What a shocker from Espenido
We are used to waking up at dawn to this new broadcast system in Tagalog, called "teleradio". This is really a program of a radio station broadcasting from the capital that is also carried live on television. To avoid disturbing others who may still be asleep, we normally keep the volume down. A dose of courtesy is always better than a round of rudeness.
It was earlier than usual when we tuned in the other day. Sensing that the surroundings were still quiet, we had the sound almost muted and the voices of the announcers in tandem were barely audible. But, just the same, we kept our ears open for the day's deluge of news reports.
Then, the broadcasters broke a piece of startling news that yanked me up from being half awake. It had nothing to do the announcers' dynamic style that we have grown accustomed to. It was the context of the news that roused me rather violently. The radiomen reported that Ozamiz City Police Chief Jovie Espenido aired an uncharacteristically fearsome warning the kind only brutal despots would, in the delirious height of self-importance, mumble. The message, even if it was uttered in Tagalog, was chilling. The best I could translate is this: "those government officials who are involved in the illegal drug trade must resign or die."
Theoretically, the warning was in order. Anyone holding government position (or any person for that matter) who deals in illegal drugs puts the country in jeopardy. But, theory aside, by what authority would he make that announcement? Since when had he become the jury to say who was guilty of any wrongdoing, or the executive to dismiss a subordinate, or the king to decree the death of a vassal? I thought that we still had a working democracy where the police had no power over the lives of ordinary citizens. So, I cower in fear that a man in uniform whose supposed function is to preserve peace and order and protect every man from acts of violence has seemingly arrogated unto himself the role of harbinger of death. In a state of shock, I got up from bed and paced back and forth in our otherwise tranquil room.
What went wrong? I had to ask that question in the fondest hope that Espenido was just overwhelmed by the specter of human blood splattering some homes in Ozamiz City from some gruesome incident. Or I really wanted to imagine that the police chief could simply not handle the sudden surge of fame resulting from a presidential award making him a hero out of a bloodbath. Deep inside me, I tried to cultivate the idea that Espenido would realize somehow that whatever role he played in the killing of the Ozamiz City mayor would not feed his psyche into a murderous spree.
On hindsight, I had to admit that he is simply mimicking what his commander-in-chief has been saying. In other words, having the duty to follow the line of thought of the president, Espenido should not be faulted for pulling his trigger on anyone he, in the future, suspects to be involved in narcotics. God save the Philippines.
Birthday greetings to my adopted daughter, Chali.