The case of the Alabang Boys (Brodett, Joseph, & Tecson) & the bribery scandal is confusing. Bribery? What’s new? After the early release of Claudio Teehankee Jr. last October, it does not surprise me that strings are being pulled once again.
Maybe that’s why I wasn’t too keen in figuring out the intricacies of the Alabang Bribery Scandal. You know, he said, she said. Who is telling the truth? My attitude took a positive turn when I tuned in to ANC News Channel this afternoon and heard the Congressional hearing of the Alabang Bribery Scandal. Two things caught my attention:
1. Despite his emotional narration of the attempted bribery, I believe Major Ferdinand Marcelino is one principled man who may have brought hope to alleviate the nation’s drug trade and addiction problem. Surely there are other honest authorities out there but are no match to the powerful drug syndicates because of protection they are getting from the corrupt judiciary, police and politicians.
2. More than the bribery attempt, I felt that the Alabang boys needed to be taught a lesson and serve time in jail together with rehabilitation. As a parent, it must be painful to see one’s kid in jail. A parent can only see good in their children. But hey, tough love. These boys were caught in buy-bust operation so they must be either drug users or drug pushers or both. Parents themselves may have been enablers of their kids’ addiction because they don’t set boundaries of behavior. My gut feel was right when I heard the suspect’s relative point to the mother as the one supposedly pushing drugs to her son. The horror.
These drug addicts are really scary. How many cases have you read in the papers that was due to some drug-crazed individuals?
I recall a friend (let’s call her Sara) whose drug-crazed brother attacked her and her sister with a bolo. These drugs certainly create havoc to the brain. Her sister parried the blows but part of Sara’s forehead and scalp were brutally slashed. Sara, a doctor and almost bleeding to death held on to the dangling skin of her forehead and scalp and brought herself to the emergency room of a small hospital nearby. The shocked attending physician was too stupefied that my friend gave instructions lying down from the hospital bed. Her contemporaries all helped in rebuilding her face the following months. Today, you can barely see the marks. Thanks to the excellent surgery skills of her peers.
Yes, she survived the attack but not many victims are lucky.
One positive outcome that struck me from the Congressional hearing of the Alabang Bribery Case is that the Department of Justice is required to submit dropped cases on drug-related activities. If pursued, I believe this may lead us to the arrest of big time drug pushers or their financial backers. Department of State of the United States (US) released its 2006 International Narcotics Control Report that refers to the Philippines as a drug smuggler’s paradise. Latest available figures show that the Philippines has 3.5 million habitual drug users nationwide and 1.6 million who uses drugs occasionally.
Your friend or relative’s child may be part of that statistic.
There is hope that this scandal may lead us to reforms to prevent corruption from the judiciary, police and politicians and in the end, lower drug addiction in our country.
drug addiction is a real problem in the country. Part of the solution is to stop corruption in government
That’s a tall feat! But it’s good to dream.
its really such a pitty that phil is now becoming a fast rising drug paradise, a pool of crackers or so the urbans say . but i know that this generation is about to change for the better , we just need to train the young ones and lead them to the right path . 🙂