Isyung HR: A rights’ propaganda
PNoy was quoted in several news articles saying “a very vocal leftist community in the Philippines is very good at propaganda on human rights but I think the record speaks for itself.”
I searched for the definition of the term propaganda for the sake of clarity. Natanong ko sa isang mokong, “What is propaganda?” he answered, “GMG -Google mo Gago!”
And so I did. According to Wikipedia…
“Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position by presenting only one side of an argument. Propaganda is usually repeated and dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create the chosen result in audience attitudes.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda
Naisip ko, Oo nga, pwede nga naman. Pero kung ang documentation of human rights violations ang titingnan, propaganda pa rin nga kaya ang human rights issues sa ating bansa?
Sa ganitong lohika, Human Rights groups document HRVs to influence a result. Oo nga, to push government to perform its obligations. One sided? oo rin, dahil nakapanig ang mga grupo sa mga biktima. And human rights violations pertain to the duty bearer’s violations of its obligations to respect, protect and fulfill human rights.
“Human rights violations occur when actions by state (or non-state) actors abuse, ignore, or deny basic human rights (including civil, political, cultural, social, and economic rights). Furthermore, violations of human rights can occur when any state or non-state actor breaches any part of the UDHR treaty or other international human rights or humanitarian law.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights
Sa aking pagkakaalam, International Human Rights standards and laws were set up in the context of States responsibilities and obligations in respecting and protecting the human rights of the people.
Pero in Pnoy’s point of view as quoted in the PhilStar.com article, “But in the past two weeks, for instance, we’ve had a lot of abuses done on state agents. When they were enforcing, for instance, eviction notices… they were pelted with human waste. And a lot of danger has happened to our people.”
Ibig sabihin ba nito, mas human rights issue for PNoy ang nabanggit? The “right not to be pelted with human waste” versus the peoples’ “right to housing.” Subukin nating hanapin sa UDHR. Hehehe mokong lang po…
Kung propaganda ay half truth, at ang HRVs ay propaganda, hindi nga ba katotohanan ang mga issues na katulad ng recent massacre committed by members of Military forces against family members of a B’laan tribe leader opposed to the entry of Sagittarius Mines Incorporated (SMI) in their ancestral domain area?
The massacre that killed a pregnant mother and two of her children happened last October 18, 2012 in Sitio Fayahlob, Barangay Datal Aliong, Kiblawan, Davao del Sur, Mindanao. The perpetrators were members of 27th Infantry Battalion of Philippine Army led by 1Lt. Dante Jimenez the commanding officer of the Bravo Company and under the command of Lt. Colonel Noel Alexis Bravo, Battalion Commander.
An article published in RAPPLER.com states that, “At sunrise Thursday, October 18, the soldiers of the 27th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army “strafed” the house of Erita’s brother, Daguil Capion, killing Capion’s 27-year old wife, Juvy and his sons, Pop Capion, 13, and John, 8, Erita told Rappler.
“According to Erita, at around 6:30 am, gunfire echoed across the quiet mountainous village, about 3 hours away from Koronadal, the capital of South Cotabato.
“Pumasok kami [sa bahay], sumigaw kaming mga babae. Bakit dinadamay ang mga bata? Ang magulang kong babae, talagang sumisigaw siya. Yung militar, pinatay ang mga bata nang walang awa.”
(We entered the house. The women were crying, ‘Why did you include the children?’ My mother was really crying. The military killed the children without mercy.”
According to news reports the military was saying that it was a legitimate encounter. So ito ba ang the other half of the truth?
“The military however claimed that what happened was an encounter between the group of Erita’s anti-mining tribal warrior-brother Daguil and government troops. Reports said that Lt Col Alexis Noel Bravo claimed that members of the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion were attacked by armed men suspected to be Daguil’s group as the troops arrived in Sitio Alyong, Barangay Kimlawis in the town of Kiblawan del Sur. Bravo said the Army soldiers were responding to reports that the tribal leader was in the area.
“Erita (one of the witnesses) belied the military’s claim, saying that troops were already in their community hours before the killings. She said she and her fellow B’laans saw three 6×6 army vehicles arrive as early as 2 am of October 18.
“Eking Freay, a sitio leader in Bong Mal, also said he saw the military vehicles arriving in their area in the early hours of Thursday, October 18.”
Human Rights violations may not be as bloody as in this case. Sa mokong kong perspective, ang pagtrato sa human rights violations sa bansa bilang mahusay na propaganda lamang ng iilan, lalo at nagmula pa sa deklarasyon ng pangulo ay isang human rights violation itself. And it contributes to impunity.
We should be reminding the President that inaction in human rights violations ay human rights violation mismo. And such declaration shows na totoo nga ang nasagap natin sa ilang mga mokong na ang karapatang pantao ay hindi prioridad ni PNoy mismo.
Propaganda ang turing niya sa mga kaso ng HRVs, kaya pala mukhang hindi pa niya siniseryoso ang isang National Human Rights Action Plan.
“A warrant of arrest has been issued for a former Army general wanted for human rights abuses, the President said. He was referring to Jovito Palparan, who is wanted for the kidnapping and torture of two University of the Philippines coeds. The two are listed among the victims of enforced disappearances.” The news article concluded.
O ayan naman pala, e ‘di dapat na ngang pirmahan na ni PNoy ang Anti-Enforced Disappearance Bill. Pero kung propaganda pa rin ang turing ni PNoy sa mga cases ng enforced disappearance ay baka hindi niya pirmahan ang nakasalang na batas? Paano na?
Ang masaklap pa nga, this statement of PNoy was made in October 23 ilang araw matapos ang Massacre sa Tampakan at during the Indigenous Peoples Month.
Kung isang propaganda ang akto ng pagiging one sided o pagpanig sa mga biktima, at isang propaganda ang intensiyong makapagtulak ng resultang kilalanin ang karapatang pantao ng mamamayan, e di sige propaganda na nga.
Therefore, ang artikulong ito ay isang propaganda. A rights’ propaganda.
Again pasensiya na mokong perspective lang po.
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=862776&publicationSubCategoryId=63
http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/33-editors-pick-moveph/14428-b-laan-tribe-laments-massacre-of-leader-s-family
Related articles
- B’laan tribe laments ‘massacre’ of leader’s family (rappler.com)
- [Press Release] B’laan family in Tampakan massacred allegedly by 27th Infantry Battalion -ATM (hronlineph.com)
- [Press Release] Groups blame Xstrata-SMI: “Their blood are in your hands!” -ATM (hronlineph.com)
- Groups vow to seek justice for slain B’laans (mindanews.com)
- Mother, 2 sons killed in Tampakan mine site clash (mindanews.com)
- [Press Release] Church, solon outraged by ambush of tribal leader and his family -ATM (hronlineph.com)
- Casiño to Aquino: Human rights issue is no leftist propaganda (newsinfo.inquirer.net)
- Tribal uprising feared after killings (newsinfo.inquirer.net)
The Mokong Perspektib 