Agustin Chan turns in his grave

Ilocos Sur CoA provincial auditor Agustin Chan was closing his investigation on the financial shenanigans of an Ilocos Sur governor -- from an invisible tomato paste plant to billions in tobacco subsidies that could not be found -- until these were all traced back to the governor.

Before Chan could even finalize his report, he was gunned down and killed in Barrio Bantay, Ilocos Sur, along with his driver Alex Recacho on October 4, 2001. If motive were the only prime element in murder, then the governor Chan was investigating should have been the chief suspect right off the bat.

Yet there has never been an investigation on this heinous act. In fact, over the years under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, this suspect has even risen to the highest ranks of government power.

The Agustin Chan murder will be eight years old this October, yet it remains unsolved. All this time, Chan’s family has been overtaken by a gloom that has taken its toll on the morale of the children, who have all but lost faith in society and the system.

Also, during this span of time, the prime murder suspect has continued to spread the scourge of social decay and oppression all over society, with jueteng abetted by the ruling powers, which have no regard for law and even less for justice.

But then, there is no more law in Philippine society today, only the rule of force and corruption by gangsters and hoodlums in uniform, robes, and sultanas.

I include the sultana-donning priests because of the proliferation of jueteng today, which they used as a pretext to launch Edsa II to oust a law-abiding president.

And now, could you even imagine the chief jueteng promoter being promoted to secure the nation? What is he to secure -- jueteng?

While one bishop has postured himself to be the arch-nemesis of jueteng, he nonetheless obfuscates the campaign by pulling the rug from under the only Catholic leader, Gov. Ed Panlilio, who has actually done something to stop it by joining the call for him to vacate the governorship.

I almost forgot to include the gangsters in business suits who supported the jueteng governor in Edsa II. They are as silent today because as evil politics entrenches itself, it pays them off with inordinate corporate profits.

We understand Senator Ping Lacson’s plaintive lament on the Philippine Star’s headline, “Exposing gov’t anomalies really tiring, says Lacson.” That is why despite the highest negative rating of any Philippine president in history, the demonstrations and rallies against Gloria have been growing steadily tepid as angry people face the same sentiment -- exposés and protests are useless against a regime that is not bound by any moral or legal precepts.

Stealing from the people’s coffers, murdering innocents, corruption of government and society -- these evils are growing in severity and nothing in the arsenal of law and justice has any potency anymore. Only the use of counter-force remains and this, it seems, is what the oppressive rulers are inviting.

Gloria’s sect of political evil and its rule over our government is the main issue in Philippine society today. This high priestess and her religion of greed and corruption have relentlessly pursued the corruption, dehumanization and dismemberment of this nation -- blighting the entire history of this country.

We ask each and everyone who claims to desire to lead this country of what they say about this. It is a timely question because there are already a number posturing to lead this nation. For Senator Villar, for example, what can he now say considering his role in fast tracking this evil sect to power when he was Speaker of the House in 2000? And what will he say once his own evil loans are exposed in the course of the campaign in the coming months? Is he then any different from Gloria?

This early, Villar doesn’t seem to be shy of manipulating surveys to make it appear he is really in the running. A latest SWS poll was ingenuously geared to show Villar rising in the surveys, contrary to his very poor showing in the Pulse Asia survey earlier. The variance on Chiz Escudero and Erap in the SWS poll was too big to be credible, a ploy which may have worked had SWS not had the damaged reputation from its 2004 “exit poll,” where it projected a huge Metro Manila victory for Gloria, only to be thrashed when the actually counting ended, as FPJ won overwhelmingly in all Metro Manila cities and towns, except in the Villars’ Las Piñas bailiwick. It was such a grievous error that SWS’ Mahar Mangahas had to apologize in October 2005 after finding out that their subcontractor, led by Jayjay Soriano, had “massaged” the survey.

Truly, the only leadership that can cure the cancer Gloria infected this country with and untangle all the legal and constitutional mess must be her exact opposite. This leadership must be truly human, stringently honest, principled, law abiding, unselfish and creative. It must also be perceptive enough to have seen through the masquerades of Gloria and her cabal right from the start.

Those who still feign ignorance over Gloria’s malevolence in the run up to Edsa II are all paradigms of hypocrisy. Her record from the Garments Board to the Pinatubo Commission had already displayed her amoral greed. It’s just that “civil society” used her greed and evil for their own greed and corruption, as what Villar did.

The electoral process in the Philippines, like in the US, is a circus keeping ordinary folks enthralled while exploiting rulers perpetuate themselves through electoral and campaign laws, which are only meant to be violated.

This early, Villar is already buying media time and has gotten Joe de Venecia’s endorsement -- though a kiss of death by any standards. The NPC, meanwhile, waits to field candidates who will do its oligarch-master’s bidding. As for the Comelec, Chairman Melo has failed yet again, presiding over the farce that was last ARMM elections despite the promise of automation.

Without doubt, “The Last Revolution” is the final option. As Ding Lichauco calls for a non-electoral manner of re-installing President Estrada for his open declarations against Gloria and foreign interference, Gen. Danilo Lim, Senator Trillanes and the Bagong Katipuneros are also ready to lead. Then, and only then, can the Agustin Chan’s of the land finally rest in peace.

(Tune in to: Talk News TV on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 3, tomorrow at 8:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. with guest, His Excellency, Amb. Manuel Perez Iturbe of Venezuela; Kape’t Kamulatan, Kabansa on 1098AM, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.; and Suló ng Pilipino every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the same station)