Clash of Clan(g)s at the Senate Hearing on EJK and DDS

     The halls of the Senate is once again agog with clashing views and and clanging balls.  The inquiry on extrajudicial killings (EJK) under Duterte's administration has been going on and off for weeks now and it does offer interesting diversion for me.

     *Interesting to see Sen. Trillanes and Sen. Cayetano are now on the opposite sides of the ring, so to speak.  We saw them not long ago on the same side as they grilled to the bones the Binay camp, and now here they are on a pissing contest on the EJK case.  

     During the hearing last Wednesday Trillanes complained against Cayetano's "unli" or unlimited questioning, further describing his pee opponent as "out of order" - the sign you normally see outside our public comfort rooms.  

     "You are defending evil," Trillanes told Cayetano, apparently referring to Duterte.  Cayetano, meanwhile,  was indignant and complained of being trash-talked by Trillanes. And although Cayetano didn't back down from his "seatmate"s verbal intimidation, he decided to move to another seat.

    *Interesting also how lawyers like Cayetano can bend facts to their "truths". I remember the senator treating the reports of the Philippine Daily Inquirer  on the Binay's case as unbiased and gospel truths. Now he's calling the daily's headlines on EJK as prejudiced. 

    * "Politically motivated" is the term used by politicians who don't have anything to defend themselves against accusations hurled their way. We heard it from the Pork Barrel scam players to the so-called narco-politicos. And now, people in Duterte's camp are saying the same thing, that what Edgar Matobato has testified is purely "politically motivated". 

     *Of course, who are they kidding? Every big inquiry in the Senate and in the Congress is always politically motivated.  We clearly saw the motivation behind the jueteng payola inquiry involving Erap Estrada which led to his impeachment.  We saw the same motive in the plunder case against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo which led to a long hospital arrest. Then there's the Chief Justice Renato Corona controversy which probably led to his early demise. And although a case is described as politically motivated, it does not mean there's not a grain of truth in it. Where there's a smoke, there's fire. So that means the clandestine Davao Death Squad or DDS could be really behind the enforced disappearances and summary executions of people down in Davao. Add this to the report released by WikiLeaks that as per US State Department intel there is a  "solid evidence" that indeed DDS does exist with Duterte at its helm. 

Where there's smoke, there's fire

(Photo source: https://www.saratogaweapons.com/Rob/smoking%20guns/dualsmokinguns.png)