Disfavored by a debatable legal technicality, we insisted that the supercilious marauders of our Tubbataha heritage be made accountable based on respectable legal moorings. On the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, we stood tall defending our sovereignty and dignity even as some know-it-alls in ivory towers arrogantly hooted us for knowing our history. And of course, we joined the howls of outcry over the Laude murder by a “Rambo-ish” predator coddled by institutions that use waterboarding as a sport.
Such multiple standards of justice happen everywhere. Pregnant Andrea Rosal was thrown in jail, and we wept and raged when her baby daughter died, even as a soulless government refused to extend her basic human compassion though it lets plunderers like former president Gloria Arroyo go on silly furloughs and medical tourism. Col. Eduardo Kapunan, fingered for the ghastly torture and brutal murder of Ka Lando Olalia and Ka Leonor Alay-ay, is free on bail while his underlings rightfully rot in jail.
When we tried to impeach President Aquino on substantial and solid grounds for betrayal of the public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution for the pork barrel anomaly, pretentious and hypocritical sycophants in the House of Representatives disgracefully “massacred” us through the sheer tyranny of numbers.
At great risk, we ran again and again to the side of political prisoners politically persecuted through legal hocus-pocus, even as we objected to the insult of appointing a woman in uniform to head a body tasked to make amends to her own kind’s victims.
The delayed arrest of the poster boy of impunity, retired general Jovito Palparan, was initially a sort of victory for his victims and for rights defenders. But the special treatment and babysitting he relishes, condoned by government, mock us all. We also saw how the search for justice for Jonas Burgos remained protracted, even a frustrating, long arduous fight of grit and wills.
But we share in the humbling reward of political and legal victories as well—false charges dismissed, clients set free, people getting enlightened, organized and moved to action, expressions of support and recognition here and there. Yes, including the entrapment of unscrupulous reptiles donning the title of prosecutor brazenly bilking money from litigants. Far more inspiring, power rate hikes stalled through the help of our “ragtag” squad of idealist people’s lawyers arrayed against a battalion of hotshot lawyers in crisp barong and pinstriped suits from giant (perhaps the best) law firms.
Yet not at no cost. We lost Rudy Felicio who was peppered with bullets in the presence of his poor clients. Cathy Salucon still faces serious death threats for being a “thorn in the neck” of the military for defending political prisoners, the writ of amparo we lobbied for failing her.
We yearn for a justice system that is simple, fair, speedy, accessible, consistent and propeople. Rights victims in particular should be given concrete and expedient justice, not discombobulated, tedious and cumbersome processes that allow perpetrators to play the fiddle.
We will continue to fight and stand by the poor, the downtrodden, the voiceless. In triumph or defeat, we will keep on knocking and pounding, till we slay the dragons of penury and injustice. So that peace and joy will truly reign.
—EDRE U. OLALIA, secretary general, National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, nupl2007@gmail.com