Another ‘war’

Never before has our country been as divided as it is now under the present administration. And this is due precisely to the on-going “war” being waged by Duterte and his diehard supporters. This is not only the war on drugs that started on day one of his administration with casualties now numbering about 5,000 Filipinos suspected of being drug users, pushers and  dealers most of whom are materially deprived and living within the fringes of our community. This is also the war being waged by Duterte and his minions against those who disagree with them on numerous issues arising from his manner and style of governance.

This new kind of war is apparently due to the refusal or failure of Duterte and his backers to realize that they are also capable of committing mistakes; that they are not always right. This is a war that is more vicious because they resort to personal attacks against their “enemies” or those who criticize some of Duterte’s moves and statements calling them names and insulting them with invectives which are full of hatred and spite.

The worst part in this war is the misleading and fallacious arguments they utilize in attacking those who do not agree with them. This is recently shown in the raging controversy surrounding the sneaky burial of the late dictator Marcos at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani which was allowed by Duterte. They keep on insisting that those who are protesting and demonstrating against said burial should already forgive Marcos and just move on. After all, they say, we are all sinners and must therefore learn how to forgive other “sinners” like Marcos to the extent of citing for this purpose Christ’s example of mercy and compassion. Thus they even stigmatize the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines as “Anti Christ” for supporting the on-going protests against such burial.

The real issue in this controversy however is not about forgiving Marcos but about honoring him as a hero despite the numerous violations of human rights, tortures and forced disappearances as well as plunders he committed when he ruled the country as our President and as a dictator during the martial law years. The issue here is not about the “sinner” but the sins he has committed which are now being virtually recognized as enough reasons to honor him with a hero’s burial at the cemetery reserved for those who sacrificed their lives to protect our country and people. This is the real issue that has sparked the widespread protests and rallies currently being staged all over the country. This is the real issue that spurred the Catholic Bishops to back up the protests against Duterte for allowing a hero’s burial for Marcos.

Another fallacy of the Duterte people in this regard is the accusation hurled against the Catholic Church and the Bishops for allegedly violating the principle of separation of church and state enshrined in our Charter (Section 6, Article III). This principle is specifically directed against the State or the government not to interfere with the establishment and free exercise of any religion. It means that neither the State of government can set up a church or pass laws which aid one religion or all religions or prefer one religion over another, or openly or secretly participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups or vice versa. In other words the government should not break the “wall” of separation between Church and State (Board of Education vs. Everson, 330 U.S. 1, 15-16).

Another cause of the new “war” between Duterte’s people and his critics or oppositionists is the delusion being entertained by Duterte himself that all those who do not agree with him are seeking his ouster as President. He even singled them out as belonging to the “yellow” camp of the previous administration who is supposedly aiming to regain power through the incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo. Obviously, this is the very reason for the “forced” resignation of Robredo as the Chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development and Coordinating Council (HUDCC) which is the “Housing Chief” of the government. Obviously Duterte resented Robredo’s criticism of some of his policies which are not good for our country and people like allowing the Marcos burial at the LNMB that created deeper division and discord among our people. Such mentality will definitely lead to a more bitter strife among countrymen instigated particularly by the diehard supporters of Duterte who invariably resort to personal and insulting attacks against the perceived ”enemies” of Duterte.

Thus there is no end in sight to the debilitating strife that our country is now undergoing. On the contrary it is even worsening as the “war” now involves an internal strife between Duterte and his own people. Duterte’s unstinted support for the policemen involved in the numerous summary killings and extrajudicial executions has resulted in another controversy. His reversal of PNP Chief Bato Dela Rosa’s relief of CIDG Chief Marcos has apparently created another “front” in the on-going war. This is further exacerbated by the recent findings of the National Bureau of Investigation which declared that former Mayor Rolando Espinosa was murdered by Marcos and his men inside the jail. Despite such finding Duterte still insists in backing Marcos and his men and even said that they are just following his orders to kill the drug traffickers and users if they resist and endanger the lives of the policemen. He even assured the CIDG Chief that he will not go to jail despite the findings of the NBI. Many people believe that his statement in this controversy may influence the courts and may even be interpreted as an admission that he ordered the killing of Espinosa which may be used by Marcos and his men as a circumstance exempting them from liability (Article 12 [5] Revised Penal Code).

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