IN THESE islands democracy has died frequently that I already lost track on exactly how many times we see democracy in its death bed only to rise again and die again.
In fact, considering the number of times democracy has been pronounced dead it would not be farfetched to say that in the Philippines democracy dies and lives depending on one’s political affiliation.
The number of times democracy has been pronounced dead has developed a pattern that points out to the usual suspects with a penchant for shouting that democracy is dead.
Generally, the people with a fixation on the death of democracy are almost always “devotees to the cult of the yellow ribbon” or members of that erectile dysfunction-sounding group Tindig Pilipinas.
And these are the usual suspects that have pronounced the death of democracy including the event why they killed democracy:
* Maria Ressa and her Rappletes – when the Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC found her organization Rappler violating the Constitution (yes, the one Hilario Davide is willing to die for) with regards to foreign ownership in media
When the Bureau of Internal Revenue or BIR charged Maria Ressa and Rappler with tax evasion, she et al. cried that democracy is dead in a press conference and in a public rally. Considering that she declared democracy dead I was expecting that she be arrested for doing so but nothing happened much to my disappointment.
I guess this means that democracy is not dead, flawed but alive and kicking if you can shout to the high heavens that democracy is dead in a press conference and rally and not be arrested then go to Starbucks later for your cappuccino fix.
* Maria Lourdes Sereno went the rounds of all forums available, from media outlets to school activities, declaring that democracy is dead when she was booted out as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court via a Quo Warranto proceeding which, of course, is embedded in the current Constitution (the 1987 Constitution or the Cory Constitution).
Meilou, as she prefers to be called, even went as far as to proclaim that the justice system will collapse with her being booted out of the Supreme Court. Well, it’s been a year after she was unceremoniously booted out and the courts seems to be working just fine and she’s still going around badmouthing President Rodrigo Duterte. So far she has not been arrested.
* Let’s just mention in passing those losers and has-beens that never were i.e. Jim Paredes, Cynthia Patag, minor untalented and ugly blogger Jover Laurio who must have killed democracy every time something happens that is not to their liking
* When the courts found Imelda Marcos guilty for graft and sentenced her and had a warrant for her arrest, suddenly democracy is alive and when the same courts allowed her to post bail to avoid being incarcerated, democracy died as quickly as it was alive.
* When the Supreme Court allowed the burial of the late President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, democracy died again.
* Likewise when the courts ordered the arrest of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV for rebellion, democracy died a sudden death and when the same courts allowed him to post bail, democracy is alive once more.
* And then there’s presumptuous vice president Leni Robredo a.k.a. the “barefoot lady from Naga” who is a class by herself as she spends most of her time going around the country and in United States proclaiming that the Philippines is “shrouded in darkness” or balot sa kadiliman, another euphemism that democracy is dead, yet up to this time she has not been arrested nor silenced.
Something happened lately that democracy died once again, that is, if Maria Ressa and her Rappletes were to be asked.
Excerpts from the Dec. 20, 2018 news report from PTV News (take note that news of this kind does not come out of mainstream media):
PH out of top 5 deadliest countries for media in 2018
The Philippines is out of the top five most dangerous countries for journalists in 2018, according to the annual report of media freedom organization, Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Based on the RSF annual worldwide round-up figures released on Wednesday, the list of top five deadliest countries for media this year is now occupied by Afghanistan, Syria, Mexico, India. and the United States.
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) secretary Martin Andanar attributed the country’s delisting to President Rodrigo Duterte’s show of concern to the country’s Fourth Estate.
Duterte has dedicated his first Administrative Order for the creation of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) on Oct. 11, 2016.
Andanar said the PTFoMS’ creation “has resulted in the relentless pursuit of justice for journalists who were killed in the exercise of their duty and the security of those media men and women who have been harassed and threatened.”
“We will continue to work hard for the safety of our journalists in the name of Press Freedom. There is no stopping the present administration from defending the rights of journalists’ who are vulnerable to threats, often in direct reprisal for their reporting,” Andanar said in a statement.
Suddenly I feel safe but just in case…don’t shoot me, I’m only a columnist. So there. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)
