Isang dekada

By Netnet Camomot

TEN years later…

If this were a “SpongeBob SquarePants” episode, “ten years later” would sound like the TV series’ time cards, e.g. “3 hours later.”

The wheel of justice grinds ever so slowly in Pinas, thus, the Pinoy resorts to social media, Raffy Tulfo, and extrajudicial killing for instant karma. But even Tulfo recommends lawyers for the people who seek his help. He can only do so much, like pressuring a teacher to have her license revoked as punishment for her alleged maltreatment of a student, prompting other teachers to roar in protest against his brand of swift justice.

As a result of the help he has extended to many, his surname is now a verb: Ipa-Tulfo mo ’yan!

If the Maguindanao Massacre happened today, would the families of the victims seek Tulfo’s help, too?

It took the Philippine justice system ten years to decide.

So many things can happen in ten years. Lose weight. Gain weight. Lose friends. Gain friends. Lose marbles. Gain wisdom.

My 2009 wasn’t great, too. On Nov. 24, 2009, we were at a memorial park for a first death anniversary. I had no idea then about the massacre—my mind was always filled with a lot of concerns then, there was no room for news outside of that orbit. But I began to hear bits and pieces of the news as shared by those who were at the cemetery.

It was only the next day when we were already in Carcar, Cebu for our first ever fiesta there, that I watched the news on TV. And, finally, the details sank in. It felt like, Is this World War III? Why was this allowed to happen? How could anyone massacre 58 people, 32 of whom were journalists, and then try to bury their bodies in a desperate attempt to hide the evidence? Only someone who believes he’s above the law and could get away with the most heinous of crimes would dare commit such an evil act. Unless he was high on drugs.

A spoiled brat expects his wants to be given now na. Not the next second, the next minute, the next hour, but right now. That’s how the Maguindanao Massacre became possible. Someone couldn’t wait for the election, so he had to control its outcome now to ensure his clan’s victory. I don’t know if the victims’ families would consider the guilty verdict as their best Christmas gift ever since nothing could resurrect their loved ones.

Besides, the best Christmas gift ever? It sounds like a recycled fruitcake. Ugh.

But the victims’ families are now assured that the Philippine justice system does exist. Because for a while there—ten years to be exact—it seemed like it was hibernating in Kabul. Or Syria. Or the Mexico-US border.

At least the Mexico-US border wall may not be built anymore now that US President Donald Trump has been impeached by the US House of Representatives. But the Republican-controlled Senate is expected to exonerate him. Oh, well.

It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow and we’re talking about massacres and impeachments. No rest for the weary, huh?

Preparing for the noche buena can be tiring, too. It’s a nice kind of tiredness, though, as you look forward to some quality bonding with the family.

So, how many lechons have you had since your first Christmas party this year? And that calculation excludes the lechons you had for the fiestas, birthday parties, weddings, etc. Yup, the African swine fever (ASF) has not stopped the Pinoy from eating lechon.

The ASF could be the vegan’s I-told-you-so for the carnivore. Likewise, the carnivore may also have an I-told-you-so for the vegan: the chemicals and fertilizers used for non-organic veggies and fruits.

Ten years from now, let’s see what diet gurus will say.

A lot of things can happen in a decade. If you’re 40 now, you’ll be 50 by 2029—simply stating the obvious here. Hehe.

Way back in 2009, 2019 seemed so far away, but here we are now in the last month of 2019.

I tend to make major choices every ten years: 1989, 1999, 2009, 2019… Since 2020 hints on giving us 20/20 vision, will that be another great year for choices?