(We yield this space to the statement of the Promotion of Church People’s Response , a progressive organization of church people established during the Marcos dictatorship, due to its timeliness. – Ed.)
WHEN the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked rule, the people groan. – Proverbs 29:2
The nation is in tatters, filled with wickedness and dehumanization. As President Duterte marks his last State of the Nation Address, our country is reeling from brazen violations of people’s rights, failed COVID-19 pandemic response, worsening poverty and joblessness, ballooning debt, unbridled corruption, militarist wars, and sell out of patrimony and sovereignty especially on the West Philippine Sea. This must end now!
The government must be held accountable for its atrocious crimes against the people which the international community, including the International Criminal Court and UN Human Rights Council, has taken heed. These attacks are mostly against the poor as evidenced in the fake/failed War on Drugs, against workers and peasants in the conduct of its US-backed counterinsurgency program targeting members of legal democratic organizations, and against our Moro brothers and sisters in Mindanao.
Even church people, in the conduct of prophetic ministries of serving and standing up for the people, have not been spared from State repression. Our bishops, priests and pastors have been red-tagged, slapped with trumped-up charges, and detained. But we will not be cowed. We remain steadfast in fulfilling our duties of building God’s kingdom on earth by fighting all forms of evil and embracing the lives and struggles of the poor and oppressed.
The repressive Anti-Terrorism Law (ATL) must be repealed and the notorious National Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) abolished. Dissent is part of democracy and should not be criminalized through the anti-people ATL. Meanwhile, public funds are squandered by the NTF-ELCAC for the killing, arrest and harassment of perceived critics. These have no place in a society that values lives and fundamental rights.
The peace process is important in addressing the roots of the decades-long armed conflict. We look forward to 2022, or even earlier, without Duterte or a proxy in power, so that we can overcome obstacles to resume peace talks and release the political prisoners. A just and lasting peace is only possible by dismantling the unjust economic and social structures that breed rampant rights violations.
Wicked leaders must not be allowed to reign. The prevailing climate of impunity, unpeace and denial of a life of dignity must be reversed. Consistent with our faith that the image of God is in every human being, fighting for the rights of those who have least in life remains a sacred duty.
