On Maguindanao killings

I figured that I have to take the time off from writing my (really hard) philosophy synthesis paper to just say a word or two about this horrible event that badly affected not only Filipino politics, but the life of the Filipino as a whole. After all, it is in these events that real philosophizing happens, which I hope would overflow into action, doing something even beyond my own limits to respond to such situation.

Reading Fr. John Carroll, S.J.'s theories of consensus and coercion and pushing it to further reflection (yes, I have been philosophizing on Theology 141 readings), it seems that power seems to have been an indispensable resource for the elite as well as to those who hold it. Indeed, it has enslaved not only the society as a whole, but also the individual's sense of the whole - which involves beliefs, values, and even everyday life. Many things that seemed to be unexpected and unimagined have been done. Indeed, we as the public who are supposed to benefit from these, have already been witnesses to numbers of crimes and anomalies, seeing them as attempts of those in power to save for themselves the government positions that they sought.

But then, this is going over the edge already. The slavery to power has been more evident than ever. It had completely corrupted not only the morals but the conscience of those power-holders. Those who were completely responsible for these have already their conscience wiped out and their sense of morality destroyed and dominated by the want for more power which continuously corrupts the system as a whole. They took up the means to obtain more power and influence not just by striking fear among their political opponents, but also, more importantly and fundamentally, they literally treated humans as obstacles to obtain the power that they want to have, just like trash that needed to be disposed. And now, institutions who are supposed to do something about this, still do not have anything to offer but hopes and promises that should be carried off now.

What has become of us? Just a few months ago, the Filipino people were like superheroes on drugs trying to reach out to one another and help rebuild the nation through community relief efforts. Now that we are in one way or another becoming stable as we have rebuilt our comfort zones that we call "ordinary Filipino life," some people would return to their old routines, using the same old techniques to cope up with life and remain in their comfortable positions. This statement applies in so far as those who are handling power and trying to lay hold of it.

Yet I believe and I hope that each one of us have not built those unbreakable walls called comfort. I believe that we could think of it and make a stand to condemn this seemingly unforgivable offense and stand up for what is right in various ways. As with Ondoy and Pepeng, the moment for us to show who we are as true Filipino heroes is now. We may not be able to do anything with the situation right now, but the best we can do is to look forward in a reflective manner, to go and think about what this event would mean for us. Perhaps starting with a little step, we could fight for a better Philippines by proper discernment concerning the elections. Through this, we should be able to take a stand while within the limits of our abilities, eventually pushing forward and being able to take part in fighting for justice and moral integrity in the Philippines.

And as a Churchman, I would like to pose a challenge. The Philippines is primarily a Christian country in terms of her moral convictions and principles. Are we going to surrender the principles of selfless love and instead embrace immorality and abuse of power? Our actions would tell our answer to this question.