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Recently, in a statement, Senator Ping Lacson has said that Political Amnesty may be needed in order for us to start on a clean slate. My counter-argument of course, is that giving political Amnesty is only a recourse for those who are guilty and have misused their power. The slate will only be superficially clean. The germs are still there, and giving justice a chance to proceed to its logical conclusion is the only disinfectant.

This is a very irresponsible statement, and a very naive train of thought being pursued by the Senator.

To provide Amnesty to anyone will only perpetuate the culture of impunity that this nation has not climbed out of ever since the Marcos Regime.

It’s high time that we finish these trials, swiftly and transparently. The tactic that Senator Ping Lacson is backing is the same tactic that has been used, and maybe is the reason why our culture of corruption is steady and is still the biggest hindrance to our success as a nation.

Get Out Of Jail Free Card

With this Amnesty Bill, I think there are circumstances in which amnesty is deserved, but I won’t sit here and say that this should be a wide sweeping and all encompassing Amnesty for all. Because in this case it will mean that sitting politicians including the President herself is crafting their own GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD to be used in future dates. What is the inclusive dates, crimes, or cases in which this Amnesty will be administered?

Could this Amnesty bill be used for crimes against the Filipino people yet to be determined or executed? Will this Amnesty Bill be used in the next three years under the Gloria Administration, thus totally giving up our rights as a nation?

Again, as with the Human Security Act, this is a very concerning and almost delicate matter to just brush aside. The provisions in this bill, if indeed it will be crafted and pushed in front of Congress for consideration, should be looked at carefully, prudently, and with the utmost investigative screening.

The burden of necessity should be upon the shoulders of those who will craft this bill. The proponents are of course is Joe De Venecia and other Administration Congressmen, and of course what must be the approval of The President herself since she’s included in the planned Amnesty.

For Filipinos who have voiced their strong deploration against the many alleged human and civil rights violations of the Gloria Arroyo administration, this should be of concern because the Bill will put forth in writing the ability to junk any of these cases during or after her term in office.

The problem is not that we are being bogged down by the prosecution of Erap or the Magdalo soldiers, the problem is that the trials have been too political and slow. The problem is that the current administration has used judicial persecution as a political weapon, and is thus contributing to the stagnant and demoralizing politics we see today. And the problem is that real justice in the form of prosecuting swiftly and fairly the enumerable public officials, both small and big perpetrators is not working.

Thus we don’t have a lack of Amnesty as the reason for the problems we face, but we have a lack of impartial, fair, and swift justice brought to a full completion for all public officials as well as enemies of the state.

Senator Ping Lacson is flat out wrong. In fact, all proponents of this wide sweeping and full covering Amnesty Bill is wrong. I sincerely hope that Senator Ping Lacson reconsiders. With regards to Speaker Jose De Venecia, I’ve already lost hope in him millions of years ago.

A Terrorism Contradiction

What will all the proponents of the Human Security Act who also approve of this proposal say? Isn’t this a contradiction in itself? When they push the Human Security Act because, as they say, the nation should fear the insurgents and that these individuals are evil and want the destruction of our nation. And yet, with this bill we are ready to play nice with them, and even grant them Amnesty.

Who decides whether an offense is political or not? Is this another ploy by the Administration to get more support for its Amnesty idea, even going so far as to negotiate with insurgents so as to get off from actually facing justice for all their wrongdoings?

This is the problem with the idea that Amnesty will unite our nation. Because, if we really think about it, do we really want to be united with corrupt and evil individuals? What kind of national progress does this entail? A nation of just and unjust united to move The Philippines forward?

I would rather have the just leading our nation in unity, because then, we can finally rest assured that it is the honest, fair, and nationalistic who are leading our nation, not the likes of Gloria and her allies.