| 342 | Semper Fi | I assume the purpose of this “JUSTICE FOR NICOLE & JUSTICE FOR OUR NATION PETITION” is to a sway MORE public opinion to side with Nicole and attempt to influence a guilty verdict by the judge on November 27th 2006.
BEFORE YOU SIGN THIS PETTION PLEASE READ MY COMMENT,
In November 2005 you had the entire Philippines to include many congressmen and senators ready to hang 6 US Marines for “GANG RAPING a FILIPINA”. I watched this first hand through the news on TV and read it in the local papers. The word “ALLEGED” FINALLY surfaced after the 1st week of reporting after some cooler heads in the Philippine Congress/Senate/Justice department reminded their countrymen of the legal system the Philippines has.
It’s November 2006, and now you’re trying to rally your countrymen prior to the verdict being delivered at the end of November.
The problem. You’re attempt at Justice has become an Injustice for Nicole, the accused Marines, your justice system and your countrymen!
I will explain. You want people to side with Nicole because she is a poor young filipina allegedly raped by a SINGLE Marine and it’s Nicole and her countrymen against the UNITED STATES!
1st It is not the US against the Philippines. It’s a criminal case being tried in Philippine courts by Filipino’s. Even the Marines are represented by Filipino lawyers! The only thing the VFA may have influenced was a speedy trial. Unlike what is normally done in PI, the trial was NOT done piecemeal over a period of 2 or 3 years. To the PI justice system (Manila’s) credit they got it done more than efficiently in one year, which benefits everyone involved.
2nd From the case being moved from Olongapo to Manila, to Nicole attempting to slap the accused, to the alleged scandal of settling out of court at the end of the case, to a link between Bolante and the Nicole case, to the Philippine justice system allegedly NOT representing Nicole properly, to so many more to name, available through Philippine newspapers. All of the sideline distractions that have occurred have made the entire case look like a Circus. The Marines, their council, did not create this show. The accuser, her family, her representativesand the MEDIA did and still carry out these distractions. For what I am not sure, but attention to Nicole and her families antics seem to be abundant with the local media. But nothing ever deals with concrete facts. Just accusations, and finger pointing directed at everyone who does not kowtow to what Nicole and her followers want.
Which brings me to my point; it appears you’re (Nicole’s support group TFSR) are trying to sway people to support Nicole because they are her countrymen. (KABABAYANS) Not because you point to facts of the case that overwhelmingly show Nicole was raped. Not one fact! If anything you go out of your way to distort them. You just want people to sign the petition because they are Filipino. That’s not how justice should work. To influence people to blindly sign a petition in great numbers with the intent to influence a judge’s decision in a criminal case is INJUSTICE!
So people, please be sure you have educated yourself on all the details before you sign anything, in pen or electronically.
3rd The VFA, Believe it or not overall it benefits both countries. If you feel some parts are unbalanced one way or the other then lobby to have that section reviewed and amended. To scrap it is foolish as a lot of hard work by both countries went into getting it completed. The Marines never left the Philippines, stood trial, have been in a detained status for a year, and await a verdict by the Philippine Justice system. So what’s the problem with that section of the VFA?
I am not advocating not signing the petition. I am hoping to influence you to think in a mature educated manner so you can make an informed decision to sign this petition or not.
The below is my analogy of what I think may have occurred. I am NOT siding with anyone! If the Marine(s) are truly guilty may they pay the found guilty! If not, let them be freed and hope everyone learned something and move on.
The assessment is based on what I have observed over the past year, and experienced in the Philippines and in the Marine Corps for over 24 years.
My analogy of what happened is based on what I have observed and read about and knowing Filipina’s (I have 3 pinay girls) and Marines (I was one for over 20 years).
To start: Nicole is familiar with American military from her home town in Zamboanga and has or had an American Marine boyfriend at the time of the alleged rape though he was not in the Philippines at the time of the alleged incident.
Nicole (22 years old) is on vacation from Zamboanga with her stepsister, expenses paid for by an American serviceman friend. (Note: she is a young ADULT woman on paid vacation far from home {WHERE NOBODY KNOWS HER} with supervision from her stepsister and the stepsisters American military boyfriend.
Reminder: What do you do on vacation when far from home? One expression is “let your hair down” You MEET NEW PEOPLE, do fun and exciting things that you can’t do at home and won’t get to do again for a while. This is typical with any culture on vacation.
She went to Subic and did just that. Had a great time at SBMA doing various activities with her stepsister and others. Point is she was out doing what she had planned to do, have fun.
Fun continues; the night of the incident, she drank excessively, at a variety of peoples expense but not at the accused Marines expense. Nicole drank in more than one location but not with the accused Marine until later in the evening. So rule out he set her up by getting her drunk.
NICOLE LOST HER SUPERVISION (stepsister went somewhere) so she continued clubbing on her own. Reminder: She could walk to her very nice hotel in about 5 to 10 minutes from where she is drinking. She did not.
Two young adults met, (Nicole and the Marine who admitted having consensual sex with her) they danced, drank, laughed and got together. They liked each other, he offered her a ride in the van available to the Marines and driven by a Filipino, and she accepted. (If she was dragged to the van unwillingly why didn’t the guard call the police right away? That’s his job. )
They are in the back of a dark van, both intoxicated, both young, far away from home and both want to have sex. Don’t tell me sex is NOT in a 22-year-old Filipina’s and young Marines hormones at that age especially when the judgment is the 1st to go when impaired by alcohol. With alcohol courage, the accused Marine jokingly asks Nicole if she wants to have sex. An intoxicated Nicole with poor judgment but aware of her senses agrees. Anyway, who is going to know because the Marine and all his companions are leaving by ship in the morning! (The Marine has to be back to the ship for his curfew in a short time.) If he is late, he is restricted and faces possible other negative repercussions, so he will be on time) they have a rushed drunk sex in the back of a dark van, and time is running out for the Marines to be back on the ship. Nicole will not be allowed to go past certain security areas so they have to let her out of the van prior to where the Marines get out.
KEY POINT: There was a Marine Staff Sergeant (E6), also one of the accused; in the front seat of the van present the entire time Nicole was in the van. I don’t know him, but I know what his character must be in order for him to attain the rank of Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps. Briefly, he or she makes things run efficiently, ensures good order and discipline among his junior Marines and finally, his integrity is unquestionable. If there was a rape/unwilling sex to be attempted in that van, if it was not stopped 1st by the younger Marines then I assure you it would have been halted immediately by the Staff Sergeant at the 1st sign of trouble by Nicole. Rape is wrong and that is very clear to all Marines but especially clear to the senior Marine in that van. The married Staff Sergeant with two or 3 children of his own!
Here is the problem; they let Nicole out of the van in an inappropriate manner. She was not fully dressed, still drunk (but not passed out). The Marines should have treated her more appropriately when they dropped her off and this whole fiasco would not have occurred. From what I can tell the curfew for the Marines was the driving factor behind dropping her off in such a state. That may not sound convincing but I can assure you a Marine 1 minute late can and has been charged and restricted to ship.
Why the fiasco occurred; Nicole lost face. Her poor judgment in having sex with a stranger was displayed in public. She disgraced herself in public! She is thinking what happens if her mother finds out? It was not rape Nicole first told SBMA police, it was concern that her mother would find out in what state she was in. She was half naked, extremely drunk, with a used condom stuck to her, in public. Once her Mom, Katrina Legardia, and everyone else got on the bandwagon it blew up with no way to turn it back. As the preliminary investigation proceeded and it was clear there was no gang rape, things started to turn poorly for Nicole’s accusations. She came in to question by everyone who got the accurate story if a rape really occurred. But, there was no way to turn off her accusations now or she would loose face to her entire country and make the country look foolish for backing her so deeply. So here we are, all the evidence was presented, and it still did not put Nicole in good light. So she and her supporters continue to try to sway EVERYONE to side with her, not by presenting evidence but by using a Kababayan (countrymen) approach. The bottom line is: Nicole had sex with a stranger and Marines you dropped her off inappropriately. But, none of it was a crime.
From what I can see Nicole, her family, and those using the Nicole fiasco for their personal gain have committed the crime(s). Nicole for what appears to be false charges against the Marines and the Philippine justice department (Olongapo HOJ) for accepting the case and charging 4 Marines because of kababayan pressure, vice impartially reviewing flimsy, highly questionable accusations and throwing the charges out. SMBA police you are in question concerning the initial investigation, which is still not clear what happened with the driver.
Yes TFSR, Justice is what everyone wants. But justice is fairness, impartiality, fair dealing, by all who are in the capacity to investigate and judge. American, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Christian, Muslim, brown, white, should never be an issue in any countries justice system when coming to a decision for one party or the next. Kababayan (Filipino Countrymen) verses America is what you keep supporting and that is not just WRONG it is an INJUSTICE. I hope people see through this ploy and true Justice prevails.
Semper Fi. |