By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

WE should be alarmed that our families will now be at the mercy of drug syndicates. Our politicians know they can weaponize the ICC, so PH, after Duterte, will never see another president that will dare launch a drug war to protect our families from the clutches of drug and criminal syndicates and be charged with committing a ‘Crime against Humanity.’

Not PBBM, for sure.

What president would? Deaths of known drug dealers (and lords) can now easily be labeled as  EJK! All it takes is for the bunch of congressmen to conduct “public hearings” like the contemptible QuadCom of the House of Representatives do, to call out relatives of victims whose activities in the drug trade are never revealed, then give bleeding hearts of hypocrites in the Congress and in the cabinet some media mileage, then voila! A crime against humanity is established!

The sad thing about the bleeding hearts for the killed drug dealers is they are either not aware or couldn’t care less about anything but the deaths, because the fact is the drug war started initially with the voluntary surrender of street peddlers and verified addicts to be processed and offered an opportunity to be rehabilitated.

The drug “war” was also about rehabilitating drug dealers who want to start a new life with the help of their local governments. Thousands have since availed of the free program that included developing training for entrepreneurial opportunities.

The biggest wonder of all in this country is that no one among bleeding hearts for human rights has spoken for the victims of the drug syndicates.

Indeed, criminals have more rights in this country. Their victims merely become an added statistic.

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HYPOCRISY OF DE LIMA. While I commiserate with the plight of Leila de Lima,  (former CHR chairperson, DOJ Secretary and senator) as a woman, I cannot forget her hypocrisy before and during the drug war, officially!

Unknown perhaps to many was the fact that then DOJ Sec. De Lima issued her A.O.35 that defined extra-judicial killings during the administration of PNoy in 2012. 

She categorically defined EJKs to include only disappearances and deaths of labor union leaders, journalists – not about deaths of drug dealers, because such cases she said are punishable by the penal code on homicide and murder cases.

Note: That even as CHR chairperson when she accused then Mayor Duterte of having a death squad, she never cited him for ‘EJKS’ of suspected drug suspects.

Now, she’s leading the chorus celebrating the FPRRD’s arrest for the EJKs drug lords and dealers in his drug war, as a crime against humanity. Tsk-tsk.

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OVP SATELLITE OFFICES. I have reports that regional satellite offices of the Office of the Vice President in the country have helped thousands of persons in need. Then I wondered why no such report was reported to the media about the OVP Satellite office in Dagupan headed by Mr. Brian Lim, now a candidate for vice mayor.

I was told the satellite offices received millions in funding. Can Mr. Lim account for the monies that the facility received? Were these also pocked by his barkada?

Was the absence or lack of activities of the center in Dagupan City the reason why VP Sara Duterte decided to hold her recent event meeting for her programs’ beneficiaries in Lingayen, and not in Dagupan?

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WOMEN RUNNING SARI-SARI STORES.  Here’s a very encouraging study on women and their significant role in the country’s economy published by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies in collaboration with the tech start-up Packworks. It’s about the status of women who operate sari-sari stores, which are not just a primary source of daily essentials for around 94% of Filipinos but a vital source of empowerment among women entrepreneurs.

The study, titled “Gender, Microentrepreneurship, Human Flourishing: Exploring the Experiences of Women Sari-sari Store Owners toward Inclusive Growth” revealed the following about women owners: 

1. They take pride in being considered “entrepreneurs” and “business owners,” providing them a sense of independence, confidence, and fulfillment from managing their micro-retail businesses.  Many customers already begin to address them with respect – a cultural marker of their elevated position within the community. 
2. They achieve social empowerment by earning higher social status, that managing and operating sari-sari stores gives them a deeper sense of purpose and meaning in their lives.  “I can buy things for myself, my kid, and my family now… I am not just a housewife anymore,” one participant in the study said. “Because of my store, I am now busy with other things apart from taking care of my family. I feel more fulfilled.”
3. They exhibited characteristics of a “transformational leader” or qualities such as strong empathy, care, and collaboration with the community reported high levels of well-being, empowerment, optimism, and resilience. By becoming more independent and confident, women store owners were able to take on important roles within their communities

So next time you drop by a sari-sari store, smile and greet the storeowner knowing what they are capable of, what they have achieved for themselves.  In fact, don’t be surprised if you are met by a male storeowner. That means he realized what sari-sari stores can do for him.

A sari-sari store owner is an enterprising individual who finds no need for a job working for others.

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Join me every Monday at 6.30 a.m. for my PUNCHLINE radio program with IFM-RMN station manager Mark Espinosa via zoom or 104.7 FM, and every Saturday at 10.30 a.m. for PUNCHING DUO podcast with Punch columnist Gonz Duque (a production of New Pangasinan Media)

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