Afraid to die, not fit to live

I watched vice presidential candidate Sen. Greg Honasan being interviewed for nearly 30 minutes on Umagang Kay Ganda, and I could not help but wish that all the other candidates (not the nuisance ones) will be given similar electronic coverage to give the public a chance to listen to what they have to say about issues. The current televised debate among the Democratic aspirants for the US presidency tells the American public and us Pinoys watching from our breakfast table the big role media plays in influencing intelligent voting decisions.

What concerns three citizen groups in our midst is not just intelligent voting, but making sure the 2016 elections are going to be non-violent. They are asking the Commission on Elections not to grant exemptions to civilians and candidates for public office during the election period. These are the Gunless Society, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and the Physicians for Peace.

These peace organizations have appealed to Comelec “to adopt a new policy of not granting exemptions to civilians and candidates for public office except to those regular members of the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other law enforcement agencies of the government duly deputized in writing by the Comelec for election duty who may be authorized to carry and possess firearms while in uniform during the election period.”

Yes, Comelec can, and should, consider the recommendation of the three groups. Under Republic Act 7166, the Comelec has the primary responsibility to conduct clean, honest and peaceful elections, and to act effectively as the sole custodian of order and peace in the country during the election period.

“The gun ban during the election period is ‘meaningless’  when candidates and many categories of civilians are exempted,” said the Gunless Society, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and the Physicians for Peace.

“When a candidate’s life is threatened, the candidate must think of his/her family who needs him/her more than the country does. The candidate and the government must also think of the police officer or soldier and his family.”

“ Why unnecessarily expose lives to danger? The government must also think of the public safety. More importantly, the life of a police officer or soldier is as precious as the life of the candidate.”

The organizations are headed by Nandy Pacheco, Ambassador Henrietta T. de Villa, and Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa. According to Nandy, he is reminded of the story of Blessed Oscar Romero of El Salvador. When he learned for the first time that he was marked for assassination, the first thing he did was not to buy a gun or hire a bodyguard. What he did was to call his driver to advise him that from hereon he should stay in the convent.

He added: “I do not want you to die because of me. Your life is as important as my life.”

In their petition sent to Comelec, the three leaders said, “Campaigning with armed bodyguards is not healthy, sows fear among the voters and is not a good example. Candidates who are afraid to die are not fit to serve.

“Exemption from the gun ban should only be limited to the security of the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court provided that their security personnel are in uniform and on duty.

“Total gun ban or gun control in public places isolates and easily identifies the outlaws and other gun violators, thus facilitating their apprehension and confiscation of their weapons.”

Another advantage of the total gun ban in public places is that concerned citizens can blow the whistle without fear that they may be pointing to the wrong person. Says a police officer in uniform and on foot patrol, “Without the gun ban it is extremely difficult to distinguish criminals from the plainclothes, or with civilians with permit to carry or from bodyguards because they are all in civilian clothes.”

The three organizations expressed the hope that Comelec sees the importance of a law allowing only selected police officers to bear firearms only when they are on duty. The candidates themselves and their bodyguards must not be allowed to carry lethal weapons. Nandy objects to people bearing guns only for self-protection. “People who are afraid to die are not fit to live.’’

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In line with the United Nations Climate Meeting this December in Paris, various women’s groups in the world have raised concern about the lack of just and sufficient action in climate change by the world’s leaders. They fear the intensifying consequences of ecological imbalances due to unbridled exploitation of natural resources for material pursuits especially in the developed world.

The campaign asserts the central role of women and girls in the “implementation of real solutions that produce real results.” In the six months before December, specific themes were picked for raising awareness and urging participation in the homes, neighborhoods, village squares, agricultural gardens, fishing grounds, sacred places, worship sites, community organizations, workplaces, and schools. For July, the focus had been on renewable energy; August, sustainable economy; September, solutions; October, survival; November, power; December, global march and other mass actions in Paris and in local communities.

This month, the call for survival seeks to affirm the sovereignty of women and girls and people’s movements over corporate power to address the need for “clean and accessible water and sewage, clean air, healthy forests, and land and oceans biodiversity.”

 Bangon Kalikasan Ecology Centers – Movement (BKEC-M), one of a long list of organizations that have responded to this global call, is working with residents of Barangay Laiban in Tanay, Rizal to create healthy forests of bamboo that would grow faster than trees and thus help reduce the consequences of global warming and climate change.

 “We may not be able to march with other groups in Paris this December, but we are already ‘marching’ in the local communities,” says Joey Papa of BKEC-M. Together with some 100 residents, the NGO has planted bamboo in some 140 hectares. ‘’ To sustain the effort with continuous monitoring of the area, we are now working with a smaller, select group from the same community while producing several thousand more bamboo culms gathered from clumps scattered over the area. We are planting these systematically in the mountains and hills of Laiban, much of which are covered with cogon or napier,” said Joey Papa of BKEC-M.

“Bamboo, like cogon and napier, is also grass, which multiplies fast, but it also grows tall like trees and would serve to reduce the impact of storms, prevent soil erosion, and store more water for the dry months. Bamboo also gives off more clean air as it releases more oxygen than trees while absorbing more carbon dioxide, to help reduce the heat and toxic emissions from destructive human activities.”  

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