State Terrorism

Last February 14, the country was rocked by a series of bombings in Davao, General Santos and Makati. All three, allegedly, are tied to terrorism. In reponse, the government has stepped up campaigns to curb the suppossed widespread terrorism in the country.

For me, it is disturbing that the government has resorted to various means to nip the terrorism except actually getting to the root and nippin it at its source. The response of the government, in my opinion, is much more frightening than the terrorism we have so far been experiencing.

Through the enactment of the Anti-Terrorism Bill and the implementation of the national ID system, the government is sowing fear that is much greater than that we have already seen. Through the government’s anti-terrorism measures, the entire Philippines can be under surveillance, anybody can be arrested even without due cause. In other words, there is not only loss of privacy, but also loss of a basic human right upon which the foundations of our justice system is based on.

If we reacted with so much fear and alarm to the Valentine’s bombings, we should react with so much more fear and alarm to the government’s suppossed plans to “protect” us which, I predict to end up hurting us much more.

On the Lateral Attrition Bill

Do public servants really need to be rewarded everytime they do their job honestly and efficiently? Isn’t their salaries and a clean conscience enough these days? Although I laud the efforts to increase our government funds and decrease possible corruption, I don’t think that this scheme would be effective in preventing unscrupulous government employees from corrupting. What if the illegal importers and drug pushers offer much bigger money? What if what the government is offering is not enough to make these government employees turn a new leaf?

Do we continue to offer them more? In the hopes of making them change? Do we continue to follow shortcuts instead of strictly implementing policies and laws? If this does not work, what now? QUO VADIS, Pilipinas???