Brothers and sisters, in the name of the enhanced community quarantine being implemented, members of the Oplan Task Force Disiplina of the local government of Quezon City beat up a fish vendor this past week. This is also the excuse given by other authorities in charge of the ECQ in their cruel ways to address the issue of violations among the hungry residents of Sitio San Roque, including the shooting of retired soldier Winston Ragos. These are their harsh way of implementing the ECQ—to stop the spread of Covid-19, to ensure the common good amid the sacrifices of the citizens.
We can see in a video—the new addition to the list of abuses in the name of the ECQ—the dragging, disrespecting, and beating perpetrated by members of the task force while some barangay tanods watch while these events occurred. The vendor didn’t have a face mask and had no quarantine pass when the patrolling authorities apprehended him. The vendor refused to go with the barangay officials when he was being taken by said authorities, which led to a cruel beating. We can hear in the video the cries of several women asking the officials to stop the beating. The women who witnessed the beating said the authorities should not abuse their power, as they do not have any right to hurt anyone. A guard also reminded them that they were apprehending a human being, not a dog. From these pleas, the only response of one of the people responsible for the beating of the vendor is the fact that he violated the ECQ.
After much criticism, the leader of the task force issued a statement suspending the officials involved in the event. They will also withdraw the case against the vendor, provided he will undergo rehabilitation after being found to be positive after a drug test. Even before this incident, the Human Rights Watch called for the police and other authorities to respect the human rights of everyone, and make those who violate these rights responsible. Let us observe if the government and the authorities would listen to this call.
The most important duty of leaders in government is to recognize, respect, care and propagate the rights and responsibilities of the people. Saint John XXIII expounded on this in the Catholic social teaching Pacem in Terris. Human rights are rooted in the dignity of man. We have human rights not because we want to have them nor the government dictates us to have them, but because, above all, we are God’s creations in His image. Accompanying these rights are our duties, especially of the government, to ensure that the human rights of everyone are respected.
It is our right to be protected against the threats of Covid-19, but how about the people’s need to eat when so many of the people are going hungry? It is our duty to follow the ECQ, but how about the duties of the authorities to respect our dignity? We are not saying that we must either choose to have Covid-19 or let our fellowmen go hungry. This is also not about whose responsibility carries more weight. It must be clear that we have humane ways to address the threat of Covid-19 without neglecting our fellowmen’s need to eat and live. If the authorities implementing the ECQ could exercise “maximum tolerance,” and show examples of discipline, a humane ECQ is possible in the time of the pandemic.
Brothers and sisters, we are reminded in the book of Proverbs 14:31, “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy Honors God.” Trampling the dignity of man in the name of the ECQ is like disrespecting God. In the end, the ECQ is meant to save lives, and not to violate the dignity of the people.
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1 comment
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