Is it an invasion?

Malacañang has reportedly announced that those who beheaded the ten Marines in Basilan will be the first to be charged under the newly approved and implemented anti-terror law, a.k.a. Human Security Act. If they can catch them, that is. And if they have determined whether the head-choppers are members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Abu Sayyaf, or whatever.

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The threat, if pursued, will prove what kind of teeth the new law has. Already, both ordinary civilians and the police and military are wary about the way it is to be implemented. The ordinary citizen wonders what acts he or she may do that would make him or her liable under the law. The cops and the soldiers also wonder what they can or cannot do that could cause them to be charged for some violation of the law. Perhaps only the Justice Department and its prosecutors will know.

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As to the ultimatum being given by the Army Chief of Staff for the ambushers to surrender their members who had beheaded the soldiers, do you think that will scare them? Already, their leaders have defiantly declared that they will do no such thing, while at the same time denying that their men were responsible for the deplorable acts. I hear the AFP head has given the MILF only one week to give those men up. I have the feeling he will be waiting and waiting, or adding week after week after week for that.

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In the meantime, WHERE is Father Bossi? It looks as if he has been forgotten in all the indignation and mourning over the death of the 14 Marines, plus the two more also killed a few days later. Several days have passed by with little or no mention of the kidnapped Italian priest, Missionary Giancarlo Bossi, the search for whom had led to the ambush and the beheading. Instead of demanding that the MILF, or whoever had ambushed the military men, surrender the mutilators of the soldiers, why doesn't the army demand the release of Father Bossi? Talks about the waging of an all-out war may only make his abductors hang on more to their hostage. The poor padre should be the priority, not revenge.

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Is it true that there are now more than 100,000 Korean nationals who are illegally staying in the Philippines? It seems as if we are seeing an invasion of Koreans not only in business and infrastructure, but also in the academe. In Bacolod alone, one can hardly go into a restaurant or fastfood outlet without seeing some Korean students, looking very much at home here. I suppose the students are here legally, otherwise, how could they enrol in our schools?

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As for the illegals, our immigration officials should look for them and either send them home or make sure they legitimize their stay. Only recently, their government suspended the grant of visas to Filipinos going to their country, claiming that their people here are being swindled or duped, but one thing we know is that our people go to their country to work. What exactly are their people doing here, aside from the contractors and students?

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Two senators have announced that they are not going to attend the session where the President will deliver her State of the Nation Address. Senator Ping Lacson said "Nothing happens" afterwards, anyway, and Senator Aquilino Pimentel said it would be a "waste of time". Waste of time? When we will be spending millions to stage it, fielding thousands of cops and soldiers to guard it, and readying water cannons and tear gas costing thousands to prepare for it? And the two will be marked absent, too, since this is supposed to be a joint session. So they'll never make a 100 percent attendance this term, and will also be tagged killjoys.

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I got a lot of teasing and text messages yesterday about those pictures I had with the President taken during her visit in Bacolod Friday. Well, maybe there was a bit of ego-tripping there, but, actually, those photos were taken by Malacañang photographers and it was Press Undersecretary Joe Capadocia, an old friend from Negros Nine days, who had e-mailed them and insisted that they be published. No local media people, neither reporters nor cameramen were allowed into the conference room after the President had delivered her speech, you see.*

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