Why we must rally on Sept. 21

AN urgent and courageous open letter is circulating. It is signed by former Senator Rene Saguisag, Mother Mary John Mananzan OSB of St. Scholastica’s College Manila, Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, Rev. Rex Reyes of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, scholar Miguel Aljibe of the UP Manila University Student Council, former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, and playwright Bonifacio Ilagan of the Campaign against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang.

Here are excerpts of their open letter:

“On behalf of the convenors of the Movement Against Tyranny, we are inviting everyone to a broad, multi-sectoral gathering at the Luneta this September 21, from 4-8 p.m. with the theme ‘Stop the Killings! Never Again to Tyranny and Dictatorship!’

“September 21 is the 45th anniversary of the declaration of martial law by the former dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. That date takes on an urgent significance this year in the face of President Rodrigo Duterte’s own drift to tyranny and authoritarian rule.

“In his one year in office, President Duterte has presided over a ‘war on drugs’ that has killed an estimated 12,000 Filipinos, mostly poor, suspected small -time drug pushers, users and innocents. His ‘all-out war’ on Moro or Communist rebels and/or ‘terrorists’ are taking a toll on civilian communities who are faced with their own share of extrajudicial killings as well as aerial bombings, forced evacuations, intimidation and threats. Peace talks with rebel groups have practically collapsed.

“In response to criticisms, the President and his allies routinely attack and take steps to pressure or undermine the Supreme Court, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Commission on Human Rights, the Church, and the Media. He has even threatened to close down Congress and impose a revolutionary government to further his political agenda.

“Equally bothersome is the President’s emulation of the ousted dictator Marcos, whom he has allowed to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and whose family he is now negotiating a compromise with on their ill-gotten wealth.

“For these reasons, it has become necessary to strongly and dramatically object to the killings and resist a possible return to one-man rule. THUS OUR URGENT CALL TO ACTION ON SEPTEMBER 21.

More information on the rally is available at facebook.com/TheMovementPHL

Since the letter’s release last Sept. 8, there have been many developments that compels every Filipino to pause and reflect.

The Duterte-controlled House of Representatives has voted to defund the Commission on Human Rights. The House Justice Committee also formally accepted as “sufficient in both form and substance” an impeachment complaint against the Chief Justice.

The apparent misuse of the impeachment process do not go unnoticed. The Integrated Bar of the Philippines warns against using it as a “weapon of submission” against constitutional offices deemed by Duterte as hindrances to his plans.

Elsewhere, outrage and vigilance have exposed and pushed back a little against wanton abuse of power: The family of one of the witnesses to the police murder of Kian delos Santos endured the pressure of the CIDG and VACC to turn over to them the witness – a minor – and instead chose the sanctuary of Bishop Pablo David.

Just this Friday morning, 62 members of the now-notorious Caloocan Police were “relieved” from their posts after brave citizens exposed their attempted robbery and warrantless search. The Metro Manila police chief has not arrested or detained them. They can still terrorize the good people of Caloocan.

President Duterte himself has inserted himself in the issue of the recent spate of murders of teenagers. In carefully staged photo-ops, Duterte cynically portrays himself as a champion of justice and assures grieving families that justice would be done. What the entire “palabas” cannot erase from our memories is Duterte’s cries for more blood – beautiful, as he once described it – and his order to plant evidence on suspects who wouldn’t resist arrest so the police could kill them. Or the loud justifications of his henchmen and trolls that the teenagers’ murders were supposedly just punishment because they were pushers, runners or addicts.

Only time, science and our outrage could perhaps compel authorities to produce the whole story behind the body of yet another teenager discovered in a river in Bulacan. Our obligation as citizens compel us to join his grief-stricken family to demand a full and impartial investigation.

We must confront and denounce President Duterte and his war on drugs that has turned out to be an orgy of summary executions and a massacre of due process and the rule of law.

We must confront and denounce Duterte for refusing a full, public and fair investigation of his narcopoliticians list, and the flagrant refusal of his son and son-in-law to fully cooperate in the investigation of their involvement in the shabu shipment intercepted at Customs.

We must confront and denounce Duterte for betraying the public trust.

Let’s come together on Sept. 21 at the Luneta and elsewhere as Filipinos, against killings and the reemergence of a dictatorship.