FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio

DEPLOYMENT OF U.S. MARINES CAN WAIT

One of the major landmarks of democracy is the value of the life of an individual. So when people disappear without a trace or get killed by unknown assailants in a democratic state, the government is responsible for enforcing justice- punish the perpetrators and provide for the needs of the victims. If the government is believed to be the perpetrator and not the protector, then that government is not democratic.

When the Armed Forces or the military component of a democratic state fails to fulfill its mission of protecting the people, there is a problem with its commander-in-chief. If it serves only to protect its commander-in-chief, then it becomes a private army and should not be supported by the people. And worse, when it's being accused of killing the people by official fact-finding bodies, particularly the United Nations, the democratic world needs to do something to stop it.

I still believe that the problem of increasing extra-judicial killings in the Philippines do not merit yet the deployment of U.S. Marines or the sending of UN Peacekeeping forces. On May 14th, the Filipino people shall elect new leaders of government who must be committed to solve this problem. So there's still hope for the sovereign Filipino people to choose the right government capable of enforcing justice, maintaining peace and security, and delivering public services to prevent the Philippines from becoming another Panama under Manuel Noriega.
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I recently received an invitation from Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani to join his campaign team called TEAM RUDY through Mike Duhaime, his campaign executive director. Making a commitment to campaign for a presidential candidate needs first a lot of evaluation for it can make or break whatever you're planning for yourself. So before I “rush in where (wise men) fear to tread” and send out “a symbol of my support,” I chose to wait for a signal from above.
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junpolicarpio@yahoo.com
junpolicarpio@gmail.com