Fighting impunity
THE pernicious effects of impunity reveal themselves in a common question raised whenever another journalist, lawyer, “lumad” leader or human rights advocate is killed: What was he or she involved in?
It is more than curiosity directing a question that speculates about the victim’s past rather than on the perpetrator of the crime. We question the integrity of a victim in assuming that he or she “invited” the attack and his/ her killing was “deserved” or “justified.”
A mindset that naturalizes impunity is also seduced by the populism wielded by leaders and parties that justify shortcuts in or detours from democratic processes to appease citizens who are frustrated by elitism and demand instant redress for the exploitation of the masses.
Attacks against individuals fighting corruption and other irregularities are also carried out using other means of intimidation. The weaponization of the law and the internet was raised by speakers during a Nov. 22 webinar to mark the 2020 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, reported Kate F. Denolang in SunStar Cebu.
In the webinar, University of the Philippines professor Walden Bello and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa pointed out how the Congress did not renew the franchise of the ABS-CBN network and Ressa and a former Rappler colleague were convicted of cyber l i bel .
Mindanao journalist Froilan Gallardo cited 128 attacks or threats made against members of the press from June 30, 2016 to April 30, 2019, which include the “murder of 12 journalists, 18 online harassment cases, 16 intimidation cases, 12 threats via text messages, 12 libel charges, 10 website attacks, eight slay attempts and five assault cases.”
Framing the attacks or threats against media lapses and abuses; bludgeoning citizens with the repetition of these cases to hammer in the tyranny of numbers and the normality of the abnormal; and spreading through social media disinformation and hatred against journalists, lawyers and other victims have been effective in making many citizens avoid and dismiss the issue of impunity.
As reported by SunStar Cebu, Lawfare webinar speaker Sen. Leila de Lima, the chairperson of the Senate committee on social justice, emphasized the importance of a media-literate citizenry that will not be intimidated from confronting and fighting the culture of impunity.
To buttress the people’s will to sustain the discourse upholding democracy, which includes dissent,
because of the role of George Washington in the American Revolution. A member of the Free Masons (then considered an enemy of the Catholic Church), Bonifacio also read The Holy Bible and “Religion Within the Reach of All.”
He also read books on law (international law, civil code, penal code) and medicine.
For light reading, Bonfacio turned to Alexander Dumas, Victor Hugo (Les Mesirables) and Eugene Sue (The Wandering Jew).
Who among his political detractors could have claimed that they read even half as many of the books that Bonifacio read?
Bonifacio also wrote poetry. He wrote “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa” a 28stanza piece which National Artist Virgilio Almario describes as “excellent.” A shortened version of the poem became the lyrics of a song (melody composed by ex-political detainee Luis Jorque) which became very popular during the martial law period.
Bonifacio also wrote essays like “Ang Dapat Mabatid ng Mga Tagalog (What the Filipinos Should Know)” and “Tapunan ng Lingap (Care a Little)."
In a previous article, we recalled that Dr. Jose Rizal read a lot. Rizal got hooked into the reading habit after his mother, Teodora Alonzo, read to him the story about the moth and the flame. Bonifacio and Rizal – two great Filipinos with a common passion: reading!