BEFORE this week ends, allow me to first extend once more my sincerest greetings - a blessed and meaningful belated Easter to all! It is my prayer that our remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus, his triumph over sin and death, served as a reminder for us that there is still much reason to be filled with hope amid the coronavirus pandemic.
This upcoming Sunday - the first after Easter - is Divine Mercy Sunday and it also calls for equally meaningful reflection and celebration. We remember the compassion extended to mankind many years ago when He who is love and mercy personified came, died, and rose again for the forgiveness of sinners. It was this love and mercy that lifted us up from sin and dire hopelessness.
The circumstance we find ourselves in today, with Covid-19 threateningly knocking on everyone’s doors, calls on us to seek the extension of this same mercy to the many who are truly in the most difficult and vulnerable situations.
In particular, I ask that we pay attention to a plea made by a top official of the United Nations earlier on April 2020. Michelle Bachelet, High Commissioner for Human Rights, urged governments to reduce overcrowding in prisons in their territories by releasing detainees who are locked up with no sufficient legal basis or, in many cases, for having expressed opinions that did not go well with their authorities. This appeal was made in recognition that if the virus gets to enter the crowded prisons, the sickness and deaths that will ensue will be too devastating that the governments themselves will be placed in much difficulty in handling them.
Moreover, this would mean that the prisoners who already suffer various forms of neglect, malnourishment, sickness, and even violence while in prison will have no means to fend off the disease as their health is already failing. Such appeal was also made by our Holy Father, Pope Francis and I myself joined the pleas of political prisoners and their suffering families especially those coming from Negros!
In the same way, let us also look at the situation of families residing in areas that have been terribly degraded by years or decades of industrial activity, which has made them all the more vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic. In communities near coal-fired power plants in the Philippines and abroad, for example, studies have shown that there is most likely a greater risk of infection and death from Covid-19 due to their compromised health. These people have long been victims of injustice by being forced to breathe toxic air for so long; as if this was not enough, their existing health conditions have also made them an easy target for a disease that even the rich, with all the money they can spend to avail treatment, fear of having.
For the people living in these circumstances, the trickling down of mercy from authorities and institutions who are able to grant it would be like a rain shower during a drought. In prisons across the country and the world, mercy would come in the form of releasing political detainees, especially the sick and elderly, during this time of crisis, as well as ensuring the humane treatment and care for the needs of all prisoners.
Mercy could also come in the form of ceasing destructive practices such as coal that harm the health of our people, especially those who are already marginalized and vulnerable. For this, our policymakers and implementers should spearhead decisions that would promote sustainability rather than coal and other destructive resources. Meanwhile, private institutions like banks should end their contributions to the continued proliferation of these industries. The Bank of the Philippine Islands, for example, still plans to push through with the annual meeting of its shareholders next week; it is my hope that among the items they will be discussing is the end of their investments and financial services to coal-fired power plants in the country, to ease the pains of our most affected people in these difficult times.
As for us, dear readers, let us fervently demand mercy for the most vulnerable, as an act of love as well as thanksgiving for the mercy that we too experience in our daily lives. A blessed weekend to all! Looking forward to celebrate Earth Day with you this coming April 22!