Uncanny bravery

I am not comfortable with the tale of US-based Filipino-American activist Melissa Roxas that she and two others were abducted and tortured by the Philippine military last May 19. And I am not satisfied with the way its investigation is being handled.

At the outset let me state categorically that abductions and torture are not beyond the Philippine military. Ever since Ferdinand Marcos corrupted the soul of the Filipino soldier, he has shown an increasing tendency to be high-handed and a quickness to take shortcuts.

But all things being equal, along with the shortcomings also came a genuine desire to attain professionalism and a sincere appreciation of the inseparability of civil relations from armed might.

What I am trying to say is that the Philippine military could have abducted and tortured Melissa Roxas and her companions as she alleges. Or they couldn’t have, in which case Melissa Roxas could have a motive in making a claim as false as this.

And that is why it is very important not just to investigate the matter but to be objective and dispassionate as well in going about the investigation. If truth is what all of us seek, then no effort or tiny detail should be spared in seeking it.

And that is why I also agree with those like Rep. Jun Alcover who suggest that to make the investigation complete, focus should not just stay on the Philippine military as alleged perpetrators of the crime but on Melissa Roxas as well, being the accuser.

Let me go back now to why I said I am not comfortable with her tale. My discomfort springs from my observation that Melissa Roxas does not seem to act in the manner that one normally notices in abduction and torture victims — which is to be scared and traumatized.

Abduction and torture must be very harrowing experiences. I presume those who go through it would not want to relive it, at least not until they have, over a period of time, sufficiently recovered.

In America and other Western countries, where there is a very high premium on mental and emotional health, it is very common for victims of traumatic experiences to undergo healing and counselling sessions.

I must admit that I do not know what Melissa Roxas has been doing back home in the United States after her alleged experience in the Philippines other than what had been reported in the media.

And judging by the reports, the only notable thing that she did was to make public her supposed ordeal. What I am saying is that I find it highly unusual for a severely traumatized American to prioritize going to the media instead of seeking professional help first.

With very few exceptions, most foreigners abducted and tortured in the Philippines, mostly by the more notorious and barbaric Abu Sayyaf, would swear never to come back again to this country. And no one could blame them because of their experience.

But Melissa Roxas sure exhibited a different kind of trait. Without undergoing any professional process to ease her through her experience, she returned to the Philippines with uncanny courage to confront her alleged abductors just weeks after the supposed abduction.

I would like to ask forgiveness from Melissa Roxas if she is telling the truth. But from my years of experience as a journalist, this is the first time I have seen a “brutalized” victim brave enough to come back to the scene of the crime so shortly after it happened.

It just goes against the grain of my credulity to buy her tale, at least up to this time. Maybe, over time, after all the evidence shall have been laid open and the investigation shall have proceeded fairly, properly and objectively, I will have a kinder view of it all.

If the Philippine military is guilty as charged, then let the perpetrators from within be punished according to the crime. But let us get to know the real Melissa Roxas first, for the integrity of an accusation also rests on the credibility of the accuser.