GHOSTS OF MAMASAPANO
THEY MAY NOT HOUND HIM BUT EVERY YEAR, FORMER PRESIDENT NOYNOY AQUINO OR HIS MEMORY WOULD BE PUBLICLY FLOGGED BY VICTIMS' RELATIVES AND HIS CRITICS.
Ghosts of the 44 SAF police troops slain in Maguindanao last Jan. 25, 2015 would haunt him, if you believe that avenging ghosts would return to hound people responsible for their death.
Ghosts or none, then president Noynoy last Feb. 6, 2015 talked of the kind of haunting that afflicted him:
"I am the father of this country and 44 of my children were killed. They can no longer be brought back. This tragedy happened during my term and I will carry this to the end of my days..."
Legally, was he liable criminally and civilly? The civil lawsuit must still be pending but Noynoy was already relieved of the criminal complaint for multiple homicide through reckless imprudence and is now facing, with sacked PNP chief Alan Purisima and SAF chief Getulio Napeñas, charges of usurpation of functions and graft. As to the multiple killings, the ombudsman ruled they were not the “proximate cause” of the deaths.
Even President Duterte publicly said no president would be liable for consulting anyone, even those no longer with the government. Thus, the crime charges that remain are not likely to stick.
No president is held liable for a mistake, not even stupidity. A former senator cited the cases of Napoleon Bonaparte and John Kennedy who made wrong decisions which cost hundreds and thousands of lives.
Did Noynoy not suffer from the tragedy? He didn't apologize, he didn't accept personal responsibility. He only said he'd "carry it to the end of my days." What exactly did that mean?
Well, his popularity and trust ratings plunged 20-21% in March 2015 and his candidates Mar Roxas and others were beaten at the 2016 polls. And, if he wouldn't ever land in jail, every Jan. 25 he or his memory would be publicly flogged.