Keeping Up With the Arroyos

“Why should a person's right to travel be more important than a whole nation's right to justice?”

I haven't been feeding myself with local news over the past weeks. As with my other friends, except for  Mikey who is a producer/writer for 24 Oras, the way to keep up with current events is through social networking sites. Last night, I got my regular dose of political jolt when everyone started rambling of how the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order regardless of the contemptuous records of the Arroyos. Imagine setting them free in countries where the Philippines has no extradition treaty! They could have as well waived all the cases filed against the Arroyos and give them one way tickets to Hawaii where they can retire for the rest of their corruption stained lives.

Good thing Secretary De Lima was quick on her feet! She had the balls (even though she's a girl) to defy the Supreme Court. Even though the SC's decision was constitutional, we have to remember that the Constitution was formed in the first place to protect the people and if the Constitution is the reason why actual justice and accountability cannot prevail (by allowing the Arroyos to "allegedly" escape) then by all means, let De Lima exercise her power as Justice Secretary and slap these judges with a megawatt of common sense.

Last night's dramatic showdown elicited random reactions via the Twitter world. My travel blogger friend was taken aback by De Lima's response, fearing of her misuse of power – that she can hold any individual from their “traveling” rights. Ok. Some people were questioning why GMA News, allegedly the channel less prone to bias, wasn't there covering the scene. Maybe we can then zero in on how the media portrayed the Arroyos as a politically persecuted family. Yeah, right. Others, of course, are less sympathetic on her pleas even though she was looking very harassed in a wheel chair with metal contraptions sticking out of her neck while she's all clothed in a drab looking shawl. Staged, I guess.

After a decade or so, we'll forget how Arroyo raped our constitution and bribed her stay in power. We'll remember how she was able to skyrocket our GDP (plus other economic indicators) and save us from the Global Financial Crisis. Like what happened several times in the recent past where former thieves, dictators and mass murderers were not held accountable for their crimes, Arroyo will reign free and will be welcomed by Filipinos with arms wide open. Fools.

photo courtesy of http://www.interaksyon.net