Herbie  Gomez JAMES Taylor made a very strong political statement against the serial killings taking place in the country with his decision to cancel his February concert in Manila. Taylor’s statement reads: “I’ve been eagerly looking forward to playing for my Philippine audience ever since we added Manila to our tour of the Pacific this coming February. So it saddens me to cancel our concert there. I don’t think of my music as being particularly political but sometimes one is called upon to make a political stand. “The scourge of addiction is a worldwide problem and does serious harm, not only to the addict but to our society. For a sovereign nation to prosecute and punish, under the law, those responsible for the illegal trade in drugs is, of course, understandable, even commendable; but recent reports from the Philippines of summary executions of suspected offenders without trial or judicial process are deeply concerning and unacceptable to anyone who loves the rule of law. “I offer my heartfelt apologies for any inconvenience or disappointment this may cause my Filipino friends but I must now announce that I will not be performing in Manila this February. All tickets sold will, of course, be fully refunded. I am grateful to my promoter, Renen de Guia, for his patience and understanding. “This decision will, in no way, affect my plans to perform as announced in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.” Taylor merely echoed what a lot of sober people have been telling the Duterte administration over and over for months: pursue an all-out war on drugs but be guided by our laws, and don’t take the law in your own hands.
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This is how President Duterte exaggerates. He says that “almost all” barangay chairpersons are involved in the illegal dug trade. Then he gives some details, reveals that his “list contains about 2,000 barangay captains, municipal mayors, a few governors and congressmen.” The audience can actually question and challenge his assertion that “almost all” are involved using basic arithmetic. Google the number of barangays in the country, and find out that there are over 49 thousand barangays, each with a barangay chairperson. Let’s assume that the two thousand are all barangay chairpersons (exclude the mayors, governors and congressmen). So, two thousand of of 49 thousand is “almost all”? And since “almost all” are involved, he caused the postponement of this year’s barangay elections. Pastilan.