Tito Sotto's Massive Failure Of Mind Regarding Poverty, Social Injustice, And Terrorism

Tito Sotto is a man who you'd love to make fun of or even hate, right? Do you remember the anti-cybercrime law in which people went against it because of that stupid libel clause? I have nothing against having an anti-cybercrime law as long as the provisions are reasonable. I have nothing against having an anti-terrorism bill either as long as due process is followed. Unfortunately, Tito Sotto has shown how stupid he can get regarding the anti-terrorism bill together with poverty and injustice.

GMA News has revealed the following massive failure of mind by Sotto himself:

Terrorism cannot be eradicated by addressing poverty and social injustices, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Monday.

Sotto made the response in defending the proposed Anti-Terror bill which drew flak mainly due to the provision allowing detention of suspected terrorists from 14 to 24 days and removal of P500,000 a day penalty for authorities who detained a suspect eventually acquitted of a terrorism charge.

It's good to have law enforcement but the roots of crime need to be addressed. He says that addressing poverty and social injustice "won't help" fight terrorism? I find that statement to be very stupid. Does he need a history lesson that was learned back in high school? History lessons regarding the history of Communism and terrorism also take place because of injustice and poverty. A basic lesson is that why do some people join violent gangs? It's because of social injustice and poverty. Some join gangsters because they feel they're mistreated. Others join gangsters because they're poor and can't find a good-paying job. Others join gangsters because they want easy money and they're poor. Doesn't he realize that the decades-long protectionism from Carlos P. Garcia's "Filipino First" policy up to the present made more Filipinos jobless and vulnerable to recruitment by criminal organizations? If poverty and social injustices were addressed then there will be much fewer reasons for people to join terrorist groups.

The other stupidity is his defense of the provision that allows detention of suspected terrorists from 14 to 24 days. I support having an anti-terrorism bill but if that said provision is not removed then junk it. Defending the idea that people under suspicion can be detained is a violation of the right of due process. How would he like it if he got detained under suspicion that he's the terrorist? How would he like it if his loved ones all got detained under suspicion without evidence? Let's make it an example that Vico Sotto gets unlawfully detained under suspicion for being a terrorist and there's no evidence to back it up. That kind of rule will also get all detention centers full of too many people packed like sardines because anybody can be tagged as a terrorist. Nobody should be detained based on hearsay or lack of evidence. His defense of it is no surprise considering he wrote the faulty provision of the anti-cybercrime law.

Sotto is the result of the presidential system's cartoon politics. It wasn't enough that Nobita from Doraemon was the president from 2010 to 2016. It wasn't enough that Mr. Lazy from the Mr. Men series used to be the Senate President and that Pugad Baboy used to be House Speaker. Did anybody enjoy having Beatle Bailey as a senator? Right now, you've got to deal that James Jonah Jameson from the Spiderman franchise is the Senate president!