Bail for Ampatuan, suspension for Binay, resignation for Bello

The famous Mark Anthony's speech, an eulogy actually, that he delivered in the funeral of his beloved friend, Julius Caesar, ended with a moving exclamation: "Oh, judgment, thou art fled to brutish beast, and men have lost their reason. Bear with me. My heart is in the coffin, there with Caesar. And I must pause till it comes back to me." The same highly emotional outburst could very well be also the cry of concerned Filipinos who are deeply worried about the kind of administration of justice we have in our country today.

A son of the patriarch Ampatuan was released on bail, despite the fact that the multiple murder charges slapped on the Ampatuans are non-bailable. Hardly half-way on the trial, there was a finding that the evidence of guilt is not strong. And so, that is how the cookie crumbles. There is a fear that, one by one, even before the trial ends, most of the accused may be granted bail. The government, of course, would hasten to interject that such fear may be speculative and does not have any basis in fact. Well, we cannot comment further because this is ''sub judice." But a lot of questions linger in the air.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Makati, like the mayor of Dumanjug, Cebu is being slapped with suspension, with unprecedented haste. We are not questioning the merits or the reasons for such a judicial and quasi-judicial or administrative course of action, respectively. We have the highest respect for the Honorable Ombudsman and the Provincial Board of Cebu. Our question is on the procedure. Why too fast? And why single them out? There are far too many others who might be as guilty or even more? Why are they being left untouched?

Former President GMA is under detention. And so are also senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Bong Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada. Added to them is the lady governor of Masbate, Governor Lanete. We submit that their detentions enjoy the presumption of regularity. We have to give the government enough credit for its crusade to cleanse the government of all forms of shenanigans. And we also have to give the government the privilege of doubt. But then again, why single out the members of the opposition? Are ruling party members that immune? As some would jokingly put it: NO ONE IS ABOVE ''DILAW.''

This kind of compartmentalized justice, as well as the heroic efforts of the president to lay all the finger-pointing to General Napeñas, while absolving himself of any responsibility and washing his hands while shielding his best friend, General Alan Purisima, all these and more might have exasperated Congressman Walden Bello, and led the gentleman from the partylist AKBAYAN, to tender his irrevocable resignation from Congress, last Wednesday. That was a dramatic demonstration of the congressman's resolve to break his ties with Malacañang. And it is well and good that there are still men ''of sterner stuff'' like Bello.

The political weather is quite turbulent. The Ides of March is here. And perhaps, like Shakepeare's Mark Anthony, it may be apropos to exclaim that human judgment indeed has gone to brutish beasts, and that men have lost their reason. I must therefore pause for a reply. If any.