Life’s value: Working student versus drug addict

BAÑOC

The surveys conducted by Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS) show that 8 of every 10 Filipinos are in favor of the war on drugs.

I remember a reflection story when I attended a recollection initiated by the Young Catholic Movement Organization of the Diocese of Maasin many years ago.

I would like to share here the situational story that our facilitator at that time gave us.

The story goes this way: you are on board a vessel with your loved ones, friends and other passengers.

In the middle of the deep blue sea, the vessel encountered a strong typhoon that made her sink eventually.

You are lucky enough because you are one of the passengers who boarded a small life raft that has a capacity of only 2 persons.

Because there are three of you who boarded the life raft, there is a need to sacrifice one of the passengers.

Let me make a little modification of the illustrative story to make it more relevant in connection with the recent gruesome and brutal incident in Cebu City.

If you were the one being confronted with the situation and your co-passengers are the working student, Charie Mae Mancia, and the drug addict and killer, Emelito Familiar Jr., then who do you think you would want to go?

Imagine the respective backgrounds of your two fellow passengers.

As per media reports, Charie Mae was a self-supporting college student in one of Cebu’s universities.

She worked in a pizza parlor to support herself and her two siblings.

She rented a boarding house near her school and her work.

Emelito, on the other hand, is a jobless drug addict and had previous criminal records.

As per police investigation, Emelito’s purpose of entering the boarding house of Charie Mae was only to steal her valuables to support his vices.

When he noticed that the lady victim reacted, he brutally killed her.

The obvious answer to the very elementary question will clearly explain why majority of the Filipinos support the war on drugs of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The surveys conducted by Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS) show that 8 of every 10 Filipinos are in favor of the war on drugs.

Yes, life is valuable.

That is not even debatable.

But in the abovementioned situation where you are confronted to choose who between the two persons should go and who is to be retained in the life raft, or in this world, the answer is very clear.