Guide Question: Is there still hope for the Philippines to become a home of social justice

and good governance?

Aspiration: Hope for Philippines to Achieve Good Governance and Equality

Building a house is the same as building a family, and building a government is the
same building a nation. The prosperity of a nation heavily relies on the way it is managed and
govern by its leader. It all boils down to how a leader can be a pioneer of change, and how he
can lead and control its countrymen. Being a leader has a lot of responsibility weight on its
shoulders because it involves inevitable change, which can lead to conflict of interest,
ideologies as well as sacrifices and actions that may be condemned by people later on. It is a
duty that requires great understanding and rationality. But is it just about the leader and his
humanistic discipline that should rule a nation? What really is a good governance? How can
this be manifested and be aligned with social justice for the goodness of all?

The Philippines has been under a lot of scrutiny and headlines for the state of its
government since President Rodrigo Duterte was elected in 2016. It all started with his strong
advocacy in combating illegal drugs. Since his regime as Mayor in Davao, it has been an open
secret that he was involved in a series of killings. There was even an interview wherein he
said that if he were to be elected, it is going to be bloody (Duterte, 2015). With his desire to
eradicate drugs in the nation, it became inevitable to forgo the killings of those accused users
and pushers of drugs; hence the news of killed people, especially those who were poor
sprouted here and there which later subjected as Extra Judicial Killings (EJK). Many
journalists have been criticizing this means of combating drug usage in the Philippines
especially those from Rappler. Rappler is a media outlet founded by Maria Ressa, who aims
of providing factual and reliable news to people. She has been vocal about her dismay in this
administration, she believes that what was happening recently is not aligned to the
propagandas and platforms promised by the President.

(Ressa, 2019) stated that death by a thousand cuts, symbolizes those small cuts (mistakes)
from overuse of power, made by the government, which result to bleeding, and ultimately
death. As election is approaching, we should really ask ourselves: Can we continue living
with this kind of society? Do we feel safe? Secured? Can the government really provide us
the lives we wish and hope to live a life free from crime but equipped with harmony and
justice. Before we aim of having a government that will hone our nation into a better one, let
us first define what good governance is and how can it co-inside with social justice for the
benefit of all. Let us be rational and wise in making decisions, for the fault of the government,
may be the fault of its people. We are the ones who choose our leader, so better choose
wisely.

References:

Bascos, V. (2015, July 3). Duterte on how to fight crime: It has to be ‘bloody.’ Rappler. from

https://www.rappler.com/nation/elections/duterte-fight-crime

Conde, C. (2017, March 3). Philippines’ ‘War on Drugs’ | Human Rights Watch. Human

Rights Watch. from https://www.hrw.org/tag/philippines-war-drugs

Duterte on being president: It’s going to be bloody. (2015, October 26). Rappler [Video].

YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSSsafAMTpI
FRONTLINE PBS Official. (2021, March 13). A Thousand Cuts (full documentary) |

FRONTLINE [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQpjfWV_p6E

Taddonio, P. (2021, January 8). “Lies Laced with Anger and Hate Spread Fastest”:

Journalist Maria Ressa Maps Social Media Disinformation in Documentary “A

Thousand Cuts.” FRONTLINE. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/maria-

ressa-a-thousand-cuts-documentary-social-media-disinformation-democracy/