Nicole has flown the coop and landed right where she wanted to be all along, it seems: in the heart of the good ol’ U.S. of A. Celebrity rape victim Nicole, the symbol of oppressed and victimized Filipina womanhood, as painted by her handlers, has fired her lawyer and left the country “for good“. And where else would she end up but in the homeland of her rapist, American Marine Daniel Smith. WTF !? Literally.
How’s that for an ironic twist ? She also expressed her desire to have “all other cases arising from or related” to the Subic rape case dropped because “there is no justice in the Philippines“. Huh ? She got a conviction didn’t she ? Smith was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to up to 40 years in prison.
This of course leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Who facilitated her departure ? What did she get in return for abandoning the case ? What role did U.S. and Philippine officialdom have in bringing this about ?
Not to speculate on her reasons for leaving, as I’m sure they’re all perfectly valid, but this move seems cynical and calculating. It leaves all her supporters with egg on their faces. It’s an embarassment to the anti-U.S. groups who hoped to ride on the issue to bring to the fore public sentiment against the Visiting Fiorces Agreement, which allows for the presence of U.S. troops in the Philippines. They now have to get off their high horses in the middle of crossing the river.
Unfortunately, what she did once again tarred the already soiled image of the Filipina. According to her lawyer Evelyn Ursua “The ‘Nicole’ that she and the other lawyers represented was beyond the woman that Nicole and her family thought she was. ‘Nicole’ is every Filipino woman who was and will be raped by American soldiers.” Precisely why her unceremonious departure for America is like a slap on the face. That she fled to the very place which spawned her despoiler, and that of every Filipina ravished by the big bad Americans over the last century or so, speaks volumes. The message it sends: Every Filipina has a price. And that price is, sadly, a one-way ticket to the U.S.
The stage is now set for Smith’s eventual acquittal on grounds of reasonable doubt.
Update
‘Nicole’ now doubts if Smith raped her, ABS CBN
Copy of sworn statement of ‘Nicole submitted to Court of Appeals, March 17, 2009, ABS CBN
‘Nicole’ confesses, hints that Daniel Smith did not rape her, GMA News
Nicole now with new American boyfriend.
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d.a.m.
One of the sad thing about the way this “Nicole” case has ended, for now, is what it says about the economy in the Philippines. First, “Nicole” was apparently so afraid of losing her trip to the U.S.A. –escape the Philippines– that she made an apparent false statement against one person with no regard to the harm that would occur to that person (Smith). Or, all of what “Nicole” originally said was true and she is now so desperate to escape from the Philippines and go the U.S.A. that she is willing to, apparently, agree that the person who actually raped her can get off without full punishment. To make matters worse, it appears from the affidavit that “Nicole” is not really as bad off financially as the vast majority of Filipinos. Either way, it casts the Philippines, a wonderful country with its share of warts, in a bad light. Beyond this, it undeservedly casts Filipinas in a bad light. Lastly, reading “Nicole’s” affidavit, one must really wonder how one can so loath one’s heritage, country, and self to continually, metaphorically, prostitute oneself to drunken and rowdy military-men in hopes of “roping” a ticket to the good ol’ U.S.A. This is what the “Ultranationalists” need to focus on. The VFA is just a pathetic sideshow and diversion to the real problem of fostering pride in oneself and one’s country.
the warrior lawyer
Well said D.A.M. We are so focused on what we perceive to be larger issues, like U.S. neo-imperialism and our being a vassal state, that we lose sight of the fundamental concerns, like self-esteem and how we perceive ourselves as Filipinos, which will eventually have just as great an impact on us as a nation.
jorge
i feel used.
MG
Wow, waiting is a hard thing for us bar takers.But hold on.”Bro” will help us through.Like my family, I hope that I’ll make it this time.That’s what i hope pray too for all those who took it up.God Bless~
The EQualizer
What price dignity?
THEIR Reward To Nicole: U.S.Visa + Cash
Juan Carlos de Veyra
Sounds a lot like The Bonfire of the Vanities to me. Eventually, even the best productions come to an end ….
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