For What THen Are We Fighting For?

I was watching the morning news while preparing for work and saw that Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has commuted the 2 life terms meted out to former Congressman Jalosjos who was sentenced to 2 life terms for statutory rape. I was shocked and wanted to know why this was happening. I googled on Jalosjos and got to read the court decision - which included all the details and which I have chosen not to put a link to as the details I read were plain horrible.

There are many reactions to this, some may choose to focus justice / legal part of it, some may want to wallow in the politics of the issue but I choose to ask why on earth will someone ever pardon a person for what he did? Is it enough for one to say that the criminal is too old to be in jail and so humanitarian considerations come into play? Is it enough to ever say that the accused will have to pay a big amount of money to his victim anyway? And how dare them even think that good behavior while in jail can merit the prisoner a shorter time inside! This is rape! He was even a former congressman - a public servant who people trusted and put into office. How can you ever say that certain good behavior will ever be enough to make up for such a crime. This time it is not an issue of "doing" but an issue of "being."

I read some more articles and became so disgusted. I came to know that the 11-year old girl was staying with a guardian who happened to also be a pimp. And so her guardian was the one who brought her to do "services" for the Congressman. Why, you ask? Poverty, yes. And one sad fact is that Filipinos who live below the poverty line often resort to peddling drugs, petty crimes and prostitution. Some, out of sheer ignorance, take whatever offer is given to them even for just a very very small amount of money. Is there still hope for us Filipinos?

Socrates once said "Nothing Is To Be Preferred Before Justice." What then is happening?