(Despite threats, falsehoods, and intimidations)
Still, this doesn't stop from seeking truth
and to assert for rights and justice
(Or: "no dictatorship nostalgia nor pseudo-benevolence
should hinder people's rights")
Still, this doesn't stop from seeking truth
and to assert for rights and justice
(Or: "no dictatorship nostalgia nor pseudo-benevolence
should hinder people's rights")
A message for International Human Rights Day
For driven by the glories of the past if not a reaction of incompetent predecessors, it seems that those whose nostalgia been invoked throughout social media pages and its myriad of rants hath all wished to recreate their cherished pasts, but this time in modern trappings and programs that for them as beneficial.
Be it in wishing for their nutribuns be revived to combat youngster's hunger pangs, or the bounties of "Masagana 99" that for them marks the golden age for Philippine agriculture, the revival of Philippine artistry in a form of Joya and Leandro Locsin, or the rocketry brought by the Self-Reliance Defence Program, these and more showeth the past that's full of pride to show upon as they compare to an ever-deteriorating present.
At times they would even praise and wish about the quiet and ever-policed streets of the past, if not a populace that's disciplined either through an imposed law or through a direct threat- that even journalists who trieth to seek truth be accused of rumour mongering and therefore be punished according to law.
Quite nostalgic indeed in cherishing all those achievements whose drivel was to revive national greatness or a promotion of democracy in a developing country, but despite all these order and development being showeth upon, this nostalgia being yearned by the old (and young) hope does not mean forgetting the atrocity brought by the order in the name of interest. That contrary to the "move on" attutude amongst boomers and millennials alike regarding their idols, there are those who recognise an inconvenient reality behind those achievments nor the orderliness they've sought in television screens nor in their surroundings.
That in every infrastructure building in the urban districts also meant displacing the folk from their once-cherished homes, that in every developmental goals meant aggressively destroying the communities and the environment, that in seeking truth from facts meant imprisonment or death, that in asserting freedom and social justice meant subversion. And thus, this kind of order would say isn't an order based on securing freedoms and democratic way of life or even a basis for creating a new society, but instead, a means to consolidate the existing system that's rooted in self-interest.
That in every infrastructure building in the urban districts also meant displacing the folk from their once-cherished homes, that in every developmental goals meant aggressively destroying the communities and the environment, that in seeking truth from facts meant imprisonment or death, that in asserting freedom and social justice meant subversion. And thus, this kind of order would say isn't an order based on securing freedoms and democratic way of life or even a basis for creating a new society, but instead, a means to consolidate the existing system that's rooted in self-interest.
For sure both Loyalists and Duterte fanatics would cry madly after those who criticise their actions the way they invoked their nostalgia over various contemporary history pages. At one time there was a nostalgia page that end churning about their political idols and how their order meant stability and development during their youth- that somehow trieth to rally the disillusioned into their ranks in turning those nostalgia pages into mediums for their cherished idols and its yearness to "bring back their memories". But as their comments and posts ever churn about their angsts towards the opposition or their false hopes the administration promised to the folk, will their politically-laced nostalgia will ever "bring back the future" that was "once lost"? Maybe yes because it emphasises order, stability, and the semblance of "development" like the pictures as well as those of their statements; but that order has nothing to do with their hopes and aspirations let alone the infrastructure being taketh pride upon.
And also to think that at times they shrug altogether words like human rights, freedom, and democracy for a distorted version of stability and discipline, it is quite ironic that the words they've shrug most of the time are also been bannered as how their idol was chosen "by democratic processes" regardless of his distrust on those processes, if not trying to defend against "destabilisers" and "subversives".
And also to think that at times they shrug altogether words like human rights, freedom, and democracy for a distorted version of stability and discipline, it is quite ironic that the words they've shrug most of the time are also been bannered as how their idol was chosen "by democratic processes" regardless of his distrust on those processes, if not trying to defend against "destabilisers" and "subversives".
Call it repetitive this goddamn note, but as reality showed the order's feudo-capitalist atrocity this diminishes its so-called quest for development nor their idea of defending freedom, democracy, and its interpretation of defending human lives. The workers strikes, the peasant problem, the rise of prices of commodities, the ever-present corrupt in connivance with drug syndicates and oligarchs, these and more trumps down the promise of progress and its achievements taketh pride upon nor the threats against the "oligarchs" who hinders its "direction towards development". Remember-Marcos's martial law did have its myriad of achievements like what said earlier- but this doesn't stop from exposing its atrocity by those who seek truth from facts like in the case of deforestation caused by logging to those of developmental aggression in the mountainous areas.
And Duterte followeth this kind of agenda with supporters thinking as necessary using the terms "for the common good" or "for the good of many" especially those which disregards unlikely consequences regarding aggresive "Build Build Build" projects like the Kaliwa dam in Rizal, the Chico irrigation project in Kalinga Apayao, the proposed airport in Bulacan, and others that affect communities and the environment. After all, they're fanatics, and doesn't matter whether the project has its flaws, for it is still a project to taketh pride upon. Even the corruption-riddled South East Asian Games has been a source of pride for Duterte's fanatics, that no matter how it was overpriced the cauldron nor the food been served as not balanced it hath been a source of pride to be taken.
What more that these apologists, also in ever detesting terms like human rights if not justify extrajudicial killings and various forms of intimidations "as necessary", would treat torture as humor or the law as means to prosecute than to defend people. That with the recent arrests and widespread intimidations towards activists and critics of the order would say that their view of justice turneth out to be a monstrous one that devours its people with all those actions taketh by the thugs in uniform and supported by goons in black garbs.
But despite all these threats and provications, this doesn't stop people from getting aware beyond its surroundings, seeking truth from facts, and protesting for its rights and justice. Again call it repititive, but no matter how the order's apologists continue to trigger, expect Street artists will ever continue to spread their provocative art in the streets and in the underpasses, that effigies featuring their idol's distorted faces will continue burn in the squares, and chants ever resounding.
***
What more that these apologists, also in ever detesting terms like human rights if not justify extrajudicial killings and various forms of intimidations "as necessary", would treat torture as humor or the law as means to prosecute than to defend people. That with the recent arrests and widespread intimidations towards activists and critics of the order would say that their view of justice turneth out to be a monstrous one that devours its people with all those actions taketh by the thugs in uniform and supported by goons in black garbs.But despite all these threats and provications, this doesn't stop people from getting aware beyond its surroundings, seeking truth from facts, and protesting for its rights and justice. Again call it repititive, but no matter how the order's apologists continue to trigger, expect Street artists will ever continue to spread their provocative art in the streets and in the underpasses, that effigies featuring their idol's distorted faces will continue burn in the squares, and chants ever resounding.
***
Perhaps, despite all these existing and ever-to-happen bullshits, hope that the people should not wait for the existing order and its representatives to address their problems or wait for another elections and see themselves being fooled by those who banner their problems and promises. And to think they believe that their homeland is truly theirs, that homeland of theirs is meant to be fought to realise a just society so that theirs would have its own cultural autonomy in which their rights would be guaranteed.
To conclude this note, people should realise that regardless of this order trying to impose, it isn't driven by the thought that's "for the common good", but instead, just to prevail this ever-continuing past that's contrary to those who wished for a principled society.