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Terrifying reality

Misconception and the misunderstanding of what basic human rights are within the AFP, was shamelessly bared by an officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) during the dialogue with the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) in Baguio City recently. Is this one of the major causes behind the ongoing wanton slaughter of political activists, church workers, journalists, and even ordinary citizens?

In northern Luzon, recently killed were: Baby Mendiola and her husband, in Isabela; Rafael Markus Bangit, of Kalinga; Albert Terredaño of Abra; Jose “Pepe” Manegdeg of Ilocos Norte, and Romy Sanchez of La Union, among the more celebrated cases.

They have many misconceptions but let’s focus on concepts drawn from the paper and speeches presented at this forum. For the AFP, communists, the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army, are the enemy of the State. The state policy on the CPP-NPA is annihilation. Furthermore, protesting citizens particularly rallyists are, to the AFP, also communists. Therefore, all protesting citizens are communists and are enemies of the State!

Simply, just like that.

The repeal of the Anti-Subversion Law some ten years ago made the Communist Party of the Philippines a legitimate people’s organization like the Liberal or the Nationalista Party. Though ideologically the CPP is classed to the left, and the LP or the NP to the right; this classification is only to indicate their opposing ideological positions and not whether one is black and the other white.

In an organizational diagram presented by the speakers (Colonels) illustrated that on top of the chart of the leftist organization is the CPP, under was an ILPS (International League of Philippine Struggle), then a CPUSA (Communist Party of the United States), below it is the WCC (World Council of Churches), followed by the National Council of Churches of the Philippines.

Though he didn’t say what other organizations followed down the line he clearly insinuated that this is the logic for identifying and the reason why left-leaning organizations, critics of the government and honest, out-spoken citizens are being stalked, and harassed by elements of the state. Some assassinated or abducted or missing or implicated.

Though not explicitly identified, the media has not been spared. Military agents with cameras outnumbered and out-photographed the journalists covering the activity. Right after this AFP -UCCP dialogue at least three journalists were followed by military men from the venue.

Still from this dialogue, obviously, in the fight against “the enemies of the State”, the elements of the state cannot distinguish friend from foe. Nor do they have a clear delineation between the armed opposition aiming to overthrow the government and the legitimate opposition working to improve the state of governance within the framework of the Constitution.

A terrible reality confronts us today that any civilian can easily be tagged a leftist or a communist and possibly be arbitrarily liquidated by the elements of the State, and then become a statistic under the administration of and leadership of the nation’s lady president.

When and if the government does recognize the difference, different approaches can be undertaken to avoid and prevent further violating our basic human rights collectively as citizens of the Philippines and avoid casualties among the living, both innocent and even the guilty.

Elements of the state should be dignitaries with (and show it) reverent respect for Life and the Rule of Law and not simpletons declaring war against civilians, dangling the communist bogey and mouthing illogical deductions and justifications of who is the enemy. #

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