MANILA, Philippines — The assault on and humiliation of a security guard at a gated subdivision in Parañaque City is an effect of the concentration of power and wealth in society that makes abuse more likely, labor leader Leody De Guzman said Sunday as he called for justice over the incident.
According to a report on GMA News, security guard Jomar Pajares was assaulted at the Concha Cruz gate of BF Homes subdivision in the evening of March 16 for stopping a vehicle from entering the gated village because it did not have a car sticker.
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Involved in the incident was a man who claimed to be the son of a congressman. The man was not identified in the news report as is often the case when influential people are involved.
In a tweet on Sunday, De Guzman — running for president under the Partido Lakas ng Masa — said the incident, where Pajares was kicked while he was kneeling, is a reflection of a "rotten" government and society.
"Konsentrado kasi ang yaman at kapangyarihan sa iilan kaya pakiramdam nila ay pag-aari nila ang maliliit. Sa mga pamilya ng mga pulitikong masalapi at makapangyarihan, umuusbong ang lubos na abusadong pag-uugali," he said.
(Wealth and power are concentrated among a few so they think they own those who don't have influence. It is from the families of wealthy politicians that we see abusive behavior)
'We are not rags to step on'
De Guzman said in Filipino that the people who assaulted Pajares "think that they can break the law, hurl insults, hurt and harass a worker who is just doing his job."
According to the GMA report, subdivision personnel are already preparing a complaint against the unnamed people involved. De Guzman, on Sunday, urged the homeowners' association to coordinate with local authorities to make sure Pajares gets justice.
In the same report, Pajares said that he is afraid of what will happen to him and his family after the incident.
"Kay Jomar naman, na kapwa ko rin manggaawa, huwag mong isuko ang labang ito sapagkat patutunayan natin na tayong mga maliliit ay hindi mga basahan na pinaluluhod, tinatadyakan at at tinatapak-tapakan ng mga makapangyarihan sa lipunan," De Guzman also said.
(To Jomar, who is a fellow worker, don't give up this fight. We will show them that we little people are not rags who they can force to kneel and who the powerful in society can kick around and step on.)