The howl raised over the slaughter of one dog in the Metro Manila Film Festival’s award-winning “Oro” was much louder than that over extrajudicial murders. This showed more ado over a dog, than over humans.
It is an expression of our humanity to care for and to protect animals as part of creation. We laud the organizations that work for and support the laws that protect and preserve lesser forms of life. This is proof of a healthy concern, especially for a species that has proven to be very helpful to humans.
Dogs have been dubbed man’s best friend and we are familiar with heroic instances where they have saved lives or became an accepted member of families. Their company has provided pleasure and protection.
The intense protests that disqualified the film “Oro” from the award it won and threatened to expel some artists from their profession can be justified by the law protecting animal rights. But the seemingly endless publicity over the issue is an indication of a rabid mania over dogs and not enough revulsion over the killings of humans in the ongoing illegal drugs crusade.
If we compare this lone offense to over 6,000 deaths since the anti-drug campaign was declared by President Duterte, some of us will detect an insane exaggeration.
We must amplify our anger over the dog killing, more than 6,000 times, to show that we truly value human life. Else, it will appear that our values have become mixed-up.
MARK E. PARAS JR. and RAMON DIÑO, sorsogontoday@gmail.com