Wednesday, October 10, 2007 Editorials: More legal problems
APPARENTLY, the Fourth Infantry Division (4th ID) had more on their hands than was originally thought when they initiated the demolition of the houses said to be located within the Camp Evangelista headquarters in Barangay Patag, this city.
What was supposed to be a trouble-free demolition -- a rare case unless the demolition involves high-rise buildings, which had outlived its usefulness -- turned nearly ugly when the settlers there supposedly resisted efforts by the troops to conduct the demolition.
At any rate, the lawyers for some of these settlers even castigated a local TV station for their alleged bias in covering the demolition activity which supposedly showed the military somewhat succeeding in their endeavor.
Whatever their beef it is understandable that they would use every means at their disposal to bring their case before the public spotlight in hopes of winning sympathy and support for their campaign.
Whether there are any grounds for their petition is something the courts would have to resolve. What is needed is immediate court resolution for this case in order not to leave the concerned parties hanging.
Under the crosshairs
Politics and then some are being eyed as the motives behind the shooting of radio blocktimer Joe Pantoja in front of a university in Iligan City last Monday morning.
While the local media raises a righteous howl over the near-fatal shooting, the police authorities are in the thick of investigation concerning the possible involvement of some supporters of a rival political candidate, which Pantoja rubbed the wrong way.
While even the basest politicians may acknowledge the formidable presence and influence of media in their communities, when it comes to politics and elections the lines are blurred and media are considered targets for execution.
This especially applies for blocktimers who are under the employ of their political employers and as such, they expect to be at the crosshairs of these traditional politicians never mind if they hold the mike and pen.
Still, these politicians are not without their legal remedies and thus resorting to violence in order to kill or intimidate radio blocktimers no matter how caustic or inflammatory their diatribes may be has no place in a supposedly civilized society.
That being the case, it behooves the police authorities to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice no matter how powerful their connections to influential politicians are.
