Well, at least a few days ago that’s how I’ve one-sidedly seen things - lovely and rainbow colored schemed. But with the recent barbaric and inhumane Maguindanao massacre case, my outlook about our state of democracy has been altered. I have always felt a certain degree of pride living in a Christian dominated democratic country, that as a women, I feel that most of my rights are observed and more or less I can pretty much go out, cross the street wearing whatever clothes I want, be educated and even see myself directly equal of a man in both my vulnerabilities and my capabilities. But hearing of the massacre last Monday, I was both at shocked, a bit in denial, massively emotional and greatly frustrated. At the peak of the boldly printed words in newspapers and the gravity of scripts in the late night news, the very incident was rooted from the exercise of portraying democracy in the country – the filing of candidacy for election. To add up to the tragedy, it was not armed men prepared for a fight that were murdered, it was innocent people - women, lawyers and journalists… and I have always thought that we’re far better than most states currently engaged in war or under a strict dictatorship.
Theoretically, democracy is associated with freedom and rights of an individual. The first among the many steps in creating and exercising democracy is through the practice of a fair and just election. An election is a process on which an individual surrenders his/her absolute freedom and chooses a representative to carry the weight of responsibility to push through the interest of the people within the government. Government officials are supposed to represent their constituents and lobby for their well-being. Positions in the government are supposedly not something to be reigned upon by prominent and wealthy families for their own interest. It is a pro-people ideology that even our constitution and our governmental structure was rooted.
Ever wondered why there’s no specific college degree requirement before an individual could run for a position in the government? Did you know that the Executive branch is actually regarded equally with the Legislative and the Judiciary? That our constitution had them equal and gridlocked with one another? That our Executive and Legislative branch has a term limit in their ‘service’? All that and many more, because we are a Democratic country! We give equal political rights and opportunity to everyone rich or poor. The main branches in our government are independent, have several rights and hold of one another to create a balance distribution of power. But these are the things that we are - but not quite. Yes, debatable whether these principles are good or bad, yet in the end in practice we still fall off short to achieve a passable mark in demonstrating a democratic society.
Going back to the Maguindanao case, the “feudal lords” (lead suspects in the case) have their relatives at the high positions in the land; their own private army to command and hold. Their dominance in wealth, power and influence has been greatly demonstrated. The last time I checked we have a unitary form of government; we are not a federal state! I mean, even in a federal system local states have no private army to command and call as their own! To prepare and ambush a political rival, to send them to their deaths, with women at most with two of them pregnant… it is the embodiment of heartlessness and inhumanity.
What has our country become?
The Philippines has been one of the leaders in Southeast Asia that promotes the principle of Democracy. We have been strict and adamant about our views regarding states that does not exercise and practice democracy. During the forums and summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines has been known to spearhead the implementation and importance of democracy, even acting all strong and stern on our stand regarding the military junta of Myanmar. We have been well-known with our peaceful struggle in achieving democracy through the People Power Revolution (1986), an act worldly recognized of its symbolic attribute for achieving freedom without violence, an act other states tried yet failed in doing so. We have been so proud that as one of the most well-known religious nation, we ought to carry out such nationwide protest to take back what was rightly ours – Freedom – Democracy.
But with one single yet massive (on its impact) inhumane act of cruelty, we have achieved the spotlight of being violators in the very principle of what we are advocating for – the Maguindanao case has shook our grounds so much that we are emotionally enraged and yet still helpless. Is this what we’ve become? True enough there is no perfect democracy, but we should never stop nor disregard its principles; too idealistic indeed but never to a point of insanity. It might be the only sane thing that holds a world war 3 at bay. I am a student of diplomacy, a woman of faith, a student leader, a youth, and guess what? I am a first time voter, a shame the election season opened with a bloody massacre. It makes me weary of how it will end. For goodness sake, we’re SUPPOSED to be a proud DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY!
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