Making a mockery of our justice system?

Thanks to the political season, we failed to report what could be a grave miscarriage or mockery of justice in this country. Yes, now it’s being talked about on the front pages of the local newspapers and by radio and television news commentators and of course in all the coffee houses in Cebu… that Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Idelfonso Suerte of the town of Barili may have been misled into convicting a fall guy for the celebrated killing of Mrs. Alona Bacolod Ecleo allegedly by her own husband, Ruben Ecleo, Jr.

Of course, as usual, wild rumors have cropped up that the judge may have been "bought" by the powerful Ecleo clan, after all, Mr. Ruben Ecleo, Jr. is known as the "Divine Master" and the Supreme Head of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA) a known religious cult.

Acting National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Director Reynaldo Esmeralda is looking into this possible "collusion" of the judge and Ecleo’s lawyers, after all, out of nowhere, a certain Cedrick Devinadera suddenly appeared last year to "confess" to the killing of Alona Ecleo… and worse of all, he supposedly did this to help Ben Bacolod kill his own sister on that fateful day of Jan.5, 2002 which is why so many people here refuse to believe this yarn. It was Devinadera’s "confession that led to his conviction as an accessory to the murder of Alona Bacolod.

Unfortunately, this "confession" of Devinadera can no longer be corroborated as his alleged accomplice, Mr. Ben Bacolod, together with his parents, Elpido and Rosalia and his sister Evelyn were massacred on June 18, 2002 in their home in Subangdaku, Mandaue City by a man using an Ingram machine pistol who was identified as Rico Labenia, a security guard who allegedly belonged to the PBMA. Aside from the Bacolod family, a poor innocent bystander Yoyo Laktawan was also killed in that shootout, including the killer.

So now, the NBI have their hands full investigating whether or not, all this was part of a script to spring out of jail Mr. Ruben Ecleo, who by the way is already out on bail for a million bucks! If you recall, the Philippine National Police (PNP) had a difficult time in effecting the arrest of Ruben Ecleo in his Dinagat mansion owing to the presence of so many armed guards who eventually fought the police in a skirmish that took the life of a policeman and 18 guards belonging to the PBMA.

If you ask me, Ecleo’s refusal to be arrested until they forcibly took him was more than enough reason to deny him bail. But then, who are we to judge the judge who gave him his freedom? The reason of course is "humanitarian" ala Erap if you ask me. Yes, while languishing at the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC), Ecleo feigned several illnesses to the point that he was sent to the Chong Hua Hospital for "treatment". But when he was released on bail, the Cebu media did not see a sickly Ecleo leave for Dinagat, but a healthy one!

At this point, many here in Cebu, including the Crusade Against Violence (CAV) are incensed by the sudden conviction of Devinadera supposedly as the killer of Alona Ecleo, supposedly masterminded by her own brother Ben Bacolod because they believe that this is merely a script to make a mockery of our justice system. I hope that the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. would seriously look into this possible "travesty of Justice" otherwise, we shall soon see a familiar pattern woven by the rich and powerful.

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Perhaps this story should have been featured in that TV series, "Believe it or not!" but if the Inquirer headlined her story last week, it is only because it sounds incredible… especially in Philippine politics. Yes, that 32-year-old Ma. Gracia Cielo Padaca, a polio victim who walks with the aid of crutches is leading and expected to win as governor of Isabela Province over the political dynasty of Gov. Faustino Dy Jr., is truly one for the books. One of the pillars of the so-called "Solid North" are the Dy’s of Isabela and for the first time in their 32 years in political power, they are heading for their most humiliating and crushing defeat!

This story only tells you that being physically challenged or handicapped should not deter anyone from achieving his dreams or vocation. Padaca was once an anchorwoman for the Bombo Radyo program "Sa Totoo lang" and "Bombo Hanay Bigtime" and became a thorn on the side of the Dy’s. Although she did run for Congress in the 2001 elections and lost against Faustino Dy III…but by some miracle, she is headed towards becoming the first governor of Isabela who does not belong to the Dy dynasty. As expected of traditional politicians, the Dys are still hopeful that they can still overtake Padaca’s more than 40,000 vote lead. Call it wishful thinking.

Now that we could have a physically challenged governor in this country, this might just be the big break for the organization of my sister Adela Kono, called the Organization of Rehabilitation Agencies (ORA) or their nationwide group called the Alyansa ng Maykapansanang Pinoy (AKAPIN) which is the group for the handicapped or physically challenged Filipinos who have experienced indifference to their plight, except for a few political leaders, like Mayor Tomas Osmeña or Vice-Mayor Mike Rama of Cebu City who really went out of their way to help the disabled sector.

The up and coming Isabela governor doesn’t really have to effect immediate infrastructure changes to help the disabled breeze through buildings as easily as possible, what we’d like to see her do is to promote a paradigm shift in the attitudes of our people in the manner they look at the disabled people in our society. The least that disabled people need is your pity, what they need is the understanding that they too have places to go and all they need is a few ramps or handle bars out there. In case you don’t know, polio victims aren’t the only ones who need ramps or handlebars in toilets, but also the elderly people or those suffering from arthritis or people who suffered a stroke. Just pray that you’re not next in line to become one amongst the disabled in our society.

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com. He also hosts a weekly talkshow entitled, "Straight from the Sky" shown every Monday only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 on SkyCable at 8:00 in the evening.