Impunity Is It

As Noynoy takes his oath as our new President on the promise of "Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap," it is worth recalling that under our Constitution the State shall maintain honesty and integrity in the public service and take positive and effective measures against graft and corruption.

But more than that, corruption is a systemic menace constituting an egregious violation of human rights for it impedes the State's efforts to fulfill and protect human rights and results in depriving the people especially those long challenged by grinding poverty, the sick, and the needy of adequate government assistance and services.

Indeed, the UN Declaration on the Right to Development underscores that the human person is the central subject of development and should be the active participant and beneficiary of the right to development.

However, with the barbaric killings of media people: three-Nestor Bedolido, Desidario Camangyan, Joselito Agustin-in just five days recently and 103 since President Arroyo came to power in 2001, other unlawful killings plus hostage-takings and kidnappings, and not to mention unbridled graft and corruption, addressing impunity is indubitably the most daunting challenge the new President faces from Day One.

"Impunity for past killings, combined with a green light for future killings, will prevail unless there is a sharp change in course in efforts to implement the Special Rapporteur's recommendations," thus Philip Alston, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, precisely warned not too long ago in April 2009 (Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, Addendum: Follow-up to country recommendations - Philippines, U.N. Doc. A/HRC/11/2/Add.8, 29 April 2009). He also pointed out thus:

11. The lack of prosecutions and convictions can be attributed to many factors. xxx Congressional measures to strengthen the witness protection programme have stalled, Presidential orders have lacked substance, the Commission for Human Rights (CHRP) has only recently begun to play a more substantial role (under new leadership), and crucial reforms of relevant government agencies have yet to take place. Additionally, neither the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) nor the Philippine National Police (PNP) have significantly stepped up their investigations of the killings of leftist activists.

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31. Failure to reform the witness protection programme is one of the most significant causes of continued impunity in the Philippines. (Emphasis ours.) (Ibid.)

Clearly, substantive action and concrete results against impunity will depend on how the new President will muster the entire machinery of government to bring violators to justice and effectively promote and protect human rights.

Under our Constitution the prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people. Also, the State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights. And the most fundamental, quite obviously, is the right to life. "Aanhin pa ang damo kung wala na ang kabayo."

"Justice will bring about peace; right will produce calm and security." (Isaiah 32:17)