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Official statement: Noynoy on Trillanes’ standoff with authorities at The
Peninsula, November 30, 2007
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"The standoff at The Manila Peninsula yesterday is disturbing proof of our
country's diminishing democratic space. Seemingly without any recourse to
redress their grievances within the rule of law, those involved have had to
look at other ways to express their dissatisfaction with this government." Stay Connected

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"Any situation that can lead to violence cannot be supported. However, Leave your email to receive our
authorities should have exhausted all possible means before resorting to an Newsletters, get notified about site
developments, and keep up to date
assault. Without the peaceful surrender of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, this
disturbance at The Peninsula Manila could have ended with bloodshed and on the latest news about Noynoy,
a lot of casualties." the elections, and the issues that
face the nation.
"The seemingly prejudiced implementation of the rule of law – lax and almost
negligible when concerning the government's known allies, but severe and Email Address:
absolute when dealing with its perceived enemies – is an increasing cause
for concern."

"If the real cause of what transpired today is not addressed, people will get
all the more frustrated. How long will this administration deny the public the
explanation it demands for all the issues it confronts until their simmering
discontent boils over?"

Official statement: Noynoy on the pardon of Ninoy’s assassins, January 16,

2008

“Sgt. Pablo Martinez, Sgt. Felizardo Taran and the other 12 assassins
responsible for the murder of my father were sentenced to two (2) reclusion
perpetuas and should be serving a maximum of 40 years for each sentence.
Sgt. Taran has just served 29 of the 34 years of his already commuted
sentence. The other convicted killers are now declaring certain illnesses to
curb the punishment imposed upon them. Have they paid their debt to
society to deserve a shortened sentence of not serving the 40 years
mandated by the reclusion perpetua terms?”

“The refusal of these people to reveal the truth about the assassination of
my father is an obstruction of justice, a crime they continue to commit. They
are trying to distort what has been firmly established by various courts from
1990 to the present. Does this denial of information that would help us find
closure in my father’s killing demonstrate their remorse?”

“My Christian side tells me to act with compassion. However, in examining

the tenets taught to me by my church, part and parcel of the sacrament of
reconciliation is an admission of sin by the offending party. Those who killed
my father should therefore show contrition for their faults by telling the truth
and asking for forgiveness.”

“It is important to note that others who may be more deserving of the pardon
and who have qualified under the rules of the Board of Pardons and Parole
are still languishing in jail. They have not been accorded the same treatment
as this people who have committed a very heinous public crime. How can
this government grant executive clemency to them but not grant the same to
a 74-year-old who was imprisoned for stealing coconuts and to the other
122 inmates who are likewise qualified for pardon?”

“This government’s act of granting pardon to the murderers of Ninoy Aquino

is not an expression of genuine compassion for aged convicts. If it were, the
others who are more qualified for pardon should have also been released. It
is rather an indication that this administration will use any means necessary
to achieve its political ends, even if they undermine the laws that protect our
people from criminals who break them. It is an example of how this
government allows wrongdoing to go unpunished, much like the way it has
been negligent for so long in finding closure on all the serious national
issues it confronts. Without the certainty of punishment, we will only ensure
the commission of more crimes because their deterrent aspect has been
diminished.”

Official statement: Noynoy on CA's decision on Mr. Lozada kidnapping,

September 16, 2008

The Court of Appeals ruled that it is not convinced that Rodolfo Lozada's
right to life, liberty and security was violated and threatened. Neither are we
convinced of the court's findings.

The Constitution states that no decision shall be rendered by any court

without expressing therein clearly and distinctly the facts and the law on
which it is based.

It is established procedure of professional security personnel to undertake a

threat analysis before formulating a plan that would adequately shield the
person they are trying to protect from any identified threat. When Senior
Superintendent Paul Mascariñas, then the deputy chief of the Police
Security and Protection Office who headed the unit tasked to protect Mr.
Lozada, was asked directly as to where the threats were emanating from, he
said they were not apprised.

It would have been more prudent for Mascariñas to have utilized the NAIA, a
hardened and secure site, as a holding area for Mr. Lozada pending an 8
identification of these threats. However, he and his men chose to move Mr.
Lozada around the streets of Metro Manila and adjacent areas where these
threats would have been more substantial and harder to counteract than the
premises of the NAIA.

Furthermore, Mascariñas authorized a supposed retired Army sergeant with

the name Rodolfo Valeroso, whom he did not trust enough as evidenced by
the frisking he conducted to the same, to be the sole security officer inside
the primary vehicle housing the protectee. This action is contrary not only to
established protocols but also to common sense. Why would you entrust a
person under your care and custody to an individual you are uncertain and
wary of?

Given such indications that the security officials may have been remiss in
their duties, what could be the basis of the Court of Appeals to deny the
motion of Mr. Lozada to have his abductors testify? Is it not the court's duty
to summon all parties involved to arrive at a reasonable and fair decision?

Surprisingly, we have received reports that in spite of all these lapses,

Mascariñas was promoted. It is disturbing that the commanding officer of the
security detail that failed to conform to standard operating procedures in
providing VIP protection, which one would presume he knows more than
anyone else in his team, was rewarded rather than reprimanded.

In light of all this, we are stunned by the judgment rendered by the CA on

Mr. Lozada's petitions. We are dismayed to find that it was the person
seeking protection who was subjected to intense judicial questioning while
those who, in our mind, detained him illegally, were conveniently insulated
from scrutiny.

We believe that the threat to Mr. Lozada's right to life, liberty and security
remains. It seems that those who are mandated to protect him have failed to
 live up to their sworn duty. Unfortunately for Mr. Lozada, the Court that
should have been his refuge has failed him as well.

Yesterday, CA justices publicly expressed their desire to redeem their

tarnished institution from a bribery scandal by signing a covenant of moral
recovery. The alleged kidnapping of Mr. Lozada could have provided the CA
with a vital opportunity in the furtherance of this vow. However, the CA
decision on this particular case seems to merely affirm its lack of sincerity to
reform.

Our Constitution is meant to create a government that protects its citizens.

However, it seems that what we have is one that inspires fear rather than a
sense of security.

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