Guilty until proven innocent?
As said in the book of Proverbs 31:8, “Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless.” This is why we need to participate in making laws by telling our duly elected representatives what we want because this proposed legislation will affect our freedom and rights as citizens.
Brothers and sisters, ever since President Duterte took his seat as the chief executive of the Philippines, the cruel and bloody war on drugs intensified, wherein streets in poor communities were literally drenched in blood of the thousands accused of illegal drugs possession. Now, we need to be vigilant.
In the week after the “misencounter” between agents of the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, a measure allowing legal presumption against whoever may be considered as importer, financier of illegal drugs, and those who fund, protect, and house drug suspects, has been approved in its third and final reading. This means any individual arrested who is “said” to have done any activity involving illegal drugs can be brought in as a criminal. This proposed law aims to amend and strengthen Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. A total of 188 lawmakers—majority of whom are allies of the President—voted in favor of the House Bill (HB) 7814, while 11 voted against it, and nine abstained. Many of those who opposed the bill are worried about its provisions that anyone the law holds accountable is “guilty until proven innocent.”
It is dangerous for this bill to become law especially because it openly sets aside provisions in the Bill of Rights of our Constitution that says, “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall be presumed innocent until the contrary is proved, and shall enjoy the right to be heard by himself and counsel, to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation against him, to have a speedy, impartial, and public trial, to meet the witnesses face to face, and to have compulsory process to secure the attendance of witnesses and the production of evidence in his behalf.” Clearly, it is right for each one of us to have a fast, fair, and transparent judgement that must follow the correct due process.
If the HB 7814 becomes law, anyone is not far from being arrested without any evidence. Our lawmakers now have more reason to become cruel in arresting drug suspects. This may push the authorities to commit violations against human rights and abuse their power while they themselves slip away from the hands of the law.
In spite of our continuous search for justice for the thousands of people who perished because of the war on drugs by the Duterte administration, it is unjust for one bill to openly set aside due process and the rights of everyone accused to defend themselves in front of the jury. It is worrisome for our country where our justice system works slowly. It is clear in the Catholic social teaching like in Pacem in Terris of the duties of the government to ensure human rights is recognized and propagated in order to achieve common good. If we allow the State to neglect the law, no one will be accountable for the opportunities that go against our rights.
Brothers and sisters, how can we be secure in our country if the State itself that has the responsibility to protect our rights fails to follow the law? How will our society progress if our lawmakers are the ones who sow chaos in their own operations? When this bill becomes a law, we cannot say that there’s nothing to be scared of if we aren’t doing anything wrong. We cannot say this to the innocent victims of the drug war and to those accused and killed without due process. As said in the book of Proverbs 31:8, “Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless.” This is why we need to participate in making laws by telling our duly elected representatives what we want because this proposed legislation will affect our freedom and rights as citizens.
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