Devilish

I found it unbelievable that the principal accused in the Maguindanao Massacre of 57 people could afford to yawn during his arraignment and grin tauntingly at the man whose wife was among those he murdered. How many demons possess this man, that he can afford to exhibit an air of insouciance that enrages all those who cry out for justice? We all have our conscience but the evil among us, like this man, have become adept in becoming deaf to its guidance and inner voice. He shows an arrogance both brutish and merciless, and an ailing mind, the result of committing and witnessing too many acts of depravity and murder. He was born in a world where power and wealth are paramount, to be achieved by whatever means necessary and convenient: Land-grabbing, rape, murder, assassination, intimidation.

We, who are not among the vassals in this evil man's fiefdom, find the mass murder of 57 people very revolting. I have seen photographs of their dead bodies, some with their faces enveloped by the merciful peace of death and blood stains; some with faces so mutilated that they now have no remaining semblance to a human face, and are now simply a tangled mass of flesh, hair, and dried blood. The evil man's subjects, on the other hand, see him as some sort of overlord, a folk hero even, who provides them the privilege of living safely in his kingdom, in exchange for their loyalty and submission. They do not mind that with each passing day they become more impoverished and this evil man, wealthier and more powerful.

In this country where inequalities and injustices have strong footholds, I am fervent in my hope (although it may be futile) that the case will be concluded swiftly, lest filthy wealth and machinations, plus the national malady of the short attention span all conspire to bring to naught the search for justice.

It has been reported that the evil man is fearful of sleeping at night in his cell, where he is alone, with the lights out; and so he sleeps in a sort of antechamber that leads to his actual cell. He has said that he is afraid of ghosts. No kidding.

And so if thru some malicious legal technicality this evil man is set free and allowed to once more rule as the untouchable madman in his godless realm, he should take measures to fortify his mind and heart. For while awake he may effortlessly brush away intruding images of those he murdered, in slumber it may be a different story altogether. I hope. The mind is open and on its own when we sleep, and the ghosts of the murdered will find it opportune to torment the evil man at this time. It may well be the national hope that the gluttonous appetites of the evil man has so weakened his heart that it is now unable to handle the mangled, mutilated ghosts that have begun tormenting his mind.