Roel Pulido: A Loose Cannon?

A lawyer has been gaining a lot media mileage in the past 2 weeks. Roel Pulido has filed a case against JDV and his son. Then he filed a weak and questionable impeachment complaint at the Lower House against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He seems like a loose cannon with his statements and actions. A resounding question is upon us: What happened to Roel Pulido?

The Activist

Roberto Rafael "Roel' Pulido, while taking his undergraduate from UP, was part of the anti-Marcos movement in the early 1980’s as he became a member of Alpha Sigma Fraternity (AS= Alay sa Sambayanan supposedly). Christopher "Kit" Belmonte and Michael "Mike" Defensor were his contemporaries in the Alpha Sigma. He later went on to take his law degree at the Ateneo Law School.

The Gallant Lawyer of the Magdalo

Roel Pulido became prominently known as he became counsel to 290 out of 300 soldiers who took part in the Oakwood Mutiny in 2003. Along with his brod, Belmonte, he rendered his service to these men pro bono. The eloquent Pulido spoke for the mutineers especially when the courts limited their access for interviews, drumbeating the young officers’ beliefs on media.

Pasted from Bulatlat.com

“They always say let’s make the military apolitical, let’s make the military apolitical,” Pulido said. “But the military is but a part of society, and when the military man goes home, he faces the same problems we all face: he lacks money for his children’s food and tuition, the Meralco bill is so high, water and fare rates are so high, everything is expensive. So of course it pushes him to question himself: ‘Why am I risking my life every day I go into the field for a government that does not even allow me to feed my family?’ So they may have crushed whatever it is that they say they’ve crushed, but certainly they have not crushed dissent.”

As the legal counsel for the Magdalo, he was accused several times by Malacanang and the AFP of conniving with the illegal acts of the mutineers. General Hermogenes Esperon accused Pulido of facilitated the escape of Capt. Nathaniel Rabonza, and 1Lts. Lawrence San Juan, Patricio Bumindang and Sonny Sarmiento from their detention center in Fort Bonifacio. Later on when Lawrence San Juan was arrested in Batangas and underwent solitary confinement for several weeks, San Juan defected from the Magdalo and tagged Pulido as a “propaganda officer” of the Magdalo group. He denied both allegations.

Falling Out with the Magdalo

On October 2, 2006 Roel Pulido did not attend Trillanes' hearing at the Makati Regional Trial Court. MKP decided to drop him as their lawyer. According to him it was a mutual decision between him and the Magdalo members. At that time, the reason for their parting of ways was not revealed although a prevalent speculation was that the Magdalo felt that their case was mishandled by Pulido.

According to Bagong Katipunero

"The word is out that Atty. Pulido had talks with Malacanang before he dropped the Magdalo officers as their counsel. He is currently a staff of Sen Honasan."

The Malacanang Link

Incidentally, Gringo Honasan, also an Alpha Sigman, has been very friendly with the administration especially last elections. Honasan was granted bail for 200,000 by the court to be able to campaign while Antonio Trillanes and Anakpawis Representative Crispin Beltran remained detained as their move for bail were refused.

With this liaison comes the Malacanang link where he may be used by the administration to forward a weak impeachment complain to impede a stronger complaint to immunize Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for another year. Even his former client, now Senator Trillanes believes that Pulido is indeed part of the Malacanang ploy.

Conclusion

It is so disappointing to see someone whom you thought had enough idealism to fight for and/or together with the Magdalo become a turn-coat. What used to be admiration for this lawyer who offered free services for the genuine patriotic young officers had turned to disgust. How I hope that Roel Pulido is indeed just a loose cannon hungry for media mileage but his relations and actions prove that he is, yes, a cannon, controlled by Malacanang to protect Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s regime.