Mistaken notion

The Ostrich that hides its head in the sand tends to get run over or eaten alive.

There is obviously a prevailing attitude amongst officials of the Office of the Ombudsman that if they ignore something, chances are it will eventually go away. For several years no less than the Ombudsman herself has simply waved away any and all attempts to accuse or charge her of wrongdoing or plain and simple incompetence.

Of course it also helps when one has immunity from suit and it requires a willful act of Congress to charge the Ombudsman and impeach her.

However there are times when ignoring the problem results in contributing to the problem. Recently a deputy ombudsman became the center of attention in the on-going incident investigation of the August 23 hostage taking. According to testimonies, the hostage taker Captain Mendoza had cursed and accused a Deputy Ombudsman for asking for P150,000 in exchange for reviewing his case.

Since Mendoza is already dead and none of us have first hand information, it is only fair that we assume that the Deputy Ombudsman is innocent. On the other hand we cannot ignore the fact that Mendoza died believing that the Deputy Ombudsman did ask him for P150,000.

So how should we look at this situation? Instead of using the name of God in vain, the officials of the Office of the Ombudsman should start by investigating the trail of Mendoza’s case because someone, somewhere along that trail is a person who apparently tried to get P150,000 from Mendoza. Yes the trail may have gone cold and it may lead nowhere since Mendoza has been laid to rest.

But on the other hand, not doing anything about it makes the Office of the Ombudsman guilty of omission and commission. Omission because they let a serious accusation against the Office and the person slide, and commission for letting a possible crime and its perpetrator walk away.

What makes this matter quite serious is the fact that we often hear of situations where certain brokers, errant lawyers and facilitators actually take advantage of their position of trust. Instead of working for what’s best for their clients, I have heard of cases where the lawyer or broker, actually make up claims or stories that a certain Judge or BIR official is asking for bribe money.

One reformed and born again lawyer told me of how he and some associates would actually ask large sums of bribe money from clients, use a small portion to pay off corrupt officials and then pocket the largest cut for themselves.

I believe that the Deputy Ombudsman who was dragged into the hostage mess is innocent primarily because in the end, Mendoza was terminated from his office. However the innocence of one does not give peace to the blood of ten people still crying out for justice.

When the ostrich is done hiding his head from the sand, he will eventually find the blood of the innocent all over his head not just his hands.

* * *

I am officially a stage dad.

My daughter recently landed her first job as a TVC talent and I soon discovered how the Department of Labor and Employment seriously takes their job of monitoring children in the work place.

Officially speaking no child is allowed to perform child labor except in the area of advertising and entertainment. Even if the parents have a business to run they would still need to present the ever-important work permit from DOLE.

While some people view the requirement as an inconvenience, we all need to appreciate that the government is at least doing something to protect the health and well being of children who could easily be exploited or abused.

How many parents even think about having their children checked out by a doctor or getting a medical certificate before we send them off to become future models or TV stars. We assume that our kids are in the peak of health and would rather avoid the pain or discomfort in getting a medical certificate.

My daughter was not happy about having a blood test and all, but I’m glad to know that the DOLE and doctors consider this as a serious requirement that can’t be compromised.

The DOLE even spells out specifics such as – children can only work for four hours maximum, and in the case of TVCs and pictorials, they are not allowed to work anytime between the hours of 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. because they are suppose to be in bed sleeping and not earning a living. Neither are they allowed to work more than 20 hours a week.

Warning to control freaks – if your child wants out, or is tired or wants to stop working, you can’t force the child to continue because that would be grounds for child abuse. Remember it is the child we are protecting not your pocket. Sadly people most likely to violate this rule are parents who are well educated and who should know better!

The DOLE is also very particular about just compensation whether in cash or in kind for children. It is illegal to lend out or put kids to work for free. Parents are also required to deposit 30 percent of all talent fees under P100,000 and the deposit increases as the fees go up ultimately going to a trust fund which the DOLE will check on.

I’m sure that many violations still fall into the cracks but we should all support the DOLE for trying to do their part to comply with laws on child protection. Before we make children into stars and models, we must first be true role models. Well done, DOLE.