AKBAYAN Chair Emeritus Etta Rosales expressed little surprise that many quarters are doubtful over the findings of the Philippine National Police on the Glorietta blast.
“Their lack of credibility on issues involving civil liberties and extrajudicial killings has spilled over other areas of their work. As a law enforcement agency, the PNP has willfully mangled our laws to protect the interest of the GMA administration. They should not wonder why the public question their findings and consider them politically motivated,” Rosales said.
She added: “The other crater that the blast created is on the credibility of the administration. The issue has shown the level of distrust the people feel towards the government. That the public see the government as one of the suspects behind the blast proves that unless a credible inquiry is done on the explosion, justice would be elusive for the victims.”
“It’s a sign of the erosion of its integrity when the people feel that they could not trust the police to ensure their safety,” Rosales said. “It is karma, and this the cost of their misuse of power and authority.”
She joined the call for an independent inquiry on the blast. “Justice for the victims can only be achieved once the truth behind the blast has surfaced. If we cannot trust on the authorities to present a credible conclusion to this issue, then it is necessary for the government to allow an independent investigation on the blast.”
In a ritual calling for justice for the victims of the blast, Rosales, along with school teachers from Makati City, appealed to authorities to hasten the investigation on the blast. “We owe the families and friends of the explosion a quick resolution on the issue. This is the only way we could lessen their misery,” Rosales said.
A crater of distrust
Monday, 22 October 2007
(Press statement of AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros on the Glorietta blast)
That the government is one of the suspects behind the Glorietta explosion reveals a greater tragedy: in a moment when solidarity is direly needed, we cannot count on the GMA administration to unify the nation and deliver justice to the victims of the blast.
Lives have been lost and dozens have been wounded. The pain and suffering of the victims and their families can only be lessened by the promise of justice. Whether caused by act of terror or monumental ineptitude, our collective duty is vigilance: that we may always be partisan towards justice and peace and that we may always be on our toes to pressure a government to use its power for the people, not against them.
AKBAYAN calls on the authorities for a swift and impartial investigation on the incident. Three days have passed since the explosion and the police and military still have to come up with initial findings on what caused it. We can only contrast this slow process with the haste with which the administration passed the anti-terror law, which granted the authorities additional powers supposedly to prevent or promptly ’resolve’ incidents like the Glorietta blast.
We likewise warn against using the incident as a means to stop efforts to find the truth behind new controversies involving Malacañang. The administration’s imperatives for political survival should neither impede nor determine an honest and impartial inquiry on the matter. We call on the police and the military to rise above the partisan objectives of opportunists who wish to take advantage of the situation. We also appeal to the leaders of civil society and religious groups to continuously demand for a credible resolution on the blast.
The only way to counter the terror sowed by the Glorietta explosion is through a swift, impartial, and peaceful conclusion. Responding with terror would beget more terror. Delays would only thicken the air with speculations, a climate conducive for further abuses and opportunities to instigate violence. A partisan solution can never replace justice: it would not bring peace and comfort in the hearts of the victims of this tragedy.
A so-called national unity achieved at the expense of democracy and justice would only serve the interests of opportunists who wish to take off our attention from the controversies spawned by the NBN deal. What the nation needs now is solidarity motivated by empathy and indignation for a tragedy that must not be repeated.