Ang Kalatas Volume V January 2015 Issue | Page 11

THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 5 Number 4 | January 2015 EDITORIAL & OPINION 11 JESS’ COMMENTARIES Binay persists in Philippine politics T he Binay political drama continues without the issues being joined. Serious corruption charges levelled against the Binays, father, son and mother all facing plunder cases are met with simple blanket denials. “I didn’t do it, it’s all political attack,” says VP Binay. But of course, it is political, but what is the truth? Binay won’t refute in the Senate the overwhelming evidence of ill-gotten wealth, the expansive Batangas hacienda, a number of condominium units, the kickbacks in several projects in Makati, the profitable direct supplies of goods and services. Binay can deny till his eyes are blue, but no ADOBO amount of denial is enough as all these are played up and perpetrated in the public purview amidst strong evidence VP Binay persists in his run for the presidency. I dread what would be a Binay presidency as I did Erap’s. Filipinos thought that they could tolerate Erap after a reasonable strong performance of Ramos. Binay will be more dangerous and would be a disaster for the Philippines if he succeeds. This is because he not only uses the masa (poor) but also his experience and capability mantra (karanasan at kakayahan). A DAY AND NIGHT OF TERROR IN SYDNEY We all know an act of terror will happen one day in Syd- ney, but for those with mindsets of political correctness. While most Australians accepted and dealt with the terror unleashed on our front yard, there are still others who are ideologically obsessed with denial. One article projected the view of a marginalized gunman, another called the terror as an act of a lone wolf and still another slipped the display of a Muslim flag as one readily available, and topped by “Illridewithyou” campaign irreverent and insensitive to the plight of the hostages. But a thoughtful political analyst explained this as naked terrorism, an act of terror and a product of extremism, exported to Australia deserving condemnation. This is an act that has been ex- horted, encouraged and supported by the extremists and jihadists. The barrage of propaganda and extreme fundamentalism in the mainstream and social media will only result in this type of terrorism which the jihadists claim credit. What happened in Sydney on the 15th and early hours of 16th of December 2014 are a reality check and a wake up call. Australia must maintain the integrity of its refugee program through its strict border surveillance and protection. The gains in the current policy must be maintained and should not give way to Labor or Green’s agenda posing danger not only to the refugees at sea but also to Australians. The man at the centre of this drama, Man Haron Monis, slipped the crack of the humanitarian program, the citizenship law and justice system that endangered ordinary Australians resulting in the inevitable tragedy. Thus, the blood of two innocent Australians is in the hands of those with misplaced compassion. No wonder there were no Greens and Labor advocates of the failed migration program under the tumultuous Labor rule expressing outrage. There are many more ‘Monis’ )