Editorial: Where life is cheap

NOTORIETY is an adjective that should never be used in any manner or way on a Catholic country like the Philippines, much more so if it were in connection with the value the faith has placed on human life.

But the reported rampant extrajudicial killings perpetrated in the country in the past few years have understandably earned this nation the notoriety of being a hazard to life.

The “2009 Country Reports On Human Rights Practices” released to the United States Congress last week noted that the killings had gone on with impunity in the Philippines, citing the murder of 32 journalists in Maguindanao.

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The report also cited detentions and arrests without warrants.

These incidents, some of which happened in Cebu City itself, have attracted international attention to the country.

And because it is happening in the only dominantly Catholic nation in Southeast Asia, the international notoriety has become all the more galling.

Besides, the Philippines is the first democracy in this part of the world forged and honed on the anvil of Western democracy.

Report

Part of the report pointed out that, “Prisoners awaiting trial and those already convicted were often held under primitive conditions. Disappearances occurred, and arbitrary or warrant-less arrests and detentions were common. Trials were delayed, and procedures were prolonged. Corruption was endemic…Leftist and human rights activists often were subject to harassment by local security forces. Problems such as violence against women, abuse of children, child prostitution, trafficking in person, child labor were common.”

The report pointed out that while civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of security forces, there are security elements that act independently and committed the atrocities.
In the political killings last year of 57 individuals, including the 32 journalists, that the Commission on Human Rights had reportedly probed, elements of the PNP and AFP were reportedly involved, although it still has to be proven.

At the close of 2009, the PNP Task Force Usig is said to have listed 156 killings since 2001.
Nine of these considered extrajudicial killings occurred “during the year.”

At least 95 cases were filed in court and in the prosecutors offices, while 60 are under investigation, and only one case is considered closed.

Significant

The report cited the Maguindanao political killings as the most significant incident in this republic last year.

Sadly, in the report, human rights groups noted little progress in implementing and enforcing reforms aimed at decreasing the incidence of killings.

This reality, in a sense, does indicate that in our country life is cheap, even cheaper than the value our Catholic faith may have placed on the price tag for human life.