Human Rights Online Philippines

Cause I am Imelda?
ni Rene Boy Abiva

“We have to take into consideration may edad na kasi. In any arrest or anybody for that matter, that has to be taken [into] consideration, the age, the health, alam naman natin na andyan siya.” – PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde

Sentensyado ng anim at isang buwan hanggang labin-isang taon
sa kasong pangunguwalta habang nasa puwesto
kasama ang asawang diktador at ‘kuno’y’ beterano
dahilan upang ipalibing ni Santo Rodrigo
sa libingan ng mga kuno’y bayani.

Kaso
kesyo ‘she did not have three thousand pairs of shoes, she had one thousand and sixty.’
kesyo ‘she was no Marie Antoinette. She was not born to nobility, but she had a human right to nobility.’
kesyo ‘when they went into my closets looking for skeletons, but thank God, all they found were shoes, beautiful shoes.’
At ‘yun ang kaso.

Mukhang ‘di niya sasapitin ang sinapit
ni Eduardo Serrano o ni Marcos Aggalao
na sa kulungan ng mga patay na buhay pumanaw.
Hay, anong meron sa Pilipinas?
Isang ginintuang kabalintunaan:
ang mali ay tama, ang tama ay mali
banal ang masama, masama ang banal.

Hmm…kaya ‘di na rin masama
kung totoo mang marami ang nanlalaban gabi-gabi
‘ika nga ni Badong Cordova’y tablahan lang,
‘alang pikunan.

Nobyembre 12, 2018
Lunsod ng Quezon, Maynila

Ang may akda ay dating bilanggong politikal, awtor ng Tuligsa at iba pang mga tula at National Fellow ng Palihang Rogelio Sicat para sa kategoryang Maikling Kwento.

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