Human Rights, Social justice, must prevail!
This note extends solidarity in commemorating the 75th year of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. With the theme “Freedom, Equality, and Justice for All”, this declaration since the adoption in 1948 enshrines the inalienable rights of the people regardless of race, gender, religion, or creed- and thus is must recognise, adhere, and consider as an important reference in the defense of rights and welfare of the Filipino folk amidst the ever-continuing crisis and the prevailing oppression in the name of order.
In marking this commemoration, it is a duty of the folk to guard the rights of its fellow, and that includes to put a spotlight on the grave situation of human rights in the country under the current administration- for like its predecessor, people’s rights are still trampled be it in the name of “counterinsurgency”, especially in the provinces. For sure its apologists would even justify further such as “industrial peace”, “deterrence to crime”, “discipline” among others even it meant repression.
Indeed, for according to recent data, 127,000 Filipinos have been violated in 957 cases involving state components, including 79 cases of Extra-Judicial deaths, 87 cases of abductions, 28 cases of frustrated murder, 155 cases of arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, and 44 cases of torture. The majority of victims of governmental violence are peasants, farmworkers, and members of national minorities. Furthermore, there are approximately 800 political prisoners demanding freedom and justice for their beliefs, notably those concerning social justice. Again, state elements, acting as the order's attack dogs, fraudulently identify them as insurgents in order to cover up the crime and establish a culture of impunity.
Such actions from these attack dogs would say fail to stem the growing concern and awareness from the people. Despite ever churning of propaganda and slander, the concerned masses continue to assert just calls such as to defend their land against land grabbing, ancestral domains against encroachment of development aggressors, the right for fair wages, just working conditions, even press freedom and the right to express, seeking truth from facts in a time orderists and its apologists trying to undermine using various reasons and actions even it requires spending hundreds of billions of pesos worth of weapons trying to subjugate people and communities.
Such actions shows the ever consolidating moves to preserve the rotting social order. Regardless of its “developmentalist”, “modernizing” appearance, being an appendage of exploiters exposes how this system is rotten to the core- as despotic landlords, corrupt bureaucrats, together with foreign overlords United States and China willing to violate people’s rights in various forms all “in the name of order and stability.”
The Filipino people must once more raise their voices in favor of justice, peace, and holding those who abuse people's rights responsible for their actions. Those who are genuinely concerned should reaffirm their dedication to the timeless principles of this Universal Declaration of Human Rights in addition to the assertion of a just, progressive society in the face of red-tagging, harassment, and attempts to thwart people's hopes and aspirations.