'Justice Man' for the Senate

The title above, and the mini picture-calendar of Silvestre H. Bello III holding up and about to render a big blow with a gavel (that looks like a hammer) show how determined the former justice secretary is to pursue justice, up to the steps of the Philippine Senate. But he told us women in media the other day, that he regretted not holding press conferences and sending photo releases to the tri-media when he was peace panel chairman and justice secretary. He was too shy, then, he said, and did not appreciate publicity. If he had been publicity conscious, he would have become a familiar face to the public now, and presumably easily winning votes in the 2010 senatorial race.

I am an admirer of Bello, and see him as more fit than many who have become, and are desperately trying to become senators. Few candidates could match his capabilities and the accomplishments he racked up under three Philippine presidents. He was justice secretary during Cory Aquino’s presidency, and again served as justice secretary and as solicitor general under the administration of Fidel V. Ramos. He was chair of the GRP negotiating panel for talks with the CPP/NPA/NDF; president and CEO of PNOC Development and Management Corporation; general manager and CEO of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (formerly Philippine Estates Authority), and presidential adviser for new government centers, and Cabinet secretary.

 Bebot, as he is popularly called, was born June 23, 1944, in Gataran, Cagayan. He received his bachelor of arts from Manuel L. Quezon University, and law degree at the Ateneo de Manila University. He was elected councilor in Ilagan, Isabela in the early ‘70s. From there he moved to Davao where he was appointed city administrator.

 Bebot told us the highest point in his public career was when he was chief negotiator for the talks with communist rebels during the Ramos presidency and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as chairman of the Philippine peace panel.

He recalled how he earned the trust and confidence of key CPP-NPA-NDF leaders like Jose Maria Sison, Luis Jalandoni and Fidel Agcaoili, and through his perseverance and sincerity shining through, he was able to secure the release of NPA hostages like army Major Noel Buan, who spent 22 months in captivity.

 In another landmark case, Bello helped bring back into the mainstream retired Brig. Gen. Raymundo Jarque, who had thrown his lot with the very rebels he fought. Another significant accomplishment was his securing of safe conduct passes to communist leaders designated to sit in the rebel panel.

Prior to these government involvements, he was a human rights lawyer-cum-activist; he was a member of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) founded by Pepe Diokno and Haydee Yorac to assist human rights victims of martial law and poor litigants seeking retribution. For his maverick deeds, he was jailed twice for offenses, which, he told us, “were never proven and could not stand up in court.”

 Under his leadership, his team investigated and successfully built a case which resulted in the conviction of influential suspects in the Vizconde massacre as well as the double murder of Maureen Hultman and Roland John Chapman.

 Bello also prosecuted infamous coup plotters led by the now-Sen. Gringo Honasan and the late Col Billy Bibit. His skillful use of diplomacy was also instrumental in the surrender of renegade soldier Lt. Col. Rodolfo Aguinaldo.

The “Justice man” said if elected to the Senate, he will resolve “to give every Filipino a brand of justice that is swift, effective and affordable.” He will push for the funding of a “Justice on Wheels” program so that even the remotest barangays can have access to justice. He said, instead of the litigants going to the courts, the courts are the ones that will go to them.

* * *

There’s substance to the Ang Kapatiran Party’s complaint of being discriminated against by ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) when it excluded AKP vice-presidential candidate Atty. Dominador “Jun” Chipeco from the channel’s  vice-presidential debate on March 21. As of this writing, the party planned to stage a rally protesting such treatment.

 In a letter to Maria A. Ressa, managing director of the network, AKP president Eric Manalang said that a news report following that debate, which appeared online, said that “’the only Vice Presidential candidate who did not join the debate was Mr. Edu Manzano,’ thus making it appear that Ang Kapatiran Party Vice Presidential Candidate Jun Chipeco was invited but did not appear.”

 Manalang’s letter said, “The apparent exclusion-non-invitation of Atty. Jun Chipeco from the debate is an affront against the Party, it being duly accredited by the Commission on Elections, authorized by law to field its own set of candidates for May 2010. The exclusion further violates the basic standards of fairness reposited in all media, especially during an election period.”

 Manalang demanded a public rectification of the network’s “false report.”

* * *

 Fr. Shay Cullen of the Preda Center of Upper Kalaklan, Olongapo City, wrote in his column in the Manila Times (March 26) about the Pope’s Pastoral Letter on child sexual abuse by priests. He noted how Pope Benedict, in a pastoral letter to the Irish church on March 21, expressed deep compassion for the victims of clerical sexual abuse of children, and that he was “truly sorry,” and expressed shame and remorse, gave a sincere apology to the victims, and castigated clerical child abusers.

 The Pope wrote to the bishops, saying they and their predecessors had “failed, at times grievously, to apply the long-established norms of canon law to the crime of child abuse. Serious mistakes were made in responding to allegations. . . Nevertheless, it must be admitted that grave errors of judgment were made and failures of leadership occurred. All this has seriously undermined your credibility and effectiveness. I appreciate the efforts you have made to remedy past mistakes and to guarantee that they do not happen again. Besides fully implementing the norms of canon law in addressing cases of child abuse, continue to cooperate with the civil authorities in their area of competence. Clearly, religious superiors should do likewise.”

Father Shay wrote in his column: “Here in the Philippines, where 80% of the people are Catholic, similar complaints of clerical child sexual abuse have been made over the years and NGO social workers say that the response of church authorities has been inadequate. Abusers still go free without any accountability while the victims are ignored.

“Church authorities have moved accused clerics to other parishes, or even abroad, usually to the United States. This is wrong. Children are again put at risk and the superior or bishop who allowed it must answer for it to the civil and church authorities as seen in the Pope’s Pastoral Letter. Let us hope that this important lessen is learned. “

 Interested party may read Father Cullen’s full text at www.preda.org.

* * *

 My e-mail:[email protected]