Fear is not a shadow anymore

Fear is enveloping our country, starting with the war on drug by President Rodrigo Duterte. From there, our police forces marched in confidence with presidential imprimatur in almost everything they did in the bloody pursuit of ridding our land of illegal drug peddlers. Thousands of lives have been wasted by the supposed legal police operations.

Fear struck among civilians, most of whom lived in the lower economic niche of our society, who were into the trade.

Then, the culture of violence got nurtured. We were told the policemen should use reasonable force to justify why they must fire their guns. Soon, others suspected of pushing illegal drugs, were killed by authorities; even elected officials suffered the same fate. Initially, there were Mayor Espinosa (killed inside a prison cell) and Mayor Parohinog (killed by armed men who raided his home). The legal cover was that those mayors were drug lords. Fear thus swamped the hearts and minds of many elected officials who somehow got linked to the operators of the illicit trade.

Then, barangay chairmen and councilmen, councilors, mayors, and even priests around the country were gunned down, one after another. The list of victims became mixed. In Cebu, there were police officers and drug enforcement agency personnel, ambushed in broad daylight. The killing continued. No court records could show their activities being tied to narcotics. In other words, they could have been killed, for other reasons than their connection to drugs. So, fear began to hit even the innocent.

Now, there is creeping fear of violent death and also of being deprived of freedom. This fear got highlighted when President Duterte issued Proclamation No. 572, which institutionalized fear. While I personally believe that this executive fiat is designed primarily to silence Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, it casts a chilling effect against those who have thoughts uncomplimentary to the nation's leadership. As such, the president assaults our constitutionally guaranteed liberty. It has now become fearful for anybody to criticize this government or risk the ire of the powerful.

The presidential proclamation voiding the amnesty granted Trillanes and company is disturbing, as it disrespects fundamental precepts. In our Constitution, the president has “the power to grant amnesty with the concurrence of a majority of the members of Congress,” as Father Joaquin Bernas says. The procedure, Chief Justice Enrique Fernando said, is for the president to issue a proclamation of amnesty and for the legislature to conform by concurrent resolution. Justice Isagani Cruz emphasizes that the concurrence MUST be given by a majority of all members of Congress and, it follows then that such amnesty cannot be voided by an act of the president alone. For the amnesty that was granted to Trillanes to be declared void, the presidential proclamation must also be concurred by the majority in Congress.

Nevertheless, fear is no longer a shadow. It is real. Looking at what happened to Sen. de Lima, Deputy Ombudsman Carandang and Chief Justice Sereno, I fear this administration is prepared to do everything to stifle dissent. I surmise that the recent approval of the impeachment complaint, as to form, against seven SC justices has something to do with this Trillanes problem. As of yesterday, Trillanes was reported to be filing his petition with the SC questioning Duterte's order. Does the pending impeachment strike fear in the justices involved? I fear!