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Filipino Veterans’Equity Bill
Thank you for
running an extensive report on the struggle of Filipino veterans for
full equity with US-citizen veterans (January 21).
We are first
cousins. Our parents, siblings, were Filipinos who fought the
Japanese occupation forces in response to the call of President
Roosevelt. They are long dead, victims of the Rescission Act. Both
of them, with some pain, said, “It doesn’t matter. We fought the
Japanese because it was the work we had to do and it was the right
thing. We did not fight for the money we would get after the war.”
But the fact
remains that the United States government committed an injustice to
them and to us their children and grandchildren.
M. C. B. and
R. L. B.
(Full names withheld upon
request)
Reply to S.
Lim Britannico from
Columnist Ongpin
The 48-hour
deadline of this paper meant my column was written before seeing the
television footage of what happened in the Iloilo Capitol when the
PNP arrived.
It confirmed
my worst fears, one wrong which was the massing at the Capitol to
resist suspension from office of the governor (even if it was a
nonmob as you claim), brought another wrong, excessive violence by
the PNP. I deplore both wrongs. Nothing was right in this scenario.
We have
lawyers and courts, human rights and a judiciary to decide what is
legal and illegal, acceptable and unacceptable. No call to take the
law into one’s own hands and let things get out of control.
M. I. ONGPIN
Slot machines
and jueteng
You should run
more articles exposing the gambling rackets like your expose of slot
machines (January 23 “Why you won’t get rich from slot
machines”).
You’re made
to think you’re about to win but the computers that run the
machines make sure that you don’t.
It’s the
same as jueteng. The operators make sure that only the number
combinations with the least number of bettors win. That way they
don’t have to pay out so much.
Any form of
gambling even if the “poor, innocent old woman” is just betting
to have some fun is the source of many bad things.
Jueteng is the
cause of a lot of corruption involving policemen and government
officials. As you have also reported, even the chief of the
Philippine National Police is now saying that dirty cash will
“fuel 2007 poll violence” (Your January 24 issue). Where do you
think is that “dirty cash” coming from? Illegal gambling, of
course. (Although prostitution is also a source).
That is why
the anti-jueteng crusade of the police and LGUs has come to a halt.
You should
help Archbishop Cruz in his crusade against gambling.
Manolo G.
Lantin
Tierra Pura
, Quezon City
Fun-loving
Pinoy oldies
The report
“Pinoy oldies wanna have fun” by Chino S. Leyco (January 19
issue) is misleading.
It covers only
“oldies” who hold MasterCard.
How about the
oldies among the 70 percent of the population who are poor?
Mr. Leyco
should have pointed that out in his article.
Luis
Astraquillo
Intramuros, Manila 
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