KAMPANYA MMVII
Alexander Martin Remollino
Pakinggan ang mga talumpati ng mga pipi.
Ang lalakas ng kanilang mga tinig;
Rumaragasang parang ilog ang mga salita
At ang agos ay tila walang katapusan.
Dapwat walang marinig isa mang kataga.
Ang tunog ng kanilang mga sigaw ay katahimikan.
Nakatatanggal ng tainga kung sila'y mangusap:
Gayong nagsasalita'y walang sinasabi.
May ingay na gayong walang tunog ay nakatutulig.
Ganitong ingay ang ngayo'y kumukubabaw sa ating pandinig:
Ang mga haranang walang tugtog at titik, na alay sa mga botante.
Umaapaw ang mga pagbibida, ang mga sumpa at pangako
Nilang nanliligaw sa ating mga boto.
Gayunman, sa gitna ng malakulog na palitang-salita
Ay walang masagap ang ating mga tainga
Sapagkat nangungusap sila nang walang ipinangungusap.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Sunday, February 04, 2007
KAWANGGAWA AT KAHIRAPAN
Alexander Martin Remollino
Ang mga taludtod na ito ay ang kabuuan ng kantang “Dampi.” Inihahatid sa atin ang naturang kanta ng ilang patalastas sa radyo, gayundin ng isang music video na malimit ipalabas ngayon sa telebisyon bilang patalastas din, ng Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
Kung sino ang lumikha ng kantang ito ay hindi malinaw saanman sa naturang mga patalastas, bagama’t ang bandang umaawit at tumutugtog nito ay ipinakikilala sa music video bilang Mirahel.
Malinaw ang mensaheng tinatangkang iparating ng naturang kanta: ang PCSO ang sagot sa kadustaan ng karamihan sa mga mamamayan ng ating bansa. Sa unang dalawang linya’y agad nang mahihinuha ang ganito:
Basahin natin nang magkasama ang dalawang linyang ito, at makikitang sinasabi ng mga ito na ang PCSO ang “pag-asa at kinabukasan” ng mga kababayan nating dukha (ang mga “nangangailangan”) –- na bumubuo ng may 88 porsiyento ng ating populasyon, batay sa mga estadistika mula sa IBON Foundation –- sapagkat ang ahensiyang ito ang kanilang “kanlungan.” Ang sumusunod na dalawang taludtod nama’y pagpapahalaga at pasasalamat sa mga itinuturing na paglilingkod ng PCSO sa mga kapos-palad.
Sa bahaging ito’y kinakailangan ang isang batayang pagtanaw sa kasaysayan at mga gawain ng PCSO.
Itinatag noong 1934, ang PCSO ay nagsasagawa ng mga suwipistik, pakarera, at loterya. Sa kinikita mula sa mga ito, 55 porsiyento ang ibinibigay bilang premyo sa mga nananalo, habang 30 porsiyento naman ang nakalaan sa mga proyektong pangkawanggawa. Ang natitirang 15 porsiyento’y inilalaan sa mga guguling pang-operasyon ng PCSO.
Ang lahat ng tao’y nangangailangan ng hustong sustansiya sa katawan at isip upang maging lubos na mainam ang kanilang pamumuhay. Hindi nila makakamit ang ganito sa isang kaayusang panlipunan kung saan ang karamiha’y maghapon-magdamag na nagbubuhos ng pawis sa mga bukid at pagawaan at maging opisina upang pagkatapos ng bawat araw ng trabaho’y mag-uwi ng kitang hindi makasapat upang tustusan nang husto ang mga batayang pangangailangan.
Sa wika ni Heber Bartolome sa kanyang kantang “Almusal,” ang kalakhan ng ating mga kababayan ay “gumagawa ng paraan” pagdating sa pagkain: “Ang almusal at tanghalian/Pinagsasabay na lang” –- dahil kulang ang kita upang matustusan nang mahusay ang almusal, tanghalian, at hapunan.
Kung sa pagkain na nga lang ay kulang na ang kinikita, lalo nang hindi matutustusan ang iba pang pangangailangan –- tulad ng maayos na pananamit at pamamahay.
May masamang epekto sa kalusugan ang matagalang kakulangan ng pagkain: nakapagpapahina na nga ito ng katawan ay nakasisira pa ito ng mga selula ng utak. Idagdag pa rito ang tiyak na pinsalang idinudulot sa pangkalahatang kalusugan ng kawalan ng maayos na pananamit at pamamahay.
Bukod sa mga pisikal na pangangailangan, kailangan din ng tao ang mahusay na edukasyon upang lubusang mahasa ang kanyang mga potensiyal.
Kailangan ng tao ang lubos na kahusayan ng pangangatawan at isip upang malubos din ang kanyang kakayahan at pagkakataong gumawa ng mga bagay na hustong ikapagiging mainam ng kanyang buhay. Ito’y makukuha niya kung may pagkakataon siyang pangalagaan nang husto ang kanyang kalusugan at linangin nang lubos ang kanyang isip.
Karapatan ng lahat ang mabuhay sa isang kaayusang panlipunan kung saan natatamasa nila ang mga pangangailangang ito. Kung ang kinabubuhayan nilang lipuna’y hindi ganito –- kung ang kinabubuhayan nilang lipuna’y kinatatampukan ng iilang naglulunoy sa labis na karangyaang dulot ng panghuhuthot sa mga lumilikha ng kayamanan habang kumain-dili ang karamihan –- karapatan nila ang kumilos upang palitan ito ng isang lalong mahusay na kaayusan.
Hindi nararapat na ang mga dukha’y papaghintayin na lamang nang papaghintayin ng kawanggawa. May kabutihan din sa kawanggawa, subalit sa kadulu-duluha’y hindi ito ang tugon sa malawakang kadustaan sapagkat pansamantalang pagpapaalwan lamang ang naidudulot nito.
Datapwat di ganito ang sinasabi ng “Dampi.” Sinasabi ng kantang ito na “ang pag-asa at kinabukasan” ay nasa PCSO, na ang “kanlungan ng nangangailangan” ay ang mga proyektong pangkawanggawa ng naturang ahensiya –- mga “haplos” na “lunas sa bawat pagal,” mga “dampi ng pagmamahal” na ni hindi pa nga mapaglaanan nito ng kalakhan ng kinikita mula sa mga suwipistik, pakarera, at loterya.
Sinasabi ng “Dampi” na ang mga dukha’y hindi na kailangang kumilos upang palitan ang kaayusan ng lipunan, sapagkat nariyan naman ang PCSO. Sinasabi nitong ang PCSO ang siyang sagot sa lahat nilang kadustaan.
Alexander Martin Remollino
Ikaw ang kanlungan ng nangangailangan
Ikaw ang pag-asa at kinabukasan
Haplos mo ay lunas sa bawat pagal
Salamat sa iyong dampi ng pagmamahal
PCSO
Ang mga taludtod na ito ay ang kabuuan ng kantang “Dampi.” Inihahatid sa atin ang naturang kanta ng ilang patalastas sa radyo, gayundin ng isang music video na malimit ipalabas ngayon sa telebisyon bilang patalastas din, ng Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
Kung sino ang lumikha ng kantang ito ay hindi malinaw saanman sa naturang mga patalastas, bagama’t ang bandang umaawit at tumutugtog nito ay ipinakikilala sa music video bilang Mirahel.
Malinaw ang mensaheng tinatangkang iparating ng naturang kanta: ang PCSO ang sagot sa kadustaan ng karamihan sa mga mamamayan ng ating bansa. Sa unang dalawang linya’y agad nang mahihinuha ang ganito:
Ikaw ang kanlungan ng nangangailangan
Ikaw ang pag-asa at kinabukasan
Basahin natin nang magkasama ang dalawang linyang ito, at makikitang sinasabi ng mga ito na ang PCSO ang “pag-asa at kinabukasan” ng mga kababayan nating dukha (ang mga “nangangailangan”) –- na bumubuo ng may 88 porsiyento ng ating populasyon, batay sa mga estadistika mula sa IBON Foundation –- sapagkat ang ahensiyang ito ang kanilang “kanlungan.” Ang sumusunod na dalawang taludtod nama’y pagpapahalaga at pasasalamat sa mga itinuturing na paglilingkod ng PCSO sa mga kapos-palad.
Sa bahaging ito’y kinakailangan ang isang batayang pagtanaw sa kasaysayan at mga gawain ng PCSO.
Itinatag noong 1934, ang PCSO ay nagsasagawa ng mga suwipistik, pakarera, at loterya. Sa kinikita mula sa mga ito, 55 porsiyento ang ibinibigay bilang premyo sa mga nananalo, habang 30 porsiyento naman ang nakalaan sa mga proyektong pangkawanggawa. Ang natitirang 15 porsiyento’y inilalaan sa mga guguling pang-operasyon ng PCSO.
Ang lahat ng tao’y nangangailangan ng hustong sustansiya sa katawan at isip upang maging lubos na mainam ang kanilang pamumuhay. Hindi nila makakamit ang ganito sa isang kaayusang panlipunan kung saan ang karamiha’y maghapon-magdamag na nagbubuhos ng pawis sa mga bukid at pagawaan at maging opisina upang pagkatapos ng bawat araw ng trabaho’y mag-uwi ng kitang hindi makasapat upang tustusan nang husto ang mga batayang pangangailangan.
Sa wika ni Heber Bartolome sa kanyang kantang “Almusal,” ang kalakhan ng ating mga kababayan ay “gumagawa ng paraan” pagdating sa pagkain: “Ang almusal at tanghalian/Pinagsasabay na lang” –- dahil kulang ang kita upang matustusan nang mahusay ang almusal, tanghalian, at hapunan.
Kung sa pagkain na nga lang ay kulang na ang kinikita, lalo nang hindi matutustusan ang iba pang pangangailangan –- tulad ng maayos na pananamit at pamamahay.
May masamang epekto sa kalusugan ang matagalang kakulangan ng pagkain: nakapagpapahina na nga ito ng katawan ay nakasisira pa ito ng mga selula ng utak. Idagdag pa rito ang tiyak na pinsalang idinudulot sa pangkalahatang kalusugan ng kawalan ng maayos na pananamit at pamamahay.
Bukod sa mga pisikal na pangangailangan, kailangan din ng tao ang mahusay na edukasyon upang lubusang mahasa ang kanyang mga potensiyal.
Kailangan ng tao ang lubos na kahusayan ng pangangatawan at isip upang malubos din ang kanyang kakayahan at pagkakataong gumawa ng mga bagay na hustong ikapagiging mainam ng kanyang buhay. Ito’y makukuha niya kung may pagkakataon siyang pangalagaan nang husto ang kanyang kalusugan at linangin nang lubos ang kanyang isip.
Karapatan ng lahat ang mabuhay sa isang kaayusang panlipunan kung saan natatamasa nila ang mga pangangailangang ito. Kung ang kinabubuhayan nilang lipuna’y hindi ganito –- kung ang kinabubuhayan nilang lipuna’y kinatatampukan ng iilang naglulunoy sa labis na karangyaang dulot ng panghuhuthot sa mga lumilikha ng kayamanan habang kumain-dili ang karamihan –- karapatan nila ang kumilos upang palitan ito ng isang lalong mahusay na kaayusan.
Hindi nararapat na ang mga dukha’y papaghintayin na lamang nang papaghintayin ng kawanggawa. May kabutihan din sa kawanggawa, subalit sa kadulu-duluha’y hindi ito ang tugon sa malawakang kadustaan sapagkat pansamantalang pagpapaalwan lamang ang naidudulot nito.
Datapwat di ganito ang sinasabi ng “Dampi.” Sinasabi ng kantang ito na “ang pag-asa at kinabukasan” ay nasa PCSO, na ang “kanlungan ng nangangailangan” ay ang mga proyektong pangkawanggawa ng naturang ahensiya –- mga “haplos” na “lunas sa bawat pagal,” mga “dampi ng pagmamahal” na ni hindi pa nga mapaglaanan nito ng kalakhan ng kinikita mula sa mga suwipistik, pakarera, at loterya.
Sinasabi ng “Dampi” na ang mga dukha’y hindi na kailangang kumilos upang palitan ang kaayusan ng lipunan, sapagkat nariyan naman ang PCSO. Sinasabi nitong ang PCSO ang siyang sagot sa lahat nilang kadustaan.
BULATLAT AND COMPATRIOTS' VOICES FROM AFAR
Based on the data periodically provided by our web counters, the greater bulk of visits to Bulatlat are from countries or areas with high concentrations of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and overseas Filipinos (OFs): the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the Middle East. OFWs and OFs thus form an important segment of our identified readership.
BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
Bulatlat
As I was about to sleep on the office sofa one night last December, because I was to do early-morning coverage the next day and it was better for me to sleep over since where I live is more than an hour away from where the happening would be, I was alerted by the phone ringing. From the other end of the line I was greeted by a motherly voice asking for news about what was happening in Bicol, the region in the southernmost part of Luzon island.
Bicol had been hit just a few days before by supertyphoon “Reming,” which has become legendary in the damage that it wrought.
It turned out to be a long-distance call all the way from Australia. The lady was dead worried about her relatives in Bicol, and she couldn’t contact them to find out how they were, and she had called Bulatlat because she had searched the Net for Philippine media websites and ours was the only media outfit she could find, she said, with a published telephone number for immediate contact.
She said she had read news about the calamity but had failed to come across detailed accounts.
I, of course, had to give her the bad news: how “Reming” had claimed hundreds of lives in Bicol, literally leaving people dead on the roads, and how it had buried two villages in Albay –- and how even we couldn’t contact our colleagues in Bicol because the storm had destroyed all energy and communications facilities in the region.
She sounded distressed after hearing all that I had to tell her, but nevertheless thanked me profusely and said it was only through Bulatlat that she managed to come across more detailed information about what had happened in Bicol.
This incident comes to my mind as I recall that in Bulatlat’s six years on the Net now, we have frequently received similar feedback from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), as well as overseas Filipinos (OFs).
Based on the data periodically provided by our web counters, the greater bulk of visits to Bulatlat are from countries or areas with high concentrations of OFWs or OFs: the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the Middle East. OFWs and OFs thus form an important segment of our identified readership. They are also among the more active in sending comments on the site.
A good number of these comments are similar to that from the Australia-based lady who called one December night.
“I am trying to learn more about the realities of the Philippines,” said Bradley Cardozo, a son of immigrant parents in the U.S., in a letter to Bulatlat on Oct. 6, 2004. “They offer Southeast Asian studies courses here at Cornell, and hopefully I can study abroad in the Philippines next year. But anyways, I wanted to inform you that I have been reading your site, and I think you offer the best commentary and analysis of what is going on in the Philippines. Thank you for keeping people well-informed.”
A little less than a month earlier, Bulatlat had received similar feedback from an OFW in Saudi Arabia.
“Thank you to all the Bulatlat staff,” said one who gave his name as Andrew Ex in an e-mail on Sept. 14 that same year. “(For) almost 13 years I (have not been updated on) the real situation in our country. Thank you to my sister, (who informed) me about your website. Updated na ako ngayon kahit na malayo ako sa ating bansa" (I am now updated on what is happening though I’m far from our country.
Two years before that Bulatlat had received feedback of the same sort from Nikko Buenaseda, a Filipino student in Los Angeles, California. “I always look to Bulatlat.com for the real ‘stories’ behind the issues facing our nation,” he said.
Some, like one who gave her name as Garma, write to tell how they feel about the hardships of life for Filipinos in a foreign land.
“Does anybody out there know what caregiver/health care provider means over here in the U.S.?” she said. “In our language it means tsimay or atsay. I’ll not say katulong (because) it is more decent compared to the others. The work involves a lot of time (24/7) as a matter of fact and depending on your prospective employers’ needs and wants. And some also require you to clean their house, and some will also restrict you from using their stuffs -- like phones, TV, or even opening the fridge.”
Still, others write to Bulatlat asking for assistance on the possibility of locating relatives or friends they had not seen for years, or even decades.
We realize that many of our compatriots overseas consider Bulatlat to be of importance to them, as a source of information about what is happening in the Philippines. Likewise, we appreciate the avidness with which many OFWs and OFs peruse our pages.
As we enter our seventh year, we would like to return the favor to our compatriots overseas by also spreading the word to Filipinos in the homeland about what is happening to their relatives or friends abroad.
Bulatlat will soon come up with a regular section for OFWs and OFs. The section will feature their stories, in their own words.
What are the travails of trying to fit into a culture totally alien to you? How much more difficult –- or easier –- is work there compared to the homeland? These and other OFWs’ and OFs’ concerns will form the meat of Bulatlat’s upcoming section for them. Bulatlat
Based on the data periodically provided by our web counters, the greater bulk of visits to Bulatlat are from countries or areas with high concentrations of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and overseas Filipinos (OFs): the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the Middle East. OFWs and OFs thus form an important segment of our identified readership.
BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
Bulatlat
As I was about to sleep on the office sofa one night last December, because I was to do early-morning coverage the next day and it was better for me to sleep over since where I live is more than an hour away from where the happening would be, I was alerted by the phone ringing. From the other end of the line I was greeted by a motherly voice asking for news about what was happening in Bicol, the region in the southernmost part of Luzon island.
Bicol had been hit just a few days before by supertyphoon “Reming,” which has become legendary in the damage that it wrought.
It turned out to be a long-distance call all the way from Australia. The lady was dead worried about her relatives in Bicol, and she couldn’t contact them to find out how they were, and she had called Bulatlat because she had searched the Net for Philippine media websites and ours was the only media outfit she could find, she said, with a published telephone number for immediate contact.
She said she had read news about the calamity but had failed to come across detailed accounts.
I, of course, had to give her the bad news: how “Reming” had claimed hundreds of lives in Bicol, literally leaving people dead on the roads, and how it had buried two villages in Albay –- and how even we couldn’t contact our colleagues in Bicol because the storm had destroyed all energy and communications facilities in the region.
She sounded distressed after hearing all that I had to tell her, but nevertheless thanked me profusely and said it was only through Bulatlat that she managed to come across more detailed information about what had happened in Bicol.
This incident comes to my mind as I recall that in Bulatlat’s six years on the Net now, we have frequently received similar feedback from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), as well as overseas Filipinos (OFs).
Based on the data periodically provided by our web counters, the greater bulk of visits to Bulatlat are from countries or areas with high concentrations of OFWs or OFs: the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the Middle East. OFWs and OFs thus form an important segment of our identified readership. They are also among the more active in sending comments on the site.
A good number of these comments are similar to that from the Australia-based lady who called one December night.
“I am trying to learn more about the realities of the Philippines,” said Bradley Cardozo, a son of immigrant parents in the U.S., in a letter to Bulatlat on Oct. 6, 2004. “They offer Southeast Asian studies courses here at Cornell, and hopefully I can study abroad in the Philippines next year. But anyways, I wanted to inform you that I have been reading your site, and I think you offer the best commentary and analysis of what is going on in the Philippines. Thank you for keeping people well-informed.”
A little less than a month earlier, Bulatlat had received similar feedback from an OFW in Saudi Arabia.
“Thank you to all the Bulatlat staff,” said one who gave his name as Andrew Ex in an e-mail on Sept. 14 that same year. “(For) almost 13 years I (have not been updated on) the real situation in our country. Thank you to my sister, (who informed) me about your website. Updated na ako ngayon kahit na malayo ako sa ating bansa" (I am now updated on what is happening though I’m far from our country.
Two years before that Bulatlat had received feedback of the same sort from Nikko Buenaseda, a Filipino student in Los Angeles, California. “I always look to Bulatlat.com for the real ‘stories’ behind the issues facing our nation,” he said.
Some, like one who gave her name as Garma, write to tell how they feel about the hardships of life for Filipinos in a foreign land.
“Does anybody out there know what caregiver/health care provider means over here in the U.S.?” she said. “In our language it means tsimay or atsay. I’ll not say katulong (because) it is more decent compared to the others. The work involves a lot of time (24/7) as a matter of fact and depending on your prospective employers’ needs and wants. And some also require you to clean their house, and some will also restrict you from using their stuffs -- like phones, TV, or even opening the fridge.”
Still, others write to Bulatlat asking for assistance on the possibility of locating relatives or friends they had not seen for years, or even decades.
We realize that many of our compatriots overseas consider Bulatlat to be of importance to them, as a source of information about what is happening in the Philippines. Likewise, we appreciate the avidness with which many OFWs and OFs peruse our pages.
As we enter our seventh year, we would like to return the favor to our compatriots overseas by also spreading the word to Filipinos in the homeland about what is happening to their relatives or friends abroad.
Bulatlat will soon come up with a regular section for OFWs and OFs. The section will feature their stories, in their own words.
What are the travails of trying to fit into a culture totally alien to you? How much more difficult –- or easier –- is work there compared to the homeland? These and other OFWs’ and OFs’ concerns will form the meat of Bulatlat’s upcoming section for them. Bulatlat
TOMAS OSMEÑA AND THE VIGILANTES OF CEBU CITY
If there is any local politician who has managed to court controversy for the alleged presence of vigilante groups in his turf other than Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, it is Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña. He admits there are such groups in his area of responsibility, but says “that’s the way it is” and says he “cannot” take a “stronger stance” against them. His critics, though, think he can and should do otherwise.
BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
Bulatlat
If there is any local politician who has managed to court controversy for the alleged presence of vigilante groups in his turf other than Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, it is Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña –- a brother of Sen. Sergio Osmeña III.
Taxi drivers, whose vehicles are the main mode of transportation in Cebu City, are wont to talk about these vigilante groups –- among other things –- when they sense their passengers are new in the place. One of them even told this writer stories about convicts about to be released from jail after serving their term, who beg to be allowed to remain in prison lest the vigilantes go after their heads when they get out.
In a recent interview with Bulatlat, Osmeña admitted that there are indeed vigilante groups in Cebu City. By his own account, these vigilante groups killed some 170 persons last year. Most of the victims, he said, were suspected criminals.
“It’s an issue against me,” Osmeña admitted, as he acknowledged having come under fire from human rights organizations and lawyers’ groups on this issue.
The Cebu City mayor said he started getting flak on the issue of vigilantism in Cebu City the other year, when he rewarded a man who shot a robber after witnessing the crime. While driving his car, the man, he said, saw someone rob and shoot a security guard inside a jeepney he had been following. Osmeña said the robber was laughing as he went down from the jeepney a few minutes later. The man who had seen it all was armed and he opened his window and shot the robber –- and he didn’t surrender to the police.
“I told them, ‘You find that guy and I’ll give him a reward,’ and they did find him and I did give him a reward,” Osmeña said.
The Cebu City mayor, however, also expressed “regret” that these vigilante groups operate with “some consent” from his constituency.
“They get considerable support from the people, that’s the problem,” he said. “That’s because the people are losing confidence in the justice system. When they see that the fiscals and judges are corrupt; when they see drug lords, after being arrested with a kilo of shabu, get released on bail when they should get the death penalty –- you know, these are situations when people see criminals being shot dead they think, well, that’s his problem.”
Osmeña would not give figures on the crime rate in Cebu City even when asked. He did tell this writer something, however, that points to high criminal activity in the place. “There’s no one in Cebu who does not have a relative or does not know someone who has been a victim of crime,” he said.
On taking a strong stand on vigilantism
The Cebu City mayor admitted he has been under pressure to “take a strong stand” against the presence of vigilante groups in his turf. “But I do not want to give an assurance to criminals that it’s safe here, because many of them left Cebu,” he said.
He has many critics, though, who think he can –- and should –- do otherwise. They say that leaving vigilantes to act on the problem of criminality has implications on human rights.
Osmeña has defended what his critics describe as his “inaction” in the face of these killings, saying the vigilante groups help in reducing crime in Cebu City.
“If vigilantism is the way to solve the problem of crime, we might as well do away with the justice system,” said Bro. Jun Jardinico, a member of the Franciscan Friars of Charity, in a separate interview. “How can you solve crime by committing another crime?”
“If our justice system is turning out to be inutile, it is perhaps time for the people to think about what has to be done with it and with our government,” added Jardinico, who is also the deputy secretary-general of Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights) in Central Visayas.
Osmeña acknowledges the Cebu City chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) as among his strongest critics on the issue of killings by vigilantes.
Right to life
In a separate interview with Bulatlat, lawyer Alfonso “Poch” Cinco IV, who is with the IBP-Cebu City, said the killings perpetrated by vigilantes are violations of the people’s right to life.
“They may say the victim is a snatcher and a thief, but that is still not reason enough to kill him,” said Cinco, who is also chairman of Karapatan-Cebu. “That is taking a life without due process of law.”
The right to life is one of the basic human rights enshrined in the Constitution, particularly in Art. III, Sec. 1 which states that:
It is also provided for by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), to which the Philippine government is a signatory. “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person,” states Article 3 of the UDHR.
Osmeña has hit back at the IBP-Cebu City for criticizing him on the issue of killings by vigilantes. “Is the IBP really interested in human rights, or are they concerned about the loss of their clients? Because while they defend innocent people, they also defend some guilty people,” he said in his interview with Bulatlat.
This does not sit well with Cinco. He said lawyers are under oath to provide legal assistance to anyone –- be they criminals or not, moneyed or not –- who encounters legal problems or conflicts.
Cinco further said that the position of the IBP is anchored on the existence of laws, a police force, and a government. He said that the police should investigate criminal cases and file appropriate charges against the suspects –- who, he said, should be jailed if found guilty in court.
“What the vigilantes are doing is to just kill suspected criminals, which is not good and which is a violation of our laws,” he pointed out, “The point is, we all have rights –- whether we are criminals or not. That’s in the Constitution.”
Osmeña said that he also sees the presence of vigilante groups in Cebu City as something he cannot be proud of. “It’s basically wrong,” he admitted. Bulatlat
If there is any local politician who has managed to court controversy for the alleged presence of vigilante groups in his turf other than Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, it is Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña. He admits there are such groups in his area of responsibility, but says “that’s the way it is” and says he “cannot” take a “stronger stance” against them. His critics, though, think he can and should do otherwise.
BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
Bulatlat
If there is any local politician who has managed to court controversy for the alleged presence of vigilante groups in his turf other than Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, it is Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña –- a brother of Sen. Sergio Osmeña III.
Taxi drivers, whose vehicles are the main mode of transportation in Cebu City, are wont to talk about these vigilante groups –- among other things –- when they sense their passengers are new in the place. One of them even told this writer stories about convicts about to be released from jail after serving their term, who beg to be allowed to remain in prison lest the vigilantes go after their heads when they get out.
In a recent interview with Bulatlat, Osmeña admitted that there are indeed vigilante groups in Cebu City. By his own account, these vigilante groups killed some 170 persons last year. Most of the victims, he said, were suspected criminals.
“It’s an issue against me,” Osmeña admitted, as he acknowledged having come under fire from human rights organizations and lawyers’ groups on this issue.
The Cebu City mayor said he started getting flak on the issue of vigilantism in Cebu City the other year, when he rewarded a man who shot a robber after witnessing the crime. While driving his car, the man, he said, saw someone rob and shoot a security guard inside a jeepney he had been following. Osmeña said the robber was laughing as he went down from the jeepney a few minutes later. The man who had seen it all was armed and he opened his window and shot the robber –- and he didn’t surrender to the police.
“I told them, ‘You find that guy and I’ll give him a reward,’ and they did find him and I did give him a reward,” Osmeña said.
The Cebu City mayor, however, also expressed “regret” that these vigilante groups operate with “some consent” from his constituency.
“They get considerable support from the people, that’s the problem,” he said. “That’s because the people are losing confidence in the justice system. When they see that the fiscals and judges are corrupt; when they see drug lords, after being arrested with a kilo of shabu, get released on bail when they should get the death penalty –- you know, these are situations when people see criminals being shot dead they think, well, that’s his problem.”
Osmeña would not give figures on the crime rate in Cebu City even when asked. He did tell this writer something, however, that points to high criminal activity in the place. “There’s no one in Cebu who does not have a relative or does not know someone who has been a victim of crime,” he said.
On taking a strong stand on vigilantism
The Cebu City mayor admitted he has been under pressure to “take a strong stand” against the presence of vigilante groups in his turf. “But I do not want to give an assurance to criminals that it’s safe here, because many of them left Cebu,” he said.
He has many critics, though, who think he can –- and should –- do otherwise. They say that leaving vigilantes to act on the problem of criminality has implications on human rights.
Osmeña has defended what his critics describe as his “inaction” in the face of these killings, saying the vigilante groups help in reducing crime in Cebu City.
“If vigilantism is the way to solve the problem of crime, we might as well do away with the justice system,” said Bro. Jun Jardinico, a member of the Franciscan Friars of Charity, in a separate interview. “How can you solve crime by committing another crime?”
“If our justice system is turning out to be inutile, it is perhaps time for the people to think about what has to be done with it and with our government,” added Jardinico, who is also the deputy secretary-general of Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights) in Central Visayas.
Osmeña acknowledges the Cebu City chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) as among his strongest critics on the issue of killings by vigilantes.
Right to life
In a separate interview with Bulatlat, lawyer Alfonso “Poch” Cinco IV, who is with the IBP-Cebu City, said the killings perpetrated by vigilantes are violations of the people’s right to life.
“They may say the victim is a snatcher and a thief, but that is still not reason enough to kill him,” said Cinco, who is also chairman of Karapatan-Cebu. “That is taking a life without due process of law.”
The right to life is one of the basic human rights enshrined in the Constitution, particularly in Art. III, Sec. 1 which states that:
No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.
It is also provided for by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), to which the Philippine government is a signatory. “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person,” states Article 3 of the UDHR.
Osmeña has hit back at the IBP-Cebu City for criticizing him on the issue of killings by vigilantes. “Is the IBP really interested in human rights, or are they concerned about the loss of their clients? Because while they defend innocent people, they also defend some guilty people,” he said in his interview with Bulatlat.
This does not sit well with Cinco. He said lawyers are under oath to provide legal assistance to anyone –- be they criminals or not, moneyed or not –- who encounters legal problems or conflicts.
Cinco further said that the position of the IBP is anchored on the existence of laws, a police force, and a government. He said that the police should investigate criminal cases and file appropriate charges against the suspects –- who, he said, should be jailed if found guilty in court.
“What the vigilantes are doing is to just kill suspected criminals, which is not good and which is a violation of our laws,” he pointed out, “The point is, we all have rights –- whether we are criminals or not. That’s in the Constitution.”
Osmeña said that he also sees the presence of vigilante groups in Cebu City as something he cannot be proud of. “It’s basically wrong,” he admitted. Bulatlat
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)