In defense of Thomas

Written by Rey O. Arcilla | 28 October 2011

'Listening to Del Rosario was like listening to the US Embassy spokesman or an apologist for the ambassador.'

TWO weeks ago, I said American Ambassador Harry Thomas put his bloody foot in it when he said that 40 percent of male tourists to this country come only for sex.

Malacañang said the statement was based on erroneous statistics.

A couple of days later, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Panfilo Lacson weighed in, with Lacson demanding that he apologize for his irresponsible statement which was based on inaccurate information or pack up and leave.

Thomas thought he could get away with his faux pas by defiantly saying he wasn't going to apologize and that his source was no less than the Department of Justice.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima not only categorically denied his claim but also firmly said that his statement on sex tourism in the country was "certainly offensive and demeaning".

While all these were taking place, not a word was heard from the Department of Foreign Affairs. It was only during the Senate hearing on the DFA budget that Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario was heard from. He tried to explain away Thomas' statement which was to be expected, being the amboy (American Boy) that he is.

During the hearing, Del Rosario was pressed to seek clarification from the US Embassy and from Thomas himself on the basis of his statement.

"I don't know if they're (DFA) being lax or scared but the point is, if a smaller country was involved, they would have taken action right away," Senator Francis Escudero said.

He then admonished Del Rosario to act more strongly on Thomas' statement and similar statements that other foreign envoys may make against the Philippines or its people.

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During the hearing, Del Rosario said that Thomas' statement could have been taken out of context. How, pray tell? He categorically said 40 percent of male tourists to the country come for sex. There couldn't possibly be any misunderstanding there.

Then he said Thomas has made known his intention to make human trafficking his signature issue during his tour of duty here; that Thomas was disappointed with the alleged lack of cooperation by unnamed government agencies to address the problem of human trafficking.

Listening to Del Rosario saying these things in defense of Thomas was like listening to the spokesman of the US Embassy or an apologist for the ambassador.

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Unfortunately for Thomas, not even Del Rosario's "intervention" on his behalf could stop the wave of criticisms against his statement. Senator Miriam Santiago later also waded into the fray. That was even worse news for him.

Perhaps upon the prodding of Del Rosario himself, Thomas was eventually constrained to send a text message to the former who, in turn, forwarded it to the media.

"I am sending you a response expressing regret for my comments. I should not have used the 40 percent statistic without the ability to back it up. I regret any harm that I may have caused," said Thomas in his message to Del Rosario.

Up to the last, however, based on newspaper accounts, Del Rosario tried to defend Thomas when he described his message as "very straightforward" and that Thomas was "looking for closure". He also said that Thomas "has been closely working with the Philippine Government in addressing the grave challenge of human trafficking in our country."

Fine, but that does not give him any reason to malign us.

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While we were busy tending to our own woes, a close friend and neighbor, Thailand, was suffering even worse from the floods that hit the country.

Reports say that more than 250 people have died in the deluge and 28 provinces and more than 2 million people have been affected.

Incidentally, all that criticism about President Noynoy Aquino's disappearing act (again) in the wake of Pedring's and Quiel's watery onslaught and Noynoy's unnecessary piqued "manananggal" reaction could have been avoided had one of his numerous trumpeteers only thought about putting him on national TV and radio to tell the people what the government was doing to alleviate their suffering. He could have easily done that while he was recovering from his hectic and exhausting successive trips to China, the US and Japan. Simple lang, di ba? Next time, ha? Unless, of course, Noynoy was sick in bed which he didn't want his bosses to know.

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Speaking of Noynoy's foreign sorties, there is one thing he doesn't do that deserves praise and commendation – he has never included any senator or congressman in his entourage.

That's the main reason his travels did not cost as much as those of his predecessors, especially of the fake one, Gloria Arroyo, who once brought so many congressmen with her that they reportedly had to be fed in two batches at the most expensive French restaurant in New York that cost Juan dela Cruz nearly P2 million.

It does not mean, of course, that because he doesn't include legislators in his entourage, he should embark on more foreign travels in the future. He doesn't have to. None of the past and present leaders of our more prosperous neighbors resorted to foreign trips to make their countries more progressive. On the contrary, what they did was stay home and concentrate on fixing things in the domestic front. Once that was done, tourists and investors came in droves. No need to travel.

Noynoy should not forget his campaign promise not to travel abroad as much as Arroyo did. If he or his minions haven't kept tabs on his travels as president, at the rate he has been going, he will even exceed Arroyo's record. Please take note.

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Comelec chief Sixto Brillantes said Mr. and Mrs. Juan Miguel Arroyo could be in jail on or before Christmas.

Noynoy should help him make that happen. It will be his greatest Christmas gift to his bosses.

It would also be nice to see the Arroyos' cocky eldest son join them in the slammer and, lest we forget, his uncle, Ignacio Arroyo aka Jose Pidal. (People are still waiting for charges to be filed against the younger Arroyo son, Dato.)

Let's watch if it is merely wishful thinking on the part of Brillantes.

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I hope Senator Miriam Santiago wins in her bid for an International Criminal Court (ICC) seat. Her ambition to join the UN system has cost poor Juan dela Cruz a tidy sum already, especially when she vied for a seat in the International Court of Justice.

If and when she wins, she can repay the Filipino people and do the world a great big favor by initiating a move to have former US President George W. Bush arrested and tried by the ICC for mass murder and genocide.

It will be recalled that Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in 2003 without UN sanction. He bamboozled the world's peoples and his own when he said that Saddam Hussein had to be eliminated because he had weapons of mass destruction. None were ever found.

On the contrary, Bush turned out to be THE weapon of mass destruction of Iraq and terminator of tens of thousands of her people.

If she can pull that off, it will be Santiago's greatest feat and a monumental contribution to the rule of law.

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Reminders (for Noynoy's action):

1) Filing of charges against officials of the National Food Administration during Arroyo's regime. Noynoy himself said on several occasions that there is documentary evidence to prove the venalities in the past in that agency; 2) facilitating the investigation of rampant corruption in the military and police establishments; 3) expeditious action by the AFP on the case of Jonas Burgos; and 4) investigation of reported anomalies in the GSIS during the watch of Winston Garcia.

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From an internet friend:

This is a continuation from last week's story about a dog named Sex:

My wife and I took Sex along with us on our honeymoon. When I checked into the motel, I told the clerk that I wanted a room for my wife and myself and a special room for Sex. The clerk said that every room in the motel is for Sex. Then, I said, "You don't understand. Sex keeps me awake at night." And the clerk said, "Me, too."

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Today is the 166th day of the fifth year of Jonas Burgos' disappearance.

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