Tiring.

That word is just one of many that could have described this horrible year. 

 Usually, the holiday season is when we get to unwind, relax, and have a break from the stress and perhaps, the reality of working or studying all year round.

 December wouldn’t be complete without having a vacation with your family, friends, or even your special someone. This could be in the form of a road trip, a staycation in your home, a three-day getaway to somewhere in the country, or for some, a few weeks somewhere across the globe.

 Yes, taking a break is important especially in a time where our lives have been taken over by this sudden and drastic change––making us work our minds and bodies like engines without ever taking a break even though we are currently in the middle of a pandemic. 

If you would step outside and take a look, this “new normal” seems like the old one, except without having face-to-face classes. Traffic is everywhere, EDSA hasn’t changed one bit, a sea of red lights still lies there and bumper to bumper, the cars spew fumes. 

Malls have opened and because of the Christmas rush, big crowds come in the form of storms––ransacking department store aisles, trying to buy gifts for the 25th, forgetting social distancing, as well as sanitizing their hands after laying their hands on surfaces and pressing elevator buttons.

 After placing cities under ECQ, MECQ, and GCQ in the past few months in hopes of decreasing the amount of COVID-19 infected cases, the numbers are going up again. With the re-opening of tourist spots, flights, and the lessening of security measures, there is no surprise as to see that the number of people catching the virus is striking up again. 

However, some of these things are important to resume operations such as public transportations and shops because this is for the workers and their families––those who depend on minimum wage and by doing their daily jobs just so that they could bring food to the table.

But what about those people who flew all the way to beaches? Or those who have been hosting mass gatherings and throwing parties? What about them? This is not to rain on anyone’s parade but this is a plea that tackles safety. 

Surely, one can’t die from being deprived of the seawater or getting a tan; it wouldn’t kill anybody if one couldn’t spend their birthday party with the whole barangay; and I’m sure that nobody’s gonna judge you for posting only throwback pictures on vacation on your Instagram account. 

It’s hard, I know––to be deprived of human touch, of losing the freedom to go anywhere that we want to, to breathe in the polluted air in Manila without face masks and face shields hindering you from basking in the outside world––but all of these things can wait, can’t they? 

We should be reminded everyday that the virus is still alive and is still spreading. Vaccines aren’t available to us yet but we also shouldn’t rely on those too much. Our frontliners are risking their lives every single day just to keep everybody safe. Those people do not even have the luxury of getting eight hours of sleep but some people are already taking their time in going out and having fun without taking a glance at the situation we are all in. 

This year has been hard and it’s not going to get any lighter. A lot of us were looking forward to the holidays, to family reunions, to spending time with those we love, and going to different places with them. 

Countless plans have been thrown in the dumpster, a handful of “I’ll see you soon” have been tucked inside the dresser, waiting for a moment to be taken out and give to someone, people are set on spending Christmas and New Year’s away from home because it’s too much of a risk to go out and travel but then you see people flaunting themselves on social media without a hint of fear that they may catch the sickness and it’s unbearable to look for a deeper reason of theirs that is something more reasonable than, “I got bored in the house” or “We can afford so why won’t we go?” 

I’m not asking you to chain yourselves up inside the four corners of your house or to spend the holidays in the dark but rather, I am insisting that you consider all the consequences, not only for you but also for those around before booking that flight, before planning that weekend, and before mingling with people who may or may not be infected. 

That one event can be set for another day, that out-of-town trip can be put to a pause, and that longing to go outside can be dealt with, so please, before you do anything else, keep in mind all the sacrifices that the frontliners and medical workers have done, all their efforts, and all the lives that were taken. Because we never know when it will hit us, we never know if we have already caught it, and we do not know how long this crisis will last. 

If we could just endure this a little bit more and let this gloomy holiday season pass, we should. After all, what we want is a step closer to recovery not a step back because of recklessness. 

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Unlike the 1984 James Bond movie, this man was no agent nor a hero, but a common barbarian who’s been motivated by impunity.

The pre-holiday season has been welcomed by bloodshed; a policeman on Sunday shoots two people in broad daylight in front of many witnesses, even in front of his own daughter.

The officer, Police Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca, shoots two persons, namely, Sonya Gregorio, 52, and Frank Anthony Gregorio, 25. The tensions heated when Nuezca heard explosions from bamboo cannons (boga)  and went to the victims’ house to arrest them. Later on, the tensions were brought up into a land dispute not related to the firing of the bamboo cannons. 

The argument resulted in Nuezca purposely shooting Sonya and Frank at their heads twice.

With the happening, social media was on full volume making #StopTheKillings and #EndPoliceBrutality trending since yesterday.

The killings were recorded by one of the family members, which has been posted and shown on all media platforms.

The police acted on this barbaric act because it was filmed. This leaves us the question, what about the ones who are not filmed? Nanlaban nga ba talaga sila?

If not filmed, the possible narrative on why they were killed may be—adik yung anak, nanlaban ang ina, just like what happened with Kian delos Santos on the evening of August 2017 when the police said “nanlaban siya.”

We make noise because it was filmed, but hopefully, we also howl for those unfilmed victims with their souls crying for justice unheard. 

A child calling for blood? Or also a victim of bad parenting?

“My father is a policeman,” Nuezca’s daughter shouted, telling Sonya to let go of Anthony for him to be arrested.

With it, Sonya replied with lyrics of “I don’t care,” a song of a K-pop group, 2ne1.

“I don’t care eh eh eh eh eh,” Sonya’s last words before she was shot to death by Nuezca.

The people call for the crucifixion of the kid, for the damage that she has taken part in.

“Natuto mag english pero hindi alam ang tama sa mali?,” netizens said.

The first section of Article 4 of the revised penal code defines criminal liability “to be incurred by any person committing a felony although the wrongful act done be different from that which he intended”. In the case of People v. Ural (G.R.No. L-30801, 1974) its rationale is found in the doctrine that “el que es causa de la causa es causa del mal causado” (he who is the cause of the cause is the cause of the evil caused.)

This could make the daughter also liable for murder being an accomplice or accessory of the crime. But as we know, the daughter cannot be penalized because she’s a minor.

Some say the daughter is a victim of terrible parenting. In the video, it is seen that the daughter is used to seeing barbaric acts. It looks like it is usual for her to see such atrocities and deemed it normal.

In another video, she is being seen involved by pulling the hair of one of the victims. 

The kid growing in a ferocious and impunitive environment caused by parents is a danger for her and for the people around her. These characteristics will be tolerated and will be normal that may affect how the kid sees the world. 

However, it is not enough for the child to be counseled for what she had seen and done. There should be a way to remove the instilled beliefs into her that was culminated by impunity tolerated within the household.

For it is not only the father who shaped the mind of the child but an entire nation of enablers of impunity.

She was made to believe that the culture of impunity is acceptable. Not just because her father indoctrinated her with his antics, but because the people around them tolerated it.

Abolish the PNP?

In an article, Bayan-Muna representative Teddy Casiño has described PNP as “a chronic violator of human rights” and the “biggest criminal syndicate in town.”

With great power comes great responsibility, being to “serve and protect” comes with the responsibility of self-control and upholding the rule of law. But unfortunately, their motto doesn’t translate to their actions.

The PNP has made efforts to clean its mess under the rug. There had been some efforts in strengthening its checks and balances, but eventually, these efforts were futile.

Casiño radically suggested firing all officers from the senior superintendent up to director general. However, firing them would be futile if these problematic deep-seated systems of the police force will create a new breed of corrupt officers.

Just like how it is to rationally solve problems, one has to find its roots to solve them. Abolishing the PNP dismantles the institutionalized mafia and its corrupt structures that make them.

This could pave the way to creating a new police force with new structures and policies that are just and humane, extirpating the culture of impunity, preventing it from where it is getting now.

The rampant, extra-judicial killings, red-tagging, and blatant corruption of the PNP have been funded by our own taxes. The benefits that they enjoy have always been provided by the people they should protect and not terrorize. Squandering our taxes and disregarding our human rights should make us reflect on the question, do they really serve and protect?

Just like what we do, if a thing is already useless to us and brings us harm, we throw it away.

It is the police that should work hard for justice, and not trample it. 

2NE1’s song shall haunt us forever

We will never hear the lyric “ I don’t care eh eh eh eh eh,” the same again.

For what was once a song full of happiness and upbeat vibes will now go on to be an anthem of retaliation that culminated in an unnecessary bloodshed.

The lyric will remind us of brazen abuse of power, and a cold-blooded murder that happened in broad daylight.

People will sing it not with energy and a smile on their faces, but in rage and struggle from its enabler-in-chief who tolerated and motivated such barbaric acts.

From now on, it will not be just a lyric nor a regular phrase coming from a K-pop group, but it will be remembered as the last words of retaliation that fought an entire culture of impunity from the top all the way down.

Dismantling a bastardized institution does not always need a reformer. Sometimes, it just needs one voice to shake every foundation that holds it dear.

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The government’s reliance on the vaccine is a sub-standard vaccine nationalism, far worse than the typical one.

We could already sing a birthday song to COVID-19. It has been a year but the current situation of the country during the pandemic has not been better: cases continuously rise and people die from the virus every day.

Vaccine nationalism is an approach in which rich countries highly prioritize their nation in obtaining vaccines. This would have been good, but alongside this is a monopoly of vaccines which will hinder an enforceable commitment for equitable distribution of vaccines around the world.

In the Philippines, the case is different, according to a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the government cannot secure vaccine doses, not because of lack of funds but because countries made their own reservations. 

In another report by Reuters, the Duterte administration plans to seek 50 million COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 to immunize one-fourth of the country’s population. Embassies have been contacted for inter-government agreements on the vaccine purchase, said Carlito Galvez, the country’s vaccine czar. Even though they have communicated with the embassies, Duterte still eyes the vaccines from China which observes “my country first” approach in dealing with vaccines.

China, the pandemic’s ground zero, was among the countries that hoarded hospital supplies for the usage of hospital workers at the pandemic’s peak, according to a report of the New York Times. Bollyky and Brown stated in their article that it may do the same with the vaccine. China, in a speculation expressed by Dr. Anthony Fauci, will prioritize vaccinating their citizens before sharing it with other countries.

If China does not share their vaccine, Duterte will turn to China’s ally-Russia, which was the first country who announced that they have prepared the vaccine. The vaccine, “Sputnik V, is currently on its phase two trial.

Drug development expert Michael Kinch said that Sputnik V is mediocre because of the absence of its phase 3 trial, which is supposed to test the vaccine’s effectiveness and efficacy.

With China, we get nothing. With Russia, we get a sub-standard vaccine. Reliance on these two countries leaves our country with not much choice then but to suffer the consequences of this administration’s poor choices.

As promising as reliance on vaccine sounds, without concrete plans, it is just as worse as the rising COVID-19 cases and deaths. The Duterte administration only uses this as an excuse to slack off while relying on the uncertainty of an effective vaccine from any pharmaceutical companies.

Prioritizing politicking and blunt insults in his nightly addresses every Monday, Duterte shows that he clearly has no blueprint for a medical solution to this pandemic.

It is the Filipinos that suffer from the government’s incompetence, inaction, and lack of direction. This is the slow murder of the populace that those in their seats get to watch while celebrating.

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