Thanks, Leo, for the lead on the vigilante

For a very long while, I thought that the senseless slaughter of defenseless civilians by cold-bloodied criminals who styled themselves as "vigilantes" would continue. As these harrowing events of summary executions unfold, our society has somehow, grown horribly accustomed to the unthinkable ways of the vigilantes. The murders committed in our midst have been matched only by the seeming indifference, if not callousness, of our atrophied and uncaring citizenry. And we profess to be the only Christian country in the Far East! Yes, for a very long while, I thought we would just watch helplessly the systematic assault of our justice system by criminals hiding behind the mask of self-righteousness.

We seem not to be affected by the dastardly description we have given the vigilantes. We do not care that they are the worst violators of our laws. We are apparently not disturbed that by their playing god, they have arbitrarily determined who among those who lived the life of being muggers (and some innocent ones) should perish without being heard why. Indeed, as the public has taken account that there have been 165 murders, thus far, we shrug our shoulders in accepting the police claim that no witnesses have surfaced to assist them in their "investigation". We find no fault in their playing deaf and dumb.

Well, I have heartwarming news for all of us. It is like the radiant rays of the sun peeking out of dark cloudy skies. Leo Lastimosa, in his indefatigable and resourceful ways, has written about a conscience-stricken vigilante. More than just a scoop of his life, his article demands full attention from every human being.

For the very first time since this scourge has descended upon us in December 2004, we have a vigilante, who may have realized that he had lived more miserably than those whose lives he snuffed with his deadly caliber 45. In the way Leo has lucidly described the affected lifestyle of this vigilante, the latter may not be cold-bloodied after all. For sure, his nerve of steel may have been melted by the blood splattered from the falling bodies of his victims.

This vigilante may be ready to atone for his brutal crimes, and no doubt, he deserves appropriate sanctions. But it is in the highest interest of our democratic system that in the process of his proverbial spilling the beans, we shall avail of his testimony to bring to the bar of justice the sick minds who formulated this evil concept, in the first place. In the language of the lawyers, this vigilante may, by pulling the trigger that fell his victims, be a principal by direct participation, but the principal by inducement, he, at whose instance the crime was hatched and executed is the more abominable being deserving society's total damnation.

This is the break the Catholic hierarchy, the Commission of Human Rights, the Cebu City chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and some ordinary mortals, like me, have been praying for.

I suggest that His Eminence, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal takes into his custody the vigilante referred to by Leo. That man, in Arankada's graphic description, is haunted by the lives of people he mercilessly shot to death. He must now be on the brink of emotional collapse and spiritual breakdown and any day of delay may be most tragic. He needs the highest spiritual guidance the cardinal can give and in yet the most secure of places his eminence can provide.

While the repenting vigilante is in the custody of the church, those who have the professional competence to help him heal a part of his wretched life must pitch in. It will surely take some time for him to gather his composure and be a human being again but he deserves the very second chance he denied his victims with.

The lawyers from the IBP, to answer a solemn yet treacherous call, have to devote their skill to prosecute the participants of these gruesome murders. They have 165 cases so far. Let their zeal in promoting justice be the crowning glory to their distinguished profession. However the results be, they shall rest comfortable in having upheld the decent without being self-righteous and in promoting the truth without any aura of pretense.