INQUIRER Global Nation

In the aftermath of Rachelle Mae Palang’s death, resulting from an alleged “encounter” between the New People’s Army and the military in Dauin, Negros Oriental, comes another worrying concern. This time, it’s about the “campus tours” the military will conduct in Central Visayas to prevent, so they say, communist infiltration in schools.

Lt. Gen. Pedro “Ike” Inserto, Central Command chief, said the military decided to focus on educating students whom it considers to be “unwilling victims” of campus infiltration conducted by communist rebels. While the move – commonly viewed as a “militarization” of campuses – isn’t new among students, the military is apparently using Rachelle’s death to justify its resurrection.

This should alarm the parents of students who, like Rachelle, might end up being tagged as communists, amid burning issues that would time and again require students to express their sentiments. And this might help explain the hazy thing in a nutshell. Far from one’s imagination probably is the timing of that “encounter,” which claimed the lives of Rachelle and two others, and the circumstances thereafter.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro has been moving heaven and earth in lobbying for an additional P10 billion for next year’s military budget “in order to end Muslim and communist insurgencies by 2010.”

According to an Inquirer report, Teodoro’s request amounts to a 17.7-percent increase on the P56.5-billion budget already requested by the military.

Military budget hearings may drag on for months on end, leaving Juan de la Cruz with no option but to ask this question: Will I be the next to eat the dust? Sadly, we still have to hear other concerned officials lobbying for increases in the budgets for food production and other programs to address poverty and corruption, the very reason why the Filipinos are wallowing in their miserable condition - which sends many to the hills.

Rachelle earned praises from her fellow students for her unwavering stand against tuition increase, which she had expressed in articles she wrote as editor in chief of their school organ, Vital Signs, at Velez College, where she earned her nursing degree. Her being an outstanding member of the College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines, which is tagged by the military as a communist organization, would exceptionally define her role as a campus journalist. Upholding a personal conviction to promote justice unfortunately gave her life a tragic end.

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Cebu Regional Trial Court Judge Meinrado “Men-men” Paredes challenged journalists to take the lead in helping cause the return of an important state policy of disclosing government officials’ statements of assets and liabilities, which the Office of the Ombudsman had surreptitiously kept away from the public. Paredes feared that the continued nondisclosure of officials’ assets and liabilities, which media used to feast on, will only increase the level of corruption in government.

The Philippines ranks high in the list of most corrupt countries in Asia and the world. The “disappeared” policy effectively makes the Ombudsman suspect.

Judge Paredes was the inducting officer and guest speaker during the oath-taking of officers of the newly organized National Press Club Cebu at Club Ultima. The officers are Emmanuel “Anol” Mongaya (Super Balita), president; Manny de los Santos Rabacal (Catholic Church Television Network), vice president for television; Atty. Ed Barita (Philippine News Agency), vice president for print; Elias Baquero (Sun Star Daily Cebu and dyDD), vice president for radio; Janice Calleno (IBC 13), secretary; Job B. Tabada (Cebu Daily News), treasurer; Mitchelle Palaubsanon (The Freeman), auditor; and Godofredo Roperos (Sun Star Daily Cebu), Atty. Elias Espinosa (Sun Star Daily Cebu), Fred Languido (dyLA), and Cesaria Baquero (Newsmakers’ Forum Philippines, Inc.), members of the board of directors.

Ely Baquero was also reelected president (for the third time) of the Confederation of Beat Journalists in a separate event.

The elections are part of the Cebu Press Freedom Week celebration, which involves various outfits of Cebu’s vibrant tri-media. Congrats and more power!