Fear has a funny smell.
This is the way the world works: if your son was involved in a vehicular accident that just happened to kill a Presidential adviser, rush to his aid. If cops come in and ask some pretty uncomfortable questions – like, was he drunk at the time? – raise a stink. If they post a 24-hour watch on your son as he recovers, accuse the police of a conspiracy to eliminate him, and of “violating [your] human rights”. Remind all and sundry that you are a “wife of an ADB official under Diplomatic Status in the Philippines”, warn all expatriates that “for you and your family, due process of law may not apply to you”, and play up the hysterical angle as you plead your case in the court of public opinion.
Mix all of this up in an “OPEN LETTER TO ALL MOTHERS“. (All caps hers, not mine.) Serve hot.
This, so far, is what we know for sure: On Sunday, August 8, Jason Ivler was driving his stepfather’s Toyota Prado north up C5 when something caused him to lose control of his vehicle. He crossed over to the southbound lane, where his car rammed into a Isuzu Trooper which happened to have “a Mr. Ponce”, in Mrs. Ivler’s words (a master of understatement, she is), specifically Presidential Assistant for Resettlement Nestor Ponce Jr. as a passenger. He was on his way to Tagaytay with his wife to attend a religious gathering. He didn’t live to see it through.
Jason Ivler is the stepson of an ADB official, not his natural son. The ADB considers dependents of ADB staff members exempt from the immunity that staff members themselves enjoy; the ADB has, to their credit, kept its hands off the issue.
Some policemen were assigned to keep guard over Ivler, presumably to get his side of the story. Jason Ivler was eventually discharged without incident; a warrant of arrest was eventually issued, but the Ivlers posted bail.
Here’s the clincher: Jason Ivler, supposed target of police threat and harassment, was picked up by the NBI as he was leaving the Philippines by the back door. His escorts and protectors? Policemen.
Immigration officials said police who acted as Ivler’s escorts initially refused to turn over the youth to them, but relented when NBI agents told the group that Ivler was the subject of a hold-departure order.
Ship Capt. Joseph Tobias… became suspicious of the actions of Supt. Antonio Gumiran, allegedly from Camp Crame’s directorate for operations. Gumiran reportedly asked the inspecting team not to disturb his friend (Ivler) who was resting inside the ship’s cabin. Gumiran allegedly gave Ivler’s passport to authorities for stamping later, and asked that the young man’s name be excluded from the ship’s list of foreign passengers…. Gumiran allegedly offered $5,000 to the [arresting] officials in return for letting Ivler go.
There goes the “police harassment” story, right out the window.
Fear makes people do some pretty questionable things. You can smell the fear in every word of the “OPEN LETTER”: Mrs. Ivler, who’s lost one husband to a car accident, came very close to losing her son in another. But this is fear gone out of control: her suspicion of the police officers guarding her son seems out of proportion to the fact that her son crashed his ride under very questionable circumstances. (What’s a 22-year old on vacation doing driving home at 4 on a Sunday morning? You tell me.)
Fear gone out of control: the assumption that a shadow jury had somehow “assumed [her son] guilty before trial… assumed drunk, on drugs, with no due process of law.” The words ring hollow, knowing that Jason Ivler attempted to skip town, knowing that his mother was probably in on the joke.
Fear gone way out of control: warning expatriates to expect their rights to be abridged, if their actions harm a government official. Cynically pushing well-worn yet serviceable buttons like “VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS” and “PRAY FOR JUSTICE”. Haughtily throwing one’s weight around, “remind[ing] the Philippine National Police that there is a diplomatic relationship between the Philippine Government and the Asian Development Bank where my husband works.” Reminding government officials and enforcers of the due process of the law (”be fair and apply the law with justice and equality”), all while attempting to wangle one’s way around it.
It’s one thing to be afraid. It’s another to spread the fear around, like a virus. If the facts bear out that Jason Ivler was, in fact, sober and wide awake the moment he lost control of his Toyota and killed a government official, it still fails to justify this letter, this masterpiece of fearmongering intent on poisoning every expat’s mind against the Philippine justice system. True, the law may have its faults; but when you look at the record so far, it’s been the Ivlers trying to circumvent the system, not its officials.
If Mrs. Ivler really wanted justice to be served with this letter, then pardon me, but it smells like fish.
i totally agree with you. she’s too paranoid that her words give her away. then maybe you might think she’s making all those monsters up in her mind. but i understand why she would go to such lengths for her son. a mother like me would do the self-same thing, though hell may bar thy way.
big steaming poopy on her…
And which facts have I gotten wrong, pray tell? On the other hand, it is you who have the heavier burden of proof - weaving a paranoiac fable that attempts to justify Jason Ivler’s intercepted escape from justice.
Mrs. Ivler has to this day been unable to substantiate any threat of bodily harm to her precious widdle boy. We do know that her precious widdle boy attempted to leave the country in the presence of policemen.
Smearing the Philippines, then attempting (and failing) to escape its justice system? If the Ivlers are looking like fools, they did that to themselves.
As far as your evidence of police harassment, the story on the boat took place long after the intial harassment by the police, and you make it sound like the police are some international brotherhood! GET REAL! When’s the last time that the PNP stood united? Go to any barangay, and the cops are owned by different people. My point isn’t that Jason was innocent or not, I have no evidence either way. My point is that his mother’s letter about the treatment and his genuine fear of his life were real.
Again, you need to brush up on your reading comprehension skills. I’m not asking for proof that the Philippine police is often beset by corruption – hello Captain Obvious! I’m asking for proof that Ivler was being set up to be killed.
In fact, you say “you have no evidence either way”. Ganoon pala e.
You go on to say, “My point is that his mother’s letter about the treatment and his genuine fear of his life were real.” I’m not denying that Mrs. Aguilar’s fear was real; I’m questioning whether it was well-founded. Of course, a mother’s fear for her son’s life can never really be questioned – but we can definitely question her actions.
Since you – nor Mrs. Ivler – cannot present any evidence to support a plan to kill Jason, your camp’s rumor-mongering and conspiracy-theorizing is nothing but smoke. And totally unjustifiable, considering the circumstances.
Are you forgetting that Jason Ivler was directly responsible for the death of Mr. Nestor Ponce? Are you forgetting that Ivler attempted to escape trial for Mr. Ponce’s death? If Ivler were a journalist fleeing an assassination attempt, maybe I’d look the other way. But why the hell would I – or anyone – feel anything but contempt for a reckless driver who killed an innocent man – and attempted to escape the reach of the law?
YOU. Get. Effin’. Real.
“You don’t find it hard to believe” – well, judging from your logical leaps, I don’t find it hard to believe I’m talking to an idiot. But you – as well as the Philippine Government – deserve the benefit of the doubt.
Hmmmm.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/11/20/09/adb-staffs-son-involved-ebarle-killing-classified-dangerous
Your guy Jason Ivler is in the news again, he has apparently now shot to death, point blank the son of the Presidential CHief of Staff undersecretary Victor Ebarle just the other night over a traffic altercation. If his mother again raises her brouhaha, she should be put in prison with him.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/11/20/09/adb-staffs-son-involved-ebarle-killing-classified-dangerous
he has a knack for effin with the wrong people this guy. he’s either supremely unlucky or just plain stupid which would probably border on the criminal. its true that he’s probably a “marked” man but i cant say i really blame the people who would want to see vengeance delivered. only the guilty run and hide. submit to the law…whatever vestige is left in our country. at the very least, this would show him to be a man willing to submit himself to the judgment of the law. it would not be the most pratical course of action for him but it would be the most honorable. the day our system fails is the day we fail our system.
peace.
Welcome back to National TV Mr. Ivler - we were wondering when you’d turn up.
Personally, I think the immature writing thus far should cease and WE as a country should demand justice for the wanton murder of two fellow countrymen by a visitor protected under the guise of diplomatic immunity. The (step)child of a senior ADB economist is NOT protected under diplomatic immunity and ADB themselves should protect the very name of such an institution that stands to improve ours and neighboring countries quality of life. Cease and desist, take a stand, unite and demand justice for our two fallen brothers.
You are right butterfly, jason ivler is not covered by diplomatic immunity for a few reasons. First, he is not part of Mr. Pollard’s dependents and accompanying family member(he didn’t adopt him di ba).Second even if he is adopted, he is not a minor thus not covered pa rin. Third, i don’t think ADB official’s spouses and dependents enjoy the same diplomatic immunity as the ones accorded to the diplomatic corps. Maybe i’m wrong. But diplomatic immunity or none, i think this boy should be tried in court and sent to jail for the coldblooded murder of a fellow 27 year old…..so much and so may things ahead of him….naputol sa isang saglit.Why? Kung sawa na si Jason sa buhay nya, i think the gun should’ve been pointed somewhere else. I feel bad for the parents of the deceased and i understand how miserable the mother of the fugitive must feel. Saan sya nagkamali? But, this is obviously not the first time….do the right thing. Advise him to turn himself in. Hindi na yan bata. Let him be man enough to answer for the crime he has done. Sooner or later, however painful, we have to “wean” them.
I am a mother. Of course, I would rise up to defend my child no matter what! Although I was not there when it happened, I know and I am sure that he was innocent. The car suddenly had a life of its own and zapped the life of a passer-by! And now you put the blame on my sonny.. My bebe wasn’t to blame! Blame the car company. Blame the dark sky. Blame the wet road .. Blame the black cat that crossed the road on a Friday… And now, the police were after him, a prize on his neck for being tagged as a killer! (Thank God some police tried to help him escape too, to no avail!)(what discrepancies in her words that everybody was after the poor boy!). How wrong could they be! My hijo was innocent and did not expect this accident to happen at 4am while he was going home from church! I could really blame your system and your country for running after an innocent child like my Jason. Sadly, this is how you treat expats here. I therefore am strongly advising all our colleagues to worry on how things go unfairly and badly over here… blah blah blah..
Most mothers, if not all, in whatever race, color or creed, would feel and say and do those things as Mrs. Ivery had done just to protect her son from any harm, discomfort, or worst, being put to prison. Okay, she has spoken too much already, and she was graciously allowed to do so. Now, it is the Justice’s turn to speak. Let us now put all these lies to a halt. Let the judicial system now do its works and put this sonny where he really belongs.. to the jail … (what a pity, we didn’t include in our laws that a mother could accompany her sonny inside the cells so she could take care of his needs) …
… and I was speaking here only about the car mishap that senselessly took the life of Mr. Ponce by a reckless irresponsible youth….. talking about another senseless killing by this same person, pointblankly shooting a man close range due to a traffic altercation, is another matter altogether. But I rather not talk about it anymore .. the case is crystal clear.
“Armed and dangerous”
“Armed and dangerous” is how the police describe a Filipino-American, Jason Ivler. He has been implicated in two major killings. Both his victims involved ranking officials of Malacañang, the Office of the President, the center of political power in the Philippines.
The way I understand “armed and dangerous”, it is a code word for “kill him, if necessary”, that is, because the suspect tried to shoot it out with lawmen or was trying to escape while shooting recklessly into the air or at the pursuing lawmen. Anyway, “armed and dangerous” gives policemen a lot of flexibility in handling a suspect, especially of the Jason Ivler type and especially, if the reputation and prestige of the much-maligned Philippine National Police are at stake, which is the case in the Ivler criminal offense.
Ivler’s first victim was former Congressman Nestor Ponce, a good friend of mine and the brother-in-law of a classmate of mine in high school. Ponce and his wife, Evangeline, were driving to Tagaytay one early Sunday morning in August 2004 to pray that their son pass the bar, when his Isuzu trooper was slammed by a wayward Land Cruiser coming from the opposite or northward side of the C5 Ortigas flyover. Ponce died instantly, from massive loss of blood due to injuries. He was the presidential adviser on housing of President Arroyo. The driver of the Toyota – Jason Ivler.
The other victim is Renato Victor Ebarle Jr., son of undersecretary Renato Ebarle Sr. of Malacañang. The young Ebarle was shot pointblank by a man who looked like Ivler on Nov. 18 at a usually busy intersection in Quezon City. A policeman saw the incident and gave chase to the killer who disappeared in one of the garages in upscale New Manila.
The suspect’s car had a diplomatic plate which later was traced to a British economist working with the Asian Development Bank. The Brit, who goes by the name Stephen Pollard, is the stepfather of Ivler. Now, ADB staff, especially, if they are foreigners, carry what is euphemistically called “diplomatic immunity” –- a code word for being able to bring imported goods into the country tax-free and for committing minor traffic infractions, like illegal parking, without being bothered by the police. But a murder? How could a large country middle-class country like the Philippines (No. 12 in the world in size of population) sanction a murder in the guise of diplomatic immunity?
But that is exactly what the British bureaucrat of ADB did — invoke diplomatic immunity in a murder involving a car that carried his name and his personal blue plate. He went to the police station, accompanied by a nattily dressed lawyer, with the air of haughtiness and contempt only a dirty British colonialist in old India could sport. He refused to cooperate with police investigators whom he treated like they were born yesterday. This is the kind of arrogance that in other developing countries with very high self-esteem would trigger a national outrage and even a revolution.
The ADB is morally bound to convince its so-called economist to cooperate. ADB has had the habit of lecturing borrowers like the Philippines on such human values like equality before the law, good governance and no-corruption. Such moralizing is in exchange for millions of dollars of loans that the Philippines doesn’t actually need. How much does the ADB extend in loans to the Philippines annually? $2 billion? How much do overseas Filipinos remit to the Philippines annually? $17 billion.
ADB should be the last institution on earth to exploit a country’s weakness as a soft state. The bank itself is a massive failure. When it first opened shop in Manila, more than 30 years ago, the Philippines was the second most prosperous country in Asia, after Japan. I used to pound the ADB beat in the 1970s when it was still in Makati. It seems to me its values deteriorated over the years and I will give you a hint why.
More than three decades later, the number of poor Filipinos actually tripled, to 30 million, and many consider the Philippines an economic basket case and a soft state – unable to enforce its laws, instill discipline among its citizens, and earn the respect of people working in places like the ADB, whose tennis court is ground zero for the worst pollution in the Philippines.
“Soft state” is a Myrdal concept. This refers to governance system, plagued by corruption and rent-seeking. Myrdal viewed this issue as one of the greatest barriers to economic progress in developing nations and advocated dramatic government reform for struggling countries.
It’s your turn to speak, ADB.
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Mrs. Pollard is having a hard time as it is. Have a heart, stop accusing her as if she was the one who shot that poor guy. As a mother, she hoped for the best for her son and stood by him as it should be. The first instance was an accident and yes, I know he did not mean what happened and there was a price on his head after that. As his family, they protected him the best way they knew how. The Philippines is a f*cked up place and you have to use all means, be it legit or not if you want to survive.
Now, regarding the shooting, if Jason is really guilty of this crime, he should be punished and his family knows that and they are coming to terms with it. So that’s right stop talking about it anymore, not for Jason’s sake but for the sake of the innocent people suffering because of this unfortunate event.
FYI, Jason is an American citizen, not British. His step dad has nothing to do with him.
It is people like you why corruption still exist in the Philippines. Your bragging that you were able to obtain a drivers license when you were 12 years old. Jason Ivler need to take responsibility for his actions; especially this latest one. You cannot murder anyone and expect to get away with it; and yes even in the Philippines. @Get the facts right…
It is one thing that mother need to be protected of their children, but it is also a parents responsibility to teach their children what is right and what is wrong. If you know that your child have a committed an offense or have broke the law; you will need to turn them in to the Police authority. You cannot always condone your kids bad behavior, if you do you are guilty of raising a rotten, spoiled kid. @Rita Karganilla
Hey, why was my name written at the end of Mr. Jack’s commentary? Please erase.
Poor mother, she raised a son who is spoiled brat. Maybe, her son, unknowingly, is surrounded by wayward youth, who were addict in crimes.
November 28th, 2009 at 13:36 | #22 Reply | Quote Shut-up! You Pilipino monkeys, I’m out of the country now! Thanks though to your good government. [The IP address is 119.93.58.106, you do the math. Nice try, though! - micketymoc]
that is just hilarious!!! but remember karma’s a bitch!!!
Diplomatic privileges and immunities guarantee that diplomatic agents or members of their immediate family:
* May not be arrested or detained
* May not have their residences entered and searched
* May not be subpoenaed as witnesses
* May not be prosecuted
UNDER THE VIENNA CONVENTION ON DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
Never mind, as of today, JAnuary 18, 2010, Mr Ivler is already in the hands of the NBI. Lets see how he evade this.
what happened to the thread? it was the most resourceful discussion i’ve ever read a few days back and now it seems like nothing occurs. another manipulation?
this is not the thread i was reffering to…my apology.