Who's Afraid of Joma Sison?
Hot news, the arrest of Joma Sison is. But unfortunately, mainstream media seems to be limited (either by merely following standard procedures, or by malicious design) to a few "facts" and press releases.
Why then, should we call for Joma's immediate release?
Firstly, there is the "credibility problem" of his accusers, namely: the AFP, the Kintanar and Tabara widows, and bureaucratic goons like Norberto Gonzales. There's not much question about the AFP's lack of credibility. It presented (as part of their smear campaign against Jonas Burgos) a PISTON member who was arrested more than a year ago, kept under their secret custody while denying to the public that they had him, and then they release him claiming him to be a self-confessed NPA guerilla. If I was in the guy's position of being in AFP custody for more than a year, I'd confess to everything, even for the murder of Jesus Christ.
Then there's Gonzales et. al. Frankly, there's not much to differentiate them from the AFP. Tagging organizations as "communist fronts" really gets boring especially when the novelty of the CBCP and PCIJ being communist fronts wears off.
Now, as Teo Marasigan points out, if these ladies indeed knew something (anything) about the communist movement which they claim is responsible for their husbands' death, they would know certain facts which would contradict their claims. And I quote: "... o diktadura ba ang nakita nilang pamumno ng asawa nila?". To the casual observer, let me add that this would be in obvious reference to the fact that Kintanar and Tabara were disowned by their former comrades. And I am sure, if the mainstream media even bothered to do some deep-down digging, that they would find people willing to talk about why those two were discredited.
Secondly, there's the "credibility gap" between the accused and the accuser. The Supreme Court recently dismissed charges against Sison and several other NDF individuals. And if I am not mistaken, even the European Union recently delisted Joma as a terrorist. Let's add to that the fact that there is a growing international anti-imperialist movement (the International League of Peoples' Struggles, for all newbies out there) with Joma as one of the leading figures. I doubt you would be able to mesh together South Korean unionists, New Zealander grocery union members, Japanese human rights advocates, and Belgian student groups together if you were a murderer.
This, in sharp comparison to the massive condemnation the Philippine government has received its way. Foreign NGOs and Fil-Am organizations picket our embassies (and whenever possible, wherever GMA is headed) at every opportunity. NGOs like Amnesty International have pointed the finger (i prefer the middle one) at the Administration for the present Marcosian climate in our country. Heck, even the U.S Senate has expressed concern.
Of course, we should also look at the timing: in my view, i've seen a string of idiotic bumbles by the Arroyo regime before this Joma Sison shenanigan: the "confessed" NPA members saying Jonas was one of them (if they were NPA, heck, then CheChe Lazaro would count as NPA), the beheading of Marines in Mindanao which smells more and more like a deliberate sacrifice by the AFP, the ever-present international criticism, the witholding of the 3 members of the Gabriela Network USA (for the dumbest of reasons, them being suspected members of the Taliban).
What this trend of stupidity shows is merely a trend to cover up (rather unsuccessfully) the present Regime's dilapidated reputation. What better way to bolster support for the Human Security Act and the "war against terrorism" by trying to show that indeed their are terrorists. But all I'm seeing right now is a passage straight from El Fili: the local officials planned to dress an innocent villager as a deer so that the governor-general could shoot some game.
In this regard, its not only Joma who's being lined up to be shot for someone's pleasure. Its everyone else, whom the Government has no qualms in stepping on.
Why then, should we call for Joma's immediate release?
Firstly, there is the "credibility problem" of his accusers, namely: the AFP, the Kintanar and Tabara widows, and bureaucratic goons like Norberto Gonzales. There's not much question about the AFP's lack of credibility. It presented (as part of their smear campaign against Jonas Burgos) a PISTON member who was arrested more than a year ago, kept under their secret custody while denying to the public that they had him, and then they release him claiming him to be a self-confessed NPA guerilla. If I was in the guy's position of being in AFP custody for more than a year, I'd confess to everything, even for the murder of Jesus Christ.
Then there's Gonzales et. al. Frankly, there's not much to differentiate them from the AFP. Tagging organizations as "communist fronts" really gets boring especially when the novelty of the CBCP and PCIJ being communist fronts wears off.
Now, as Teo Marasigan points out, if these ladies indeed knew something (anything) about the communist movement which they claim is responsible for their husbands' death, they would know certain facts which would contradict their claims. And I quote: "... o diktadura ba ang nakita nilang pamumno ng asawa nila?". To the casual observer, let me add that this would be in obvious reference to the fact that Kintanar and Tabara were disowned by their former comrades. And I am sure, if the mainstream media even bothered to do some deep-down digging, that they would find people willing to talk about why those two were discredited.
Secondly, there's the "credibility gap" between the accused and the accuser. The Supreme Court recently dismissed charges against Sison and several other NDF individuals. And if I am not mistaken, even the European Union recently delisted Joma as a terrorist. Let's add to that the fact that there is a growing international anti-imperialist movement (the International League of Peoples' Struggles, for all newbies out there) with Joma as one of the leading figures. I doubt you would be able to mesh together South Korean unionists, New Zealander grocery union members, Japanese human rights advocates, and Belgian student groups together if you were a murderer.
This, in sharp comparison to the massive condemnation the Philippine government has received its way. Foreign NGOs and Fil-Am organizations picket our embassies (and whenever possible, wherever GMA is headed) at every opportunity. NGOs like Amnesty International have pointed the finger (i prefer the middle one) at the Administration for the present Marcosian climate in our country. Heck, even the U.S Senate has expressed concern.
Of course, we should also look at the timing: in my view, i've seen a string of idiotic bumbles by the Arroyo regime before this Joma Sison shenanigan: the "confessed" NPA members saying Jonas was one of them (if they were NPA, heck, then CheChe Lazaro would count as NPA), the beheading of Marines in Mindanao which smells more and more like a deliberate sacrifice by the AFP, the ever-present international criticism, the witholding of the 3 members of the Gabriela Network USA (for the dumbest of reasons, them being suspected members of the Taliban).
What this trend of stupidity shows is merely a trend to cover up (rather unsuccessfully) the present Regime's dilapidated reputation. What better way to bolster support for the Human Security Act and the "war against terrorism" by trying to show that indeed their are terrorists. But all I'm seeing right now is a passage straight from El Fili: the local officials planned to dress an innocent villager as a deer so that the governor-general could shoot some game.
In this regard, its not only Joma who's being lined up to be shot for someone's pleasure. Its everyone else, whom the Government has no qualms in stepping on.