will induct the officers.
The affair has to be pursued against the suggestion that the group stop using the old name, following concerns raised against the mother group in Manila that have affected its standing as the oldest media club in the country. Anchored on the stand that the Cebu group is not part of the storm, majority of the members decided to retain the name without prejudice to getting a new one, as the club has yet to finalize its reorganization efforts. While banter from fellow journalists is unavoidable, the club takes them as a source of strength in its effort at doing the needed reforms.
For several years, the club ? composed of veteran journalists and youngbloods in the industry, representing various tri-media outfits ? has been orphaned by the retirement of its founding president, Manuel Satorre Jr., who?s in the United States for health reasons, and the untimely passing of his successor, Manuel Oyson Jr. It?s in this light that we rise to take the big challenge of making the club deserving of media consumers? trust and respect, and, yes, move on.
More on the club in the next column.
