Hating victims

For most of the week, I’m in Manila but closely monitoring the developments in Cebu --particularly the situation of the victims of the extrajudicial killings. As I was about to write a story on them, I was told by one of the organizers to refrain from showing the faces of the family members. Apparently, they are facing online hate and bullying for being vocal in their stand about the former president’s detention at the International Criminal Court.

My immediate reaction is that the internet is such an ugly dimension. At one time, we can enjoy its vast information and entertainment. A few seconds later, it becomes an avenue of angst where everyone joins in without even knowing the context. It’s disappointing and disheartening.

Genuine people on the internet should learn the basics of literacy, which is to verify before riding on the bandwagon. However, beyond verification there must also be empathy. For this context, behind every trending topic are real incidents that involve real names, real homes, real graves. The families I spoke to in the past are simple and definitely not political strategists. They aren’t legal experts dissecting the jurisdiction of the ICC. In fact, they simply just want to watch the proceedings.

These individuals are mothers and fathers who toil hard for their children. They are also siblings who miss those they have lost and avoid certain streets because the memory of gunshots lingers. They are reduced to “bayaran”, “scripted”, “destabilizers” of a government that they used to believe in. It’s strange how easily we forget that before they were complainants or petitioners, they were simply families and constituents.

The detention of former president Rodrigo Duterte has indeed reignited old loyalties and old anger. Social media timelines are once again divided into camps. Supporters frame the ICC case as foreign interference. Critics frame it as long-awaited accountability. Between these narratives are the victims caught not only in a legal battle thousands of miles away, but in a digital war happening on their own phones.

They deserve a bit of peace.

Algorithms reward outrage, not reflection and so the loudest voices often drown out the most vulnerable ones. We usually conceal identities to protect minors or survivors of sexual violence. Now, families of alleged extrajudicial killing victims must also hide not from state forces, but from fellow citizens who might harass them online. That’s a chilling reality especially if harassment spills into private messages.

That harassment also seeps into communities and creates fear. When dozens of strangers question your loss, mock your grief, or accuse you of lying, the violence may not be physical --but it is real. At this point, the ICC process will take its course and the judges will weigh evidence. Lawyers will argue procedure. The legal system, however imperfect, will follow its structure. What shouldn’t be up for debate is the basic dignity of those who lost loved ones.

We can disagree about Duterte. We can argue about sovereignty, justice, and politics. That’s part of democratic discourse. But when discourse turns into dehumanization, we lose something far greater than an argument. We lose our sense of community.