Not to be outdone, Edcel Lagman has come up with his two-cents’ worth too. There’s history, he says, to argue for putting his favorite non-president under house arrest. The list of famous and infamous people who met with that fate includes Augusto Pinochet, Paris Hilton, Nikita Khrushchev, Aung San Suu Kyi and Galileo Galilei.
Now, how weird is that?
At the very least, that’s so because as our Inquirer story pointed out, for every person you can name that got meted house arrest, you can name just as many or more who met with much harsher fates than being kept in a detention center. South Korean presidents Roh Tae-woo and Chun Doo-huan were summarily thrown in jail after being arrested for a variety of crimes, the former kept in solitary confinement for a time. The same was true of Taiwan’s president Chen Shui-bian.
That does not include the fate of hated leaders like Nicolae Ceausescu, Benito Mussolini and Mohammad Najibullah who were torn limb from limb by an irate mob. Najibullah in particular was castrated, dragged to death by a truck, and hung from a traffic light with his balls stuffed to his mouth. A pity Ferdinand Marcos did not stay around to see if Filipinos and their Christian charity were less given to these passions than Afghans and their Islamic sense of retribution.
At the very most, while Arroyo is in perfectly good company with Nikita Khrushchev, Augusto Pinochet and Paris Hilton, she is not with Galileo and Suu Kyi. I can imagine that for someone like the peripatetic and party-loving Hilton, being confined to one’s domicile must be torture of hideous proportions. And so richly deserves it. But Hilton was arrested for reckless driving, not for reckless robbing.
While at this, I don’t know where Lagman got the idea that Khrushchev was placed under house arrest. In fact, after Khruschev was ousted, he was given a dacha and 500 rubles a month. He went into a depression afterward and spent his last years writing his memoirs, but writing at home however that may seem like punishment to many people is not known to be a form of house arrest. Or else I would have been under it for the last 25 years.
What takes the cake, however, and reflects on the quality of mind of Arroyo’s defenders, is that Lagman should put her on the same footing as Galileo and Suu Kyi. How different is Arroyo from both?
Let me count the ways:
Galileo was arrested for saying that the earth revolved around the sun, going against the powerful Church which preached otherwise. Arroyo was arrested for believing that the world revolved around her, conscripting the powerful Church to aid her in preaching the notion. Galileo was a man of science who extolled truth and detested ignorance. Arroyo was a woman of ambition who extolled ignorance and detested truth. Galileo did publicly recant at some point, saying “I am sorry” for having stolen from people their comforting belief that they were the pinnacle of creation. Arroyo did publicly recant at some point, or gave a verisimilitude of it, saying “I… am…sorry,” but clung on anyway and strove even more to attain the pinnacle of power.
Galileo never wavered in his beliefs anyway, which were later proven to be true. Arroyo never wavered in her claims, which were forthwith proven to be false. Galileo told the truth and suffered the consequences of it. Arroyo told the lie, and enjoyed the benefactions of it. Galileo was persecuted wrongfully, Arroyo is being prosecuted rightfully. Galileo’s fate spoke of the terrors of the Inquisition. Arroyo’s fate speaks of the wonders of the Enlightenment. History shows that Galileo should never have been put under arrest, house or not. History will show Arroyo should have been arrested long ago, sick or not.
From the other end, Suu Kyi gained world renown for battling a repressive regime. Arroyo gained world renown for mounting a repressive regime. Suu Kyi has shown enormous courage in the face of the junta’s threats for her to stand down or be put down. Arroyo has shown enormous temerity in the face of the people’s demands for her to step down or be swept away. Suu Kyi’s resistance to tyranny has been a source of inspiration to her people. Arroyo’s resistance to jail has been a source of merriment to her people. Suu Kyi continues to fight heroically to gain freedom for her country. Arroyo continues to fight desperately to retain freedom for herself. Suu Kyi risks life and limb to champion the law. Arroyo risks laughter and derision to dodge the law.
Suu Kyi is the Cory of Burma. Arroyo is the junta of the Philippines. Suu Kyi is being persecuted viciously. Arroyo is being prosecuted fittingly. Suu Kyi’s fate reminds us of the terrors of repression. Arroyo’s fate teaches us a lesson in liberation. By all rights, Suu Kyi should be at the head of her government right now. By all rights Arroyo should be at the pit of a cell right now.
But in the end, it’s not a matter of precedent or what others have done, it is a matter of justice and what we ought to do. Giving Arroyo to enjoy the comforts of home while awaiting trial for a multitude of monstrosities merely gives her more of the “executive privilege” she has always claimed for herself. It is an insult to the Morong 43 who were arrested without warrant and languished in jail without being charged. It is an injury to Francisco Gudani and Alexander Balutan who were seized and jailed for telling the truth. It is an insult and injury to the hundreds of political activists who were made to argue their innocence only in the afterlife.
It’s not just Arroyo who’s on trial here, we are too. How we deal with her is the test of our mettle. What we do with her is the test of our character. Heaven forbid that we are judged and found:
Wanting.
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And here's one of the numerous replies/comments posted:
IronMan8888
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*I only follow INQ just to read CDQ`s column along with Randy David's and sometimes
Mareng Winnie's.....
1. NBN ZTE Scandal
2. Millions of bribe money to Congressmen and Governors (October 2007)
3. Cheating in 2004 Elections (HELLO GARCI)
4. Joc Joc Bolante Case (Fertilizer Scam, P728 Million)
5. JOSE PIDAL Bank Account (Unexplained Wealth, P200 Million)
6. NANI PEREZ Power Plant Deal ($2 Million)
7. Use of Road User's Tax for Campaigning
8. Billion Peso Macapagal Boulevard (Overprice of P532 Million)
9. Juetengate? (Illegal Numbers game kickbacks)
10. Extra Judicial Killings
11. Arroyo Moneys in Germany (Exposed by Senator Cayetano)
12. General GARCIA and Other Military Men
13. Billion Peso Poll Automation contract to(Mega Pacific) (P1.3 Billion)
14. Northrail Project($503 Million)
15. Maguindanao Results of 2007 Elections (ZUBIRI, BEDOL)
16. NAIA-3
17. Venable Contract (Norberto Gonzales)
18. Swine Scam (Exposed by? Atty. Harry Roque
19. GLORIA Arroyo son hidden assets in united states
20. EURO GENERAL'S
21. CALAMITY FUND SCANDAL.
22. C-5 road controversy — Senator Manuel Villar
23.P550-million worth of funds from the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA).
24. P780-million LWUA funds-PROSPERO PICHAY
25. BISHOPS's SUV-Gloria Birthday gift
26. Arroyo linked in P325M lotto intelligence fund
27. Arroyo got P200M in kickbacks from govt projects-Zaldy Ampatuan
28. P200.41 billion or $4.6 billion in Malampaya royalties from 2002 to May this year.
29.LACSON ACCUSED FG MIKE ARROYO OF SELLING 3 REFURBISHED HELICOPTERS TO PNP AT P105 MILLION EACH
30. 600,000 metric tons of Rotten rice imported from India.Kishore Hemlani, an Indian trader allegedly close to Arroyo, reportedly bagged the P9.5 billion contract for the rice importation.
31. DATO ARROYO wife bought the condo unit for $570,000,
70-square-meter one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit (Unit No. 533) at the luxury high-rise, full-service Gramercy Towers located at 1177 California St. in upscale downtown San
Francisco.
32.- P50-million bribe to FG for the president's veto of two franchise bills
33. The additional funding led to a 41-percent spike in advertising expenses, from P76.129 million in 2008 to P107.420 million in 2009, which went mostly to ads for Arroyo's achievements.
34. The report said the PIA received from the Department of Budget and Management a notice of cash allocations amounting to P344.789 million, even though only P222.488
million was appropriated for it under the national budget.
35.- Denial of pork barrel funds to Malacanang's political enemies
36.- Praises for Jovito Palparan, alleged mastermind of extra judicial killings of militants
37.- Removal of govt bodyguards for former pres and Arroyo critic, Cory Aquino
38.- Appointment of manicurist as a member of the board of Pag-Ibig
39. Appointment of gardener as deputy of the Luneta Park Administration.
40. MIDNIGHT APPOINTMENT of an Arroyo,RENATO CORONA, as SC Chief Justice
200+ other illegal midnight appointments
41.- MIKEY ARROYO's undeclared properties in California
42.- Pardon of controversial convicted criminals like Ninoy's murderers
43.- EO 464; requiring Cabinet members to seek presidential clearance before testifying in Congress hearings
44.- Promise (on Rizal Day) to not run for the presidency in 2004
45.- "Vote Buying" by giving away Philhealth cards
46.- Taxpayers' money for her giant billboards and and PCSO tv campaign ads[/b]
47- Appointment of Ben Abalos, a staunch GMA ally, as COMELEC chair
48.- Mikey Arroyo's importation of 32 thoroughbred horses from Australia worth P384 million.
49.Former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo used 2 choppers 16
times, son Mikey 69
50.PNoy: PAGCOR spent P1 BILLION on coffee
51.Jose Miguel Arroyo owned helicopters’
all Robinson R44 Raven Is with Series Nos. 1370 to 1374
A total of $1,423,025 was paid to Lionair for the five helicopters.
52.Pagcor ‘pabaon’ to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo: P345M
53.The godmother’s ties to the Pinedas(Jueteng lord)
54. Glorietta 2 and Batasan bombings
The Glorietta 2 bombing happened during the height of the bribery case which took place in Malacañang.
55. Misuse of Balikatan funds Navy Lt. Nancy Gadian revealed an alleged malversation of funds in 2007
56. Solon: Charge Gloria Arroyo for taking P98-M from PNoy's social fund
57. 50 MILLION PABAON GENERALS
Former Armed Forces chiefs of staff Narciso Abaya, Dionisio Santiago, Generoso Senga, Hermogenes Esperon, and Alexander Yano,chiefs of staff – Angelo Reyes, Diomedio Villanueva, and Roy Cimatu and MANY MORE..
58.Colmenares: GMA had P488 billion in 'pork.
59. P1 BILLION down the drain in Arroyo-era jatropha project—DOST chief
60. President Arroyo and her group had an outlandish dinner in Le Cirque, a French restaurant in Manhattan, New York for the cost of $20,000 or P1,000,000 as reported in the New York Post.
61. GMA lying to SC saying we have extradiction treaty with Spain.