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The
Colombian commando operations which rescued former
presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt from her
guerrilla captors should be studied carefully by our own
Army rescue specialists, as well as the special forces
of the Marines and the police. Such precision could help
them in rescue operations, especially in the troubled
areas of Mindanao and particularly in Sulu.
This
classic operation freeing Betancourt and other
high-profile hostages in Colombia ranks among the best
in planning and in actual mobilization, which compares
with the manner by which then-President Alberto Fujimori
of Peru captured and routed the dangerous Shining Path
guerrillas who created so much havoc in Peru for many
years.
I wonder
if human-rights groups in Colombia opposed this
brilliant operation and then complained to Prof. Philip
Alston in the United Nations.
****
I hope
the opposition will not blame President Arroyo if prices
will suddenly escalate, considering that in this
country, the President is always faulted by critics even
if they are only bitten by mosquitoes.
As of
this writing, the cost of oil in the world market has
already reached $145 a barrel. Unfortunately for us, our
appetite for oil continues to rise while we have no
sufficient alternative fuel for our people’s needs. In
fact, many do-gooders obstruct government efforts in
finding alternative fuels like coal-powered power
plants. All these efforts have been blocked, especially
by the Church.
Two
weeks ago in Iloilo City, the Greenpeace group invaded
my city. These abusive foreigners even had the temerity
to invert the Philippine flag displayed in their vessel
while many Catholic sisters and nuns were cheering them.
The
people in the barangays nearby tried to repel them but
the nuns warned the natives that “they will go to hell
if they will not support Greenpeace.”
Have
these sisters and nuns probably trained under Archbishop
Oscar Cruz, who also had the temerity to announce that
he will deny communion to the President?
****
We join
the entire nation in welcoming home Manny Pacquiao for
the singular honor of being the first Asian and the
first Filipino to win four international boxing titles.
As we
have observed after Manny won the lightweight
championship of the World Boxing Council in Las Vegas,
Manny had, at one moment of glory, electrified the whole
world as a Filipino boxing icon and the best fighter in
the world—pound for pound—in any weight category.
Now he
has returned home as a conquering hero and a great
unifier of the nation. Manny’s fights always unify the
administration and the opposition, and those with
different ideologies, sufferers from typhoons or not,
because to a man, we are proud of our countryman, Manny
Pacquiao, a great symbol of Filipino manhood.
****
Still
grieving from the MV Princess of the Stars sinking, we
are once again shocked to learn that the ship, which is
the focus of so many dives and deep-water probes to
retrieve dead bodies, is carrying toxic cargo which can
add to the number of victims already stunningly
unbelievable.
Should
the chemicals leak into the pristine waters around the
island, it would destroy the diverse marine life in the
area and the lives of residents along the island’s
coasts who depend on fishing as their only source of
income.
Why the
delay in Sulpicio’s declaration that the sunken ship
carries poisonous materials that can be fatal to man and
marine life? What excuses this time?
It is
time to review our marine laws, rules, regulations and
guidelines, and ensure that all angles are covered,
including the protection of passengers, cargo and the
environment.
We hear
that this chemical onboard the Sulpicio ship is so toxic
it is banned by the European Union.
Such
gross negligence is criminal! |
