So swift for the ruling elite to pass judgement against our fundamental right. The president has become the judge, jury and executioner rolled into one, and he has executed the biggest blow against our very own freedom.
What else is there to hope for? Sadly, many people wrongly perceive the closure of ABS-CBN as nothing but the enforcement of law and order and did not consider that thousands among those who rely on the continued operation of the company like the ordinary people working within are endangered to lose their daily source of income for a decent living.
Alas, they are all now triumphantly celebrating the demise of the very essence of our rights as citizens of this land. One down, and more to come, and with it, our right to free, untainted information is now being compromised, if we are not already being fed with fake news and information over State information machinery including an army of paid hacks and trolls that continues to bedevil the struggling genuine alternative press.
We assail this brazen affront against the very core of our humanity, the freedom of the press, and our right to free expression. It is an attempt to maim us, to silence our protestations, our very right to seek redress from an administration that does not respect its own.
We hope that the Filipino people realize that this insult against us cannot lead to peace but rather the opposite because justice will roll down like raging waters eventually, as no amount of force can stop the fire of anger from the hearts of the many. Decadence will meet its own demise as there is no guarantee that the Filipinos will meekly accept an abusive regime.
“No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances. (Article 3 Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines)
Time and again attempts of several administrations to stifle the very core of our humanity has never ceased, and in fact, it has even escalated. The very foundation of our Constitution has been shamelessly attacked and degraded by the so-called leaders of this land, threatening to have full control over us all.
Our Constitution has mandated clearly in Article 3 Section 4, and that every SERVANT in PUBLIC office as mandated by the people must heed the people’s cry. It is a sacred right that must be respected to the last letter. But everything about this particular mandate has been violated and abused by every administration with flimsy excuses, including being vengeful.
Look what it has been doing, getting back at the critical alternative media outlets, not only harassing and intimidating us but at times snuffing the life of those who dare speak out their frustrations and criticisms. Now, to prove their power overall in this wretched land, we saw the swift blow that left thousands more left uncertain of their fate, and these are ordinary people working for their daily subsistence.
Greed, indeed, knows no bounds. While it’s true that the big corporation that is ABS-CBN can easily bounce back being an oligarch itself, the working men and women who make out a living on its day to day operations are certainly the losers in this power play.
Sadly, many among our compatriots do not realize this because they would rather argue from the comforts of their secured homes that it’s nothing but a quarrel between powers. Unless we all realize this blind spot, it is only then that we can work for a better society for the generations to come. (davaotoday.com)
