President Duterte's ‘hatag-bawi'
IN THIS Duterte presidency, the mention of human rights conjures the image of suspected drug addicts or pushers lying in pools of blood in dark alleys, and a flood of online posts that applaud the seeming lust for blood and that shoot down people who disapprove of the method used in this war against illegal drugs.
It is sad that President Rodrigo Duterte considers the issue on human rights as a kind of war against his own war on drugs. This may be the his ploy against his critics from the international community and from the opposition. But it has muddled the people's understanding of what human rights is.
To put things in perspective, we have long been talking of human rights as an issue against past presidents. During Noynoy Aquino's presidency, we had the “Stop Lumad Killings” campaign to protect the lumads of Mindanao. We also bewailed the misuse of rehab funds that resulted in these not given to victims of typhoons Yolanda and Pablo.
Former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is remembered for the word “impunity” and for the Ampatuan massacre, Jovito Palparan, and warlordism. Now we have Duterte in Malacañang, but his human rights performance is just like the man himself, a contradiction with highs and mostly lows.
The President scored points on economic rights at the start of his term when he called for the end of labor contractualization, popularly known as "endo," and promised to increase salaries of teachers and nurses. Six months later, the labor secretary proposed that workers' tenure should be regularized instead by their contracting-agencies and not by the companies.
Then the budget secretary said that salary increases for teachers and nurses are "ambitious" because of a tight government budget. And workers remain uncertain if in 2017 changes are really coming.
As for political rights, activists were, for the first time, allowed to stage rallies minus the clashes with police during Duterte's State of the Nation Address (Sona). Except for the violent dispersal of a protest action at the US Embassy, rallies are being allowed by Duterte, including the huge gathering against the hero's burial for the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
The President scored points for peace and political rights when he released 22 consultants of the National Democratic Front NDF). But the release of 400 more political prisoners he promised has been fulfilled pieceby-piece, and a political prisoner recently died while still in detention.
Trumped-up charges against 15 lumad advocates in Davao were dropped last August. But a teacher for the lumad school, Amelia Pond, was arrested using a false warrant last October and she is now facing charges she did not commit.
Some 200 lumads from Talaingod and Kapalong still remain inside the UCCP Haran because soldiers and the paramilitary are violating Duterte's ceasefire order by camping in their communities, making their return impossible. This week, a Talaingod chieftain Gombil Mansumuy-at died from sickness and would not see the realization of his wish for peace in his ancestral land.
Meanwhile, Gen. Eduardo Año, a known rebel hunter implicated in the abduction of farmer-activist Jonas Burgos, the killing of Kumander Parago and the arrests of communist party leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, is the new Chief of the Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
That is why I call this situation: “hatag-bawi.” Some may say it is still too early now to judge Duterte. But there are two things that activists are saying now to put this in perspective.
The urban poor organization Kadamay demonstrated its point in a rally, saying Duterte must go beyond the war on drugs to help the poor by addressing the roots of the problem which is poverty.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said it better: "The President must listen to the people, not the generals, big business, multinational corporations, opportunist politicians, corrupt justices and other vested interests. Human rights is taking a beating under Duterte and the people are saying, enough!'"-- from Sun.Star Davao