Sometime ago, I had the chance to chat with Mixhaela Villalon, an activist, over Facebook. She was, among other things, closely related with Karapatan, an organization focused on assisting victims of human rights abuses, and she was obviously campaigning for the release of 43 health workers captured by the military because these persons were presumed to have ties with the NPA (New People's Army).
Last year, I also had the chance to attend a legal seminar by Karapatan. I was brought by my friend, April, and went along on the presumption that the seminar might help me a little if I choose to pursue law school. What I got was an eye-opener on how human rights were routinely violated in the country. The exasperated seminar speaker would eventually say that the so-called human rights are, in the end, just words; they offer no extra protection for those intent in violating them.
With that, I also would like to say that there's a lot being done to aid victims. There are many activists out there who are shaking gates, calling for justice for these so-called unwarranted abductions. But what about efforts to minimize the risks leading to these abductions?
Jose Imahen gave me some insights on how to avoid making enemies in the countryside. When he was having his own religious formation, he always followed this advice: talk. In his case, there was a strong NPA presence in the area and any outsider for that matter suffered the stigma of being suspected as a government agent. What's worse is that, most often, this stigma carried with it the penalty of death: if someone suspects you of being something else, you get shot. The best weapon in this situation was information and the more one talks, the more the people trust.
Joel Balgos, another friend, also offered his own experience as an ICRC (International Commission of the Red Cross) worker. His task entailed tracking several Red Cross workers as they do their work in the hinterlands of Mindanao. One insight I got from him is that Red Cross workers always made sure that the local authorities and other powers-that-be know that they are there. Again, information was used as protection. The more everyone knows who you are and where you are operating, the more comfortable they become to your presence.
If I were a health worker, I could use the above insights to reduce my risk of being wrongly arrested by the military. First, before entering a given area, I would make sure that the military knows who I am and what I'm doing. Second, apart from meeting with the local military command, I would also visit the Barangay captain or any government official for that matter. Third, I would talk, talk, and talk some more. Hopefully, such measures will reduce or erase any suspicion that I'm up to no good. Simple, isn't it?
Unfortunately, such elementary protocols seem lacking in most NGOs, especially those with people stationed in the provinces, and I was disappointed that the legal seminar I attended then offered no suggestions on how to mitigate the risks involved in dealing with the military and the communist force before an arrest can even take place. Surely, cozying up with these forces wouldn't hurt considering that some military dimwits are quick to label people as NPA sympathizers for lack of a more positive and enlightened association with them.
This maybe naive advice but any advice helps,right?
Last year, I also had the chance to attend a legal seminar by Karapatan. I was brought by my friend, April, and went along on the presumption that the seminar might help me a little if I choose to pursue law school. What I got was an eye-opener on how human rights were routinely violated in the country. The exasperated seminar speaker would eventually say that the so-called human rights are, in the end, just words; they offer no extra protection for those intent in violating them.
With that, I also would like to say that there's a lot being done to aid victims. There are many activists out there who are shaking gates, calling for justice for these so-called unwarranted abductions. But what about efforts to minimize the risks leading to these abductions?
Jose Imahen gave me some insights on how to avoid making enemies in the countryside. When he was having his own religious formation, he always followed this advice: talk. In his case, there was a strong NPA presence in the area and any outsider for that matter suffered the stigma of being suspected as a government agent. What's worse is that, most often, this stigma carried with it the penalty of death: if someone suspects you of being something else, you get shot. The best weapon in this situation was information and the more one talks, the more the people trust.
Joel Balgos, another friend, also offered his own experience as an ICRC (International Commission of the Red Cross) worker. His task entailed tracking several Red Cross workers as they do their work in the hinterlands of Mindanao. One insight I got from him is that Red Cross workers always made sure that the local authorities and other powers-that-be know that they are there. Again, information was used as protection. The more everyone knows who you are and where you are operating, the more comfortable they become to your presence.
If I were a health worker, I could use the above insights to reduce my risk of being wrongly arrested by the military. First, before entering a given area, I would make sure that the military knows who I am and what I'm doing. Second, apart from meeting with the local military command, I would also visit the Barangay captain or any government official for that matter. Third, I would talk, talk, and talk some more. Hopefully, such measures will reduce or erase any suspicion that I'm up to no good. Simple, isn't it?
Unfortunately, such elementary protocols seem lacking in most NGOs, especially those with people stationed in the provinces, and I was disappointed that the legal seminar I attended then offered no suggestions on how to mitigate the risks involved in dealing with the military and the communist force before an arrest can even take place. Surely, cozying up with these forces wouldn't hurt considering that some military dimwits are quick to label people as NPA sympathizers for lack of a more positive and enlightened association with them.
This maybe naive advice but any advice helps,right?
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