‘…I am rather amused at the way the Duterte camp is calling for prayers, given that FPRRD so often mocked God, priests and nuns, and even the Pope.’
AS the political pot continues to boil following the appearance of former President Rodrigo Duterte before the pre-trial panel at the ICC, I am amused at the way the followers of Duterte and BBM are at each other’s throats.
Figuratively as well as literally.
I am amused, too, at the torrent of fake news emanating from the rabid followers, from my social media feed at least seemingly more from the South (sub-Saharan Africa?) than from the North (southern Europe?). The fake news began with the “May TRO na!” that a lawyer allied with FPRRD started after he allegedly claimed to have had it – a total fabrication of his imagination. But you can imagine how such a statement, taken as gospel truth by FPRRD’s followers, galvanized them and shopped them up into an even bigger frenzy.
I also have to admit that I am rather amused at the way the Duterte camp is calling for prayers, given that FPRRD so often mocked God, priests and nuns, and even the Pope.
Do they think God is that forgiving? Then again, can’t they channel their prayers through his self-anointed son (in jail)?
I think a lot of FPRRD’s problems stem from his braggadocio that was at its height when he was at the height of his power. From mocking God and the church to mocking the ICC and its judges to admitting time and time again that he had personally given instructions to encourage those in custody to fight back. And when they do so, to shoot them. Enough “recibo” exists in the form of hours and hours of news coverage and even footage from Radio-TV Malacanang.
Duterte giving speeches as well as testifying under oath.
Given all of the above and more, I commented to some friends that we Filipinos have resorted to our default mode of looking at issues from the perspective of personalities and then taking sides – which, in my view, has been a major weakness that keeps all of us from truly learning our lessons. Rather than focusing on persons, we need to learn to focus on the principles at the root of the issues that we confront. And in the case of FPRRD, they are, again, issues fundamental to the viability of a republic and democratic processes and the rule of law.
Principles like “the end does not justify the means,” meaning you cannot justify wiping out a batch of people (in this case drug runners and users and innocent bystanders) by claiming you want to rid the country of drugs. Because today, it is drugs; tomorrow, it can be intellectuals and gays and those who believe in a certain religion or the aged or the infirm – exactly what Hitler did and Pol Pot did and other regimes did to eliminate enemies
Then there’s the matter of due process. Simply put, an accused, no matter how abhorrent the crime alleged, has the right to his day in court – where he finds out the charges against him, questions the evidence, and puts up his defense. That was absent in the so-called “War on Drugs,” which claimed over 3,000 lives (minimum). That’s 3,000 dead people denied due process.
I can even add the matter of keeping authorities in check, which was absent here when the former president seemed to give policemen a “blank cheque” to do what was needed to meet their targets. That’s a very dangerous proposition where you put almost unbridled power in the hands of those with guns, never mind if they’re the legitimate arm of government.
Finally, we can add the sanctity of human life.
Why should we focus on principles rather than personalities? We need to do so to ensure that in the future, no matter who is in office, no such abuses will ever occur again.
That’s how you learn from the past: focus on the principles.
