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OPINION: 'We planted evidence….,' admits Duterte

Article (news)

Buddy Gomez

<p>Didn’t our President just admit participating in the commission of a crime? Planting evidence is a crime, you know! It is so described in our Penal Code. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2015/metro-manila/10/28/cyber-buddy-banner.jpg"/></figure></div><p>Overlooked and overshadowed by the more sensational, headline-hugging threat of withdrawing the Philippines’ membership from the United Nations, I find President Duterte’s nonchalant admission of manufacturing and planting evidence (and way-laying suspects with entrapment intrigues, too) to be truly disturbing.<br/> <br/>That moment is vividly captured on video! That audio-video snippet provides a peek into Duterte’s soul and inner consciousness. An apparently sordid past from which he derives pride of feat and a source of misguided overconfidence. Perhaps, he may even be heralding his capacity to be able to do it again! Planting evidence, that is. Was he channeling a scare message?</p><figure class="op-interactive"><div style="padding-top:66.375%"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1465413" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></div></figure><p>During last Sunday’s pre-dawn monologue-cum-press conference conducted by the President in Davao City, he was recalling the many tricks he learned and practiced during the ten years that he served as a government prosecutor (Asst. City Fiscal) in Davao City. The context of the remarks cannot be divorced from his personal style of fighting crime. The Duterte way. And in the current instance, fighting his war against illegal-drugs.</p><p>Recalling a past episode of his personal participation in ”planting evidence” and expressing the same with gusto appears to be another “Freudian Slip.” Usually, “Freudian Slip” is an unintentional error regarded as revealing subconscious feelings. Or, it could also be an irresponsible pronouncement by one as wily as the President, to calculatedly evoke whatever reaction he assumes he could educe and squeeze by so speaking! </p><p>His <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/09/16/duterte-to-sereno-would-you-rather-i-declare-martial-law" target="_blank">threat of declaring Martial Law</a> still rankles. I speak of PDuts’ reaction to Chief Justice Sereno’s gentle reminder of the limitations of Presidential powers. While on the stump, he did speak of being “allowed to declare martial law” in the event that he was the people’s choice. </p><div><span style="line-height:1.6">Contrary to what a couple of senators say, we must always take the President seriously. I certainly do. He is the President. Our President. And as such, is expected to be a most responsible individual in the country. Now. Answer me this, has he been a responsible individual?</span></div><p>A SLIP OF THE TONGUE</p><p>By his vocal loquacity, this voluble President necessarily exhibits a clinical need for circumspection and prudence. This latest lapsus may have let slip an extract of damning circumstance in his ongoing bullying of Senator Leila de Lima. For now, let us just settle for kindness towards the President. Probably, it was merely an accidental confluence of a Presidential statement and the current controversy. </p><p>Let us settle for mere coincidence devoid of any malintent on the part of President Duterte when he regaled his midnight audience of sleepy journalists, attempting to impress them with his ‘evidence planting’ expertise! </p><p>However, having bragged of his participation in the nefarious and criminal activity of “planting evidence,” what do you surmise might have been another Duterteic “Freudian Slip” in all that? Another revealing lapsus linguae? (slip of the tongue).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i0opovFtrSg" width="420"></iframe></figure><p>In her press conference last Saturday, during which she came out staunchly fighting back against the accusations hurled against her by the President (that she was a protector of drug lords and profiting from the criminal trade), confidently presenting her side, Sen. De Lima shared information which have been passed on to her as cautionary alert signals to prepare for the worst against an irate President. </p><p>Sen. De Lima says that reports have reached her that some elements have been attempting to lure and bribe potential ‘rats ‘ from among drug-related convicts inside the National Penitentiary, to testify against her. The lady senator also spoke of a Duterte administration maneuver that can be characterized as a reverse Faustian temptation for her former bodyguard-driver to testify against her!</p><p>It appears to me that all by his silly self, President Duterte may already have pre-empted his much self-advertised <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/24/16/dutertes-drugs-matrix-tags-de-lima-others" target="_blank">Muntinlupa “Matrix”</a> that depicts Sen. Leila de Lima, now generally accepted as PDuts’ personal ‘bete noire,’ to be a top element of the drug trade syndicate’s food chain. </p><p>And the question that now begs to be asked, please? Is Assistant City Fiscal Rodrigo R. Duterte done with his evidence planting days now that he is President Duterte? Or are old habits compellingly irresistible and just too difficult to kick? </p><p>In yet another after midnight presscon yesterday in Davao City, Duterte has revealed his “Matrix,” gloating “You are finished, de Lima!” Dust will not be settling down any time soon. </p><p>BEHOLD A TELLING MORSEL </p><p>Subject to one’s predisposition and/or political bias, of course, here is a morsel from down here in Calbayog City, Samar. This may seem inconsequential for now, but I do not recommend it being disregarded and simply shunted to the dustbin by the remaining horde of PDuts’s faithful. This could be a learning and a teachable morsel!</p><p>My brother-in-law’s all-around tradesman engaged to perform odd-jobs in a beachside construction project had this to say, volunteered from out of the blue without prompting. ”An aton Presidente nalilipay san pamatay……bangin may tinukdo!” (Our President is enjoying the killings…..maybe he’s got something disturbing up inside his head!.......in other words, is he bonkers?)</p><p>Have you also observed that there seems to be more and more of these seemingly innocent street-level anti-Duterte commentaries that is participating in cyber space discourse? That trend is now apparent with my Facebook communities that counts many Duterte idolaters.</p><p>A PRAYER FOR A DUTERTEIC EPIPHANY</p><p>For the sake of the country, I join the still many who remain optimistic and fervently wish that an epiphany dawns upon the President. We belong to the 60% of the electorate who did not vote for him but, nonetheless we rise above our undisguised dislike for the elected leader of the nation. Repeat, ‘pro patria” we pray for his personal deliverance and the achievement of his lofty intentions. </p><p>The sincerity of my prayers is anchored upon the human reality that PDuts and his Presidency cannot remain so adamantly self-centered, stupidly obstinate, unchanging in his ways--words, deeds, conduct and manners, insensitively cocky and still persist unperturbed by the now discernible neaping tide, little white cap by little white cap, that is entrenching the perception that the President is somewhat psychotic.</p>

<p>Didn’t our President just admit participating in the commission of a crime? Planting evidence is a crime, you know! It is so described in our Penal Code. </p>

Didn’t our President just admit participating in the commission of a crime? Planting evidence is a crime, you know! It is so described in our Penal Code.