By BenCyrus G. Ellorin
CAGAYAN DE ORO — Today, April 9, 2010 marks the national celebration of the Araw ng Kagitingan or the Day of Valor. It is the commemoration of the Fall of Bataan at dawn of April 9, 1942 which started the infamous Death March that claimed the lives of almost 20,000 prisoners of war in the barbaric hands of the invading Japanese Imperial Army.
We celebrate the day to the honor the Valor of the Filipino soldiers who Japanese in the second World War.
As the 2010 elections draw closer, we should reflect on the two traits that we thought are worth emulating for all Filipinos: valor and honor. Valor is a noun that means courage and bravery especially in battle. Valorous men and women are people who show courage in a fight with single-minded purpose of defending what they thought is right, even if death is a certainly.
In the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the highest distinction a soldier can have is the Medal of Valor. One such awardee is now politically persecuted and imprisoned by the Arroyo administration for his advocacy against corruption in the military. Many also believe that Medal of Valor Awardee Col. Ariel Querubin of the Philippine Marines was imprisoned to silence him because he knows a lot about the election cheating that happened in the 2004 elections. Querubin who was then assigned to lead the Marines in Lanao del Sur and stationed at the Camp Ranao in Marawi, Lanao del Sur.
From his jailhouse, Querubin is now running for Senator under the Nacionalista Party of Sen. Manny Villar. The imprisonment of people like Querubin is instructive of how decadent the Philippine government under Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo has become. The candidacy of Querubin who is known for his exploits in the battlefield under the NP-Villar ticket is also an indication that the black propaganda linking Sen. Villar as the secret candidate of GMA is nothing but a smear drive to pull down Villar’s ratings in pre-election surveys.
I do not believe that at this point in his life, Querubin will sell-out or even venture into a camp that has anything to do with the GMA administration, in the same way that although his Marines were heavily outnumbered in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on March 18-19, 2000, as Commander of the Marine Landing Batallion team he led the battle against the Bangsamoro rebels for more than 24 hours until the outnumbered Marines broke the last line of defense of MILF in the area, the Camp John Mack.
Honor on the other hand determines a person’s trustworthiness. It manifests in the person’s respect, honesty and integrity.
GMA no doubt has questionable honor. Truth of the matter is that any association with her during this elections is a “kiss of death.” And Sen. Manny Villar was right in saying that “hindi kami bobo,” and emphasized that they never want any association with the pretender in Malacanang nor is the NP-Villar camp asking anything or expecting to receive anything from Gloria or her cohorts.
The biggest irregularity in the 2010 presidential election however is the candidacy of CONVICTED PLUNDERER Erap Estrada. It would be a very huge dishonor to those who fought and died for this country should Estrada be again voted as president. A known womanizer, Estrada was charged of Plunder and was convicted of it after he was ousted from power in February 2001.
The ouster of Erap was made possible after Sen. Manny Villar, then Speaker of the House, transmitted the Impeachment Complaint against the errant president.
The Plunder Changes of Erap includes acceptance of 545-million in Jueteng Money, misappropriation of 130-million pesos from the Tobacco Excise Tax, receiving 189.7-million commission from the sale of Belle Corporation, a real estate firm and owning about 3.2-billion pesos in the bank under the name Jose Velarde.
Plunder is a high crime. Convicted of plunder, Erap was sentence to reclusion perpetua, the highest sentence a criminal can have in the Philippines after the abolition of the Death Penalty. He was however pardoned by GMA for her to survive all the controversies hounding her administration.
I hope people will take stock on this reality in the Estrada candidacy. It is not only demeaning to have him back, but it will totally destroy the integrity of our democratic institutions and dishonors beyond repair the office of the Presidency.
Comments can be sent to bency.ellorin@gmail.com.