Manny Valdehuesa .
THE national government ought to be the quintessential practitioner of good governance and the rule of law—in the same way that presidential manners ought to be the role model for all to emulate, especially for the youth.
But instead of showing us mortals how to behave or how to handle cases—with due process and sensitivity to the personal rights of the citizens (whom they’re supposed to serve and protect)—the government frequently acts recklessly, inconsiderately, or trigger-happily. In the process, “due process” is sacrificed.
Take this business of preparing “lists”—especially of people supposedly involved in the drug trade. The authorities ought to exercise extreme caution in dealing with the affected barangays, since whoever is included in their list belongs to the barangay community.
The law enforcers shouldn’t go about their work as if it doesn’t involve a community, making lists over and above the heads of the people in the community. The people of the community may be in the best position to pinpoint the alleged culprits. It’s their neighborhood that’s affected, their welfare at stake.
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If it’s true that thousands of local officials—barangay chairmen and kagawads especially—are involved in the drug problem, directly or indirectly, high authorities should take the community into its confidence and not precipitately accuse some of its members without evidence or due process.
Coordination and collaboration with the community ought to be part of the rules of engagement among law enforcers in the course of their work. Whenever an operation goes wrong, they make noises about lack of community support and cooperation, as if it’s the community’s fault.
How can they expect cooperation if they simply take matters into their hands and not bother to coordinate? Then when someone innocent gets hurt, we’re expected to write it off as collateral damage.
For any authority to make a list of alleged criminals, or announce that he has a list without substantiating its veracity or verifying it with the community is irresponsible. In the first place, what good would such a list be if it can’t be verified or backed by evidence?
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Merely announcing that there is such a list raises stress levels in the neighborhoods but provides no actionable course. It just heightens the suspense in already insecure neighborhoods.
Making unverified, unproven lists is irresponsible. It stigmatizes the people whose names are listed. It exposes them to public ridicule. And in this age of “tokhang” and “tokbang” it also places the listed people in danger of assassination or extrajudicial killing.
Law enforcers should learn to take concerned citizens into their confidence, especially if what’s at stake is the status of their barangay officials. Officials are elected by the citizens. The citizens have the right to know if such officials prove to be wrongdoers or betrayers of their trust and confidence.
Not only that, they have the right and the power to penalize felonious officials.
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Agencies with alleged lists of wrongdoers should give the people a chance to deal with their own community’s problems. The people need to learn how to handle or resolve their problems, to take responsibility for their community. External agencies should help them, but not keep them out of the loop.
Unless people are entrusted with the need to solve their own problems, they will not be able to practice self-government or autonomy. They will not mature politically.
Leadership in our society must be the type that enables constituents to secure themselves and their interests. Leadership should not lead one to take action independently of the people, withholding information from them. It only gets people used to being irresponsible. Their primacy in managing and safeguarding their interests should be respected.
Filipinos do not deserve to be treated patronizingly. They shouldn’t be sidelined in matters that directly impact them. They should not be reduced to mere spectators. And they should not be manipulated by bureaucrats. They are sovereign citizens, after all. They shouldn’t be treated as if they’re irresponsible.
(Manny Valdehuesa Jr. is a former Unesco regional director for Asia-Pacific and the PPI-Unicef’s awardee as outstanding columnist. He is chairman/convenor of the Gising Barangay Movement Inc.. E-mail: valdehuesa@gmail.com)
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