"I am so afraid for the future of our country."
"I am so afraid for the future of our country."
People more or less expected President Duterte’s announcement that he was extending, to May 15, the enhanced community quarantine in critical areas. These include Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Central Luzon.
Other places will be under general community quarantine. Duterte, however, did not specify what GCQ meant, exactly.
The President did not stop there. He went on to threaten the communists. He said they should stop their acts of lawlessness like committing atrocities and killing soldiers who were just carrying supplies. Or else, he said, he would declare martial law nationwide.
To make matters worse, Duterte’s words were echoed by Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, a former chief of staff of the Armed Forces.
No word came, however, from Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who shoud normally react.
I also expected the President to extend the ECQ given that we still have not flattened the curve of the infection.
But the good news is that recoveries are far outpacing deaths.
As a journalist, I know the implications of a martial law declaration. I was there when the same declaration was made in 1972. But while martial law targeted the communists, it also meant the suppression of basic freedoms. If Duterte is thinking of a Marcos-style martial law declaration, he should take another look at Section 19 of Article VII of the 1987 Constitution.
Marcos based his martial law on the 1935 Constitution which did not have limitations like the 1987 charter has. My gulay, under the 1987 Constitution, martial law would be a toothless tiger. It has so many restrictions!
In the first place, the condition Duterte mentioned as his basis for declaring martial law does not exist. Communists may be committing atrocities in the countryside, but that is not enough basis. Neither does it qualify as lawless violence that endangers public safety.
While what the New People’s Army is doing can qualify under “rebellion,” these rebels are mostly bandits collecting “revolutionary taxes” for their own purposes. The AFP can still suppress their activities. As a lawyer, surely Duterte must be aware of this.
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Meanwhile, my attention was caught by the statement of presidential spokesman Harry Roque that the rate of infection is starting to flatten. I think it is premature to say that. It’s almost speculation. He should take note of the World Health Organization’s statement that the cure for COVID-19 may take weeks, even months! Hence, we still have a long journey ahead of us!
People should realize the need for greater sacrifice and discipline. It’s all for the common good. But, my gulay, how can you tell that to those who are out of jobs? Businesses and the economy are losing so much—I am lucky I still have my job, being able to write this column three times a week.
What really worries me is what will happen to this country once we return to normal. The National Economic and Development Authority says initial losses due to the pandemic now amount to P800 billion. Indeed we will never be the same again.
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While we were not looking, there were reports that China continued to militarize the West Philippine Sea. Reports also have it that Chinese Coast Guard vessels have been making incursions into our territory. They say there has been a confrontation between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels. Antique Rep. and former Senator Loren Legarda was even complaining about the entry of China’s vessels near Semirara Island in Panay.
My gulay, all we could do was file a diplomatic protest, thanks to the Department of Foreign Affairs. What China is doing to us is short of criminal. This leads me to ask—Can we still trust China to be our friend given the way it has been bullying us?
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The Commission on Human Rights, in a bid to make its presence felt, wants the police and military to respect the human rights of citizens.
The CHR must remember that the country is in a state of national emergency in the wake of the pandemic. The common good and national interest prevail over individual freedoms and rights.
Still, it does not mean that anybody can just trample over human rights. The end cannot justify the means.
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The repatriation of thousands of Overseas Filipino Workers is a big economic issue. For decades, remittances have shored up our economy. With the specter of a global recession upon us, I am afraid our economic future is grave danger. My gulay, who can help us?