ANG pagtakas, sa maraming pagkakataon, ay indikasyon na may nagawang kasalanan ang isang tao.

Ito ang sinabi ni House Ad Hoc Committee on Marawi Rehabilitation and Victims Compensation Chairman Zia Alonto Adiong ng Lanao del Sur matapos humanap ang host ng Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) na si Jeffrey Celiz ng kanlungan sa Estados Unidos o mag-apply ng asylum sa Canada.

Ayon kay Adiong, na isa ring House Assistant Majority Leader, walang dapat na ikatakot si Celiz.

“He should be man enough to face his charges here. Nobody is persecuting him. I just want to remind him that he should not be too conscious of his rights as a person and as a journalist,” ani Adiong, na kilalang malapit sa pamilya Duterte.

“More than that, he should also be aware about the accompanying responsibilities of being a media practitioner. And I think I have the right to say this: We have so many responsible journalists here fighting it out with their perceived and alleged tormentors. Why can’t he?” tanong ni Adiong.

“What makes him so special? Is it because he has more resources than his other media colleagues here? One can only think of perhaps the vast resources he has for him to be able to live in upscale New York,” punto ni Adiong.

Si Celiz, kasama ang kapwa anchor na sina Lorraine Badoy, at Atty. Israelito Torreon, abogado ng nakakulong na si Pastor Apollo Quiboloy ng Kingdom of Jesus Christ, ay kabilang sa mga sinampahan ng kasong inciting to sedition ng Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group kaugnay sa pagsisilbi ng arrest warrants laban kay Quiboloy sa KOJC Compound sa Davao City noong nakaraang Agosto.

Naisumite na ang kaso para sa resolusyon ng mga piskal ng Department of Justice (DoJ).

“Freedom of speech is not absolute. I don’t think he can invoke persecution because it isn’t so. Our country is one of Asia’s freest—if not the freest—when it comes to the press. Our netizens have demonized so many. So, there is no basis for him to say that. It is unfounded, to say the least,” giit ni Adiong.

“He was more than free to criticize the government. We had no problem about that. But when he crossed the line, he should have been responsible and brave enough to face the consequences. And if he feels he has nothing to hide, then why seek foreign sanctuary?” tanong niya.

“As far as I’m concerned, seeking asylum for him and his family is unnecessary,” diin ng lider mula Mindanao. “Mr. Celiz has been accused of violating the law, and now that he is being given the chance to defend himself, he will just run away, evade and seek asylum? I think only cowards do that.”

“In any industry, it has always been a two-way street. If he can give the blows, then I think he should be man enough to also take the hit or the heat – so to speak,” saad pa ni Adiong, isa sa mga lider ng Young Guns sa Kamara de Representantes.