Can US Finally End The Killings In Our Countryside?
Written by Major Tom
Filed under: Philippine Politics
February 27, 2007
Torn over at Torn and Frayed In The Philippines had once quipped that “No one is too old to escape the massacres in the Philippine countryside” after lamenting how even a 72-year old activist did not escape certain death and was killed right in front of his family members. He was an old man for goodness sake and we know from common sense that old men should not be treated shabbily at all, much less being slaughtered while having his evening meal.
In January, torn also had pronounced European Union’s discontent over the spate of killings in the countryside, mostly of political and some agrarian activists. To date, some 800 politically-motivated killings were recorded from 1991 and about 272 since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took office in 2001.
Now it’s the US turn to vilify the Arroyo government for the seemingly relentless spate of political killings that has hounded our nation in recent times; those killings whose frequency has grown mind-numbingly patent. I said mind-numbingly because despite of the apparentness of these killings (like we read such kind of incident almost every week), it escapes me that there is really no such thunderous protestation against the government for this; when in my mind, this burning issue could be more scandalous than the fertilizer scam or even that of the Garci Tapes issue.
If a government is letting its own people die in this sort of gruesome manner, in the name of political gains and interest, then that government should either be impeached or be brought down in the next elections. No administration should ever win elections if in its midst, killings of individuals who merely stood for their political principles are killed like chickens, that in these days and times (as torn said), no one could be too old too escape such malevolence.
I remember that in the Marcos years (at least at the near end of such era) I can recall seeing a lot of red-splattered posters condemning political killings and disappearances as well as rioting in Manila in protestations of alleged political killings done at that time.
But now, the government gives us mostly that ho-hum façade whenever they are confronted with such questions. Who were killing those radical activists all along? Why the manners of killings are all similar? Why the victims always come either from BAYAN MUNA or AKBAYAN almost exclusively? Why such acts always blamed at NPAs when we all know that the NPAs can’t keep on killing their own ranks or they’d easily dwindle down in numbers, overnight? Why the investigations into these killings do not become well-publicized, always dying down after awhile and being forgotten into the guts of general public apathy? Are we all being mass-hypnotized? To turn the other cheek like the German public did while Adolf Hitler was massacring millions of Jews in Auschwitz?
Now—even for once—we can thank America for finally voicing out against this very abnormal circumstance within the Arroyo administration for it seems only America can make our government stop, look and listen. And nobody else can. Like a favorite lover.
In law, there is this silent rule of Res Ipsa Loquitur which is roughly latin for the phrase “the thing speaks for itself” or in my own wordings, “the fact something is wrong, then smoothing wrong has been committed”. It is a legal precept that has very strong application in civil cases, especially in torts and damages, where in any accident or wrongful act, there were instances were despite the lack of concrete evidence pointing out to the wrongful act, the judge meted out damages and penalties. Considering also that in civil cases, the court could have merely preponderance of evidence and act on it. The degree of evidence will not have to be so absolute like that of “beyond reasonable doubt” class, like direct witnessing, fingerprints and DNA traces as object evidences, or judicial admission of guilt.
It is sad however that this principle of Res Ipsa Loquitur has strict applications and requisites and could not be applied in criminal cases or otherwise, these spate of political killings is something so wrong in our present society or in this current administration that despite not having concrete evidence, we know, or almost all of us know and feel correctly that something grave is being done by some unscrupulous men in our midst. And we know who they are.
These killings in the countryside is a grave social illness that would not have gone so worst and malevolent if only the government had acted on it appropriately and in a very timely manner. I don’t know if it can be called as negligence, but for certain these deaths occured because so many just decide to turn a blind eye—including the government itself.
it is so sad to know that these killings in the countryside still existed in our country. i thought (and hoped) that after the marcos era, the people learned their lessons and aimed for a better philippines. unfortunately, it’s still the same power-and-wealth-greedy people who were mistakenly being voted to rule this abused nation. when shall justice prevail? i don’t think USA can help much to these ill-fated citizens of pinas.
Comment by curacha — February 28, 2007 @ 6:12 am
To curacha: It’s even ironic how in some moment I feel that the killings nowadays could be worse or at least as virulent as the Marcos era—the news about this gangland style deaths comes so often that I’d wonder if it will ever stop. To think we should have grown from those dark years but we haven’t really. The land conflicts are still here…
Comment by Major Tom — February 28, 2007 @ 9:36 am
To curacha: It’s even ironic how in some moment I feel that the killings nowadays could be worse or at least as virulent as the Marcos era—the news about this gangland style deaths comes so often that I’d wonder if it will ever stop. To think we should have grown from those dark years but we haven’t really. The land conflicts are still here…
Comment by Major Tom — February 28, 2007 @ 9:40 am
As a foreigner, I am quite surprised by the apathy of the majority of the people. If one journalist was killed in Belgium it would make the headlines for weeks and it would not stop before the murderers would be found and jailed. Here in the Philippines it seems like trivial news.
Don’t count too much on the Americans. They have lost all their moral ground to speak about human rights with their dirty war in Iraq. As long as the Filipino government is prepared to fight the Abu Sayyaf and the NPA they will not embarrass an ally. Don’t forget that the Americans are helping the Filipino army.
Comment by Sidney — February 28, 2007 @ 1:45 pm
That’s what I felt mainly sidney; such amazement over the general apathy of the public to these gruesome murders. Like there’s mass hypnotism going on. I mean I’ve never even seen the Commission on Human Rights commissioner being interviewed on TV and say something about this.
Comment by Major Tom — February 28, 2007 @ 2:19 pm
I don’t think the US can help. It should come from the people. All they do is tell you what’s good or not. If this is not implemented or if it works with the people and government, that would be fine. Yes, it’s sad that this is still going on.
Comment by ipanema — February 28, 2007 @ 2:31 pm
To ipanema: And it would such an apt time this coming elections…if this would become a heated issue this May, maybe the people can finally have its voice felt as strong as possible.
Comment by Major Tom — February 28, 2007 @ 7:41 pm
The killings, or rather, murders over land only shows us that we haven’t really grown out of our feudal past. The big “Hacienderos” still hold sway in the countryside with their private armies, and killing with impunity on whoever dares trespass on their property
Comment by snglguy — February 28, 2007 @ 11:15 pm
hope the people will realize who are the right people to vote! once the wrong people have been elected, well, suffering will comes next.
Comment by iskoo — March 1, 2007 @ 9:32 am
Looks like the political killings of the Marcos regime has started to resurface again in the lesser policed areas of the countryside. What is the military doing about this ? - baka kakutsaba na naman sila ng mga politicos.
Comment by bw — March 1, 2007 @ 12:13 pm
To sngl: Some of the killings were really suspected to be because of land conflicts where those radicals killed were known to be vocal days or weeks before they encountered their death. I don’t want to be presumptous here without ample evidence but for certain, the government need to revisit the land distribution and sharing system in our country and how conflicts can or have already arise from them.
To iskoo: That, I hope also very much. Maybe in a generation, we’ll have really appropriate people in political office, those who goes there for personal aggrandizement merely, but mainly to work out the interest of the people.
To BW: The ghsot of nyesteryears is slowly but surely resurfacing; I hope the government would do something about this now that something can still be done…
Comment by Major Tom — March 1, 2007 @ 1:53 pm
Sorry to come in so late on this. Of course I agree with everything that has been said. What is also amazing to me is the way the opposition has failed to pick up on this issue. As Amando Doronila pointed out after watching the opposition’s feeble display at Plaza Miranda and its focus on trivial issues, the opposition’s neglect of something that has a very real bearing on the lives of ordinary Filipinos shows just how inward-looking the political class is.
It’s also interesting to me that the government turned down the offer of US assistance. Of course they are only too keen to lap up such assistance when it comes to issues important to them, such as “the war on terror”, but the murder of Filipinos is obviously something that does not concern them too much.
Comment by torn — March 6, 2007 @ 5:32 pm
To torn: It borders on mind-blogging to me actually why the opposition wouldn’t take this opportunity one very grave oversight of this present administration, why these things are allowed to happen and nothing concrete seems to be happening.
The US may just playing it cool, perhaps not wanting to antagonize further Malacañang that had been welcoming of its military exercises here; it becomes a game of compromises all along.
Comment by Major Tom — March 8, 2007 @ 2:58 pm