Photo by Ezra Acayan/AP Images
Photo by Ezra Acayan/AP Images
The World Justice Project report somehow captures the situation in the Philippines in relation to the extent of the rights violations in the country, which we have observed are mainly due to the policies invoking peace and order and security being implemented by the Duterte administration and the weaponization of the legal and justice system against critics and dissenters to create a chilling effect on the exercise of basic rights and freedoms. As we look at it, there is no rule of law, but only rule of injustice in the country.
There may be some dissonance regarding how the issues of “order and security” are framed. Only when fundamental rights are respected can there be genuine peace, order and security in the country. It should be rights based, otherwise it creates an impression that the current policies and approaches of government are working well and it is an issue of just some bad eggs in the mix. The main problem is about policies, bereft of rights based framework, and how the administration has worsened an already bad system due to its interests.
Cristina Palabay
Karapatan Secretary General