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The
country is at a crossroads once again after Edsa People
Power I and II.
Then, as
now, the core issues remain: the moral authority of the
President of the Republic in the face of a string of
corruption and kickback cases; the misuse and draining
of public funds; extra-judicial killings; continued
harassment and intimidation of the media, students and
opposition groups; and the shameless abuse of government
positions for personal gain.
Then, as
now, the issue is the choice between authentic truth and
manufactured truth. People who come forward, risk their
lives and tell the truth are hounded and persecuted with
the force and might of the state apparatuses of
deception, intimidation and harassment. Jun Lozada, the
latest of the witnesses, follows several truth seekers
who were prepared to be persecuted so they could be at
peace with their consciences—the group of computer
technicians that exposed the anomalous election returns
in 1986, and Clarissa Ocampo, among others. However, it
is Lozada who is the most maligned, being the object of
a massive counterattack by a government that seems
determined to do everything to systematically hide and
manipulate the truth.
Over and
over, we see the familiar script of government in
denying the truth, in using multimedia, military and
intelligence resources as well as government agencies
such as the Department of Justice to harass and threaten
witnesses against the government.
Then, as
now, people are called upon to weigh the truth for
themselves. Whom will we believe? Why do we need to make
a choice? Why do we have to act? What is the threshold
of our patience and trust? Are we willing to settle for
a kleptocratic government yet again? Are we going to
settle for a government that blatantly and brazenly
distorts and manipulates the truth and violates the
human rights of people and gets away with it?
The
government asserts that this is not the time to rock the
boat at midstream, that our economy is doing well and
that political instability will discourage foreign
investors. The problem with these arguments is that they
miss the point. There cannot be real growth when the
benefits that come from it are siphoned off through
corruption and wrong priorities.
It has
to be made clear that whatever economic growth we have
is the result of the collective productivity of
peasants, workers and the ordinary Filipino worker,
including our migrant workers and professionals who work
hard for a living. Yet these are the very same people
who are the victims of human-rights violations and bad
governance of the Arroyo administration. While claiming
credit for this jobless economic growth, it is also, at
the same time, driving hundreds and thousands of
Filipino migrants abroad due to lack of opportunities at
home.
Is there
a way forward?
We call
upon citizens who conscientiously pay their taxes, work
hard to support their families, contribute to the
economy, the poor and marginalized who bear the burden
of negligence and corrupt governance to say, enough is
enough!
Filipinos are a patient and fair people. Historically,
Filipinos have shown that in times of crisis, we are
capable of great deeds and acts of courage. Jun Lozada,
despite his flawed record, displayed an act of courage
to pave the way for more acts of courage. The time for
patience is over. Filipinos demand and deserve public
servants who treat government service as a public trust.
We need to chop off the tentacles of corruption that
have sapped the resources and spirit of this country.
Now is the time to restore the hope, trust and support
of the Filipino people by affirming and demanding good
and honest governance, accountability and the rule of
law.
With the
Filipino people, we demand the following:
§
Investigate and continue the public hearings on the
anomalous projects under the Arroyo administration;
§
Penalize
all the parties responsible for the abduction of Jun
Lozada;
§
Stop the
harassment of media, students and opposition groups;
§
Give
justice to victims of extrajudicial killings.
Katotohanan, Katarungan, Pagbabago!
Miriam
College
Katipunan Road,
Loyola Heights
Quezon City |
