EDITORIAL - Let’s not spoil another victory

Philippine history has again been rewritten. This time with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Filipino-American journalist Maria Ressa for her coverage of the Duterte administration, particularly the war on drugs.

Take note that it is our first Nobel Peace Prize, the most prestigious among the five categories of Nobel Prizes awarded. Also take note that like the first Olympic gold medal for the Philippines, brought to us by Hidilyn Diaz, this honor was also brought to us by a woman.

Many people are cheering this latest achievement. For a specific group of people, especially those who lost loved ones due to extrajudicial killings, the recognition of Ressa’s work is also a tacit acknowledgment by the international community of the issues she alleges, which many apologists of this administration deny.

This is may also be the reason this administration has not issued any congratulations to her despite this huge honor.

However, as quickly as the announcement was made, and congratulations and praise posted, there were also comments about how she did not deserve the award, or that she was being praised for raising concerns that did not actually exist at all.

Those on this side of the fence are quick to point to Ressa’s biases and that she is playing into the hands of those who want to discredit this administration.

We can’t always say there is a wrong point of view for every issue; those who think differently may just be looking at it another way, from another perspective, or coming from a different background altogether.

And considering the issue Ressa was awarded for covering, the Duterte administration and the war on drugs and those killed as a result of it, there are so many cases, views, and angles to consider.

However, this does not change the fact that the Nobel Committee has chosen Ressa to share half of this award for this year. That this committee decided that she bested Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, the Black Lives Matter movement, and environmental advocate Jane Goodall, among others, means she did something in their eyes that others cannot see or appreciate.

The same with Hidilyn Diaz, perhaps we should just set the politics aside and appreciate the fact that another Filipina has brought honor to our nation.