arlie dollaga

I find it sanctimonious that Kiko Aquino Dee now presents himself as some guardian of justice simply because he dislikes a SC ruling. I accept the Court’s decision because that is what the rule of law requires. If he believes the justices got it wrong, then argue the law and the evidence. Don’t blame an entire surname because you didn’t like the outcome. And spare me the Aquino family’s monopoly on moral superiority. Hacienda Luisita was not some ordinary piece of private land acquired by the family through a spotless transaction. The estate’s ownership and the government’s agrarian-reform arrangements go back to the conditions imposed when the property was transferred to the Aquino-Cojuangco interests. Instead of simply returning the land to the farmers under agrarian reform, the family fought for compensation and resisted the distribution of the estate. The SC ultimately ordered the distribution of Hacienda Luisita to qualified farm-worker beneficiaries, subject to just compensation. And oh, many farmers were murdered at the Hacienda Luisita too, just in case Kiko didn’t know. And the families never received justice for their murdered loved ones. So when Kiko lectures everyone about greed, corruption and “unrepentant thieves,” perhaps he should look across the family table first. What exactly makes the Aquino-Cojuangco family morally superior? Is corruption suddenly less offensive when the surname is Aquino or Cojuangco? And to be equally consistent. Allegations against the Marcos family must be tested through evidence and due process. The Marcoses have faced numerous proceedings and defended their interests through the courts. Where a court has found liability, that finding should be respected. Where there is no final finding of guilt, nobody has the right to manufacture one. Kiko must insert that into your thick head. And Ninoy? I recognise his historical importance, but I reject the family mythology that turns him into an untouchable political saint. To many Filipinos, he was a subversive out to grab power from a constitutionally mandated government. To us, he was the root of the many problems the country had. His associations with the communist movement, including Luis Taruc and Bernabe Buscayno, are part of the historical record. He was charged and found guilty of subversion, murder, and illegal possession of firearms. So that in 1977, he was sentenced to die by firing squad. Does Kiko know who saved Ninoy from sure death? President Marcos. And out of humanity when his grandfather suffered with heart attack, President Marcos allowed him to go to the US for treatment and thereby into self-exile. We tried to move on since, the loyalists did. Unlike Kiko and his family who are imprisoned in their sanctimonious hypocrisy. So it fits to remind him and his family from time to time of their contributions to the dark chapters of our history. I haven’t even mentioned the many corruptions and murders under his grandmother Cory during her time—but that may be for a different day. So Kiko, before you lecture Filipinos about justice, perhaps answer the uncomfortable questions surrounding your own family’s history. You sanctimonious hypocrite!