General Admission
Aid is never aid when you put a condition to it
By Al S. Mendoza
HE said: “Watch your language…Go home!”
That was President Duterte once again.
Who was in the audience when he said that this week?
No less than the American ambassador to the Philippines, who is a Korean by birth.
Indeed, the President doesn’t mince words.
He calls a spade a spade.
He is never afraid of anyone, his wife included.
Upps, but Mr. Duterte is single, right?
He unleashed those “watch your language, go home” tirades after learning that the US has given conditions in exchange for American aid to the Philippines.
The President was right on target.
If you want to extend aid, do it with all your heart, mind and soul.
You give but with conditions, that is not aid at all but barter.
Who needs barter when we are not asking for anything?
It was the US which offered to give aid in the amount of $434 million.
“What is $400 million?” Digong derisively asked. “China is giving us $15 billion!”
But in fairness, Mr. Duterte was not totally hostile to the American ambassador to the Philippines.
“With due respect to the Ambassador,” Digong said, “the US should be circumspect. Watch your language!”
Or words to that effect.
The President was obviously angry, again, that his courageous campaign against illegal drugs is being linked anew to EJKs (extra judicial killings) sweeping the land since he assumed power on June 30.
By a loose definition of an EJK, it happens when someone gets killed even as due process is yet to be accorded the victim.
Normally, an EJK is the handiwork of a person of authority a.k.a. police or military tasked to uphold the sanctity of the law.
But what is now happening is that those killed by the so-called riding-in-tandem murderers are labeled as victims of EJKs.
Aren’t hooded killers either on board motorcycles or on foot criminal elements, pure and simple?
If they are gun-for-hire policemen not in uniform, that remains to be seen.
Of course, loud whispers indicate that most of the murderers of suspected drug-users and drug-pushers are supposed to be government forces disguised as vigilantes.
And what is a vigilante again?
He is supposed to be a peace-loving private citizen out to rid our society of scalawags and other vermins causing havoc to our community.
It is this EJK phenomenon that the US wants eradicated before releasing its cash aid to the Philippines.
It piqued Digong no end—but of course!
He said: “You can have your money and go home!”
Or words to that effect.
You don’t event tell a beggar, “Go, buy me a stick of ciggie before I give you one peso.”
Height of madness.
Merry Christmas!!!
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