Filipinos should be able to relate to the tragic violence happening in distant shores, such as the recent Paris mayhem.
We have been tagged as a most dangerous place for judges, lawyers and advocates. And in a report released in October, we ranked 4th on the 2015 Global Impunity Index of the watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The report noted that “Justice for the 32 media victims and 26 others slaughtered in the 2009 massacre in Maguindanao appears more elusive than ever. No one has yet been convicted of the crime and, after 6 years of protracted legal proceedings…” (https://www.rappler.com/nation/108629-somalia-philippines-global-impunity-index-2015)
In a recent finding conducted by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the Philippines again appeared and was ranked 11th out of 162 countries surveyed in the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) for 2014.
Many of us do not realize that the situation is that dire as it was also reported that “the Philippines had been placed in the 10 countries most affected by terrorism for six times from 2000 to 2014.” (https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/740478/ph-ranks-11th-in-global-terrorism-index.)
What are the drivers of terrorism? The GTI mentioned in poorer countries, “factors such as a history of armed conflict, ongoing conflict within the country, corruption and a weak business environment are more strongly correlated. . . . Other important correlates aside from political terror and ongoing conflict include lower respect for human rights, the existence of policies targeting religious freedoms, group grievances, political instability and lower respect for the UN or the EU.” (https://economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Global-Terrorism-Index-2015.pdf)
The situation is certainly alarming. We know that internal conflicts within our nation. Corruption, and abuse of human rights still prevail despite relatively strong actions of instilling ethical leadership and accountability by the national government and some exemplary local government units. Most notably, we see the laudable efforts of the most courageous Ombudsman that our country has the privilege of having, former Supreme Court Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, in filing cases against some of the big fishes in the governance landscape.
With this most recent worrisome revelations, our government must inform citizens what have been and what more have to be done to fight terrorism and hold accountable the authors of dastardly acts. How can citizens and private sectors help mainstream a culture of peace and respect for the law in our islands? How can we do our share in our own areas in aiding our state agencies do their job well — that of protecting our rights to life and a healthy environment?
An area of concern demanding immediate action is the seeming lack of regulation and monitoring on the substance called ammonium nitrate. Ammonium nitrate is dangerous and is “the main component of an explosive called ANFO which stands for Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil. It is an explosive mixture which is used widely in mining.” (https://www.ammoniumnitrate.org)
It has been disclosed that this substance was used in the Luneta and Bali bombing years back.
Not many are aware that ammonium nitrate is an essential component of the dynamite used to blast fishes with irreversible damage to corals, fish and marine resources and of course, lives and limbs. This was the case of the death of the dive master, Al Bernard Coyoca. He was in a place that was obviously a favorite of the dynamite fishers.
Blast fishing has long been declared as illegal in the entire breadth of our country. But it is worrisome why it still proliferates. Per estimates of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, blast fishing happening 10,000 times daily is not far-fetched. Our fisheries are such an important part of our existence and our economy, yet there is seemingly a kid-gloves treatment in solving this very serious and highly destructive fishing practice.
With the disturbing deterioration of fish stocks, the continuing devastation inflicted by blast fishing not just on people but on fragile marine ecosystems, livelihoods and on future generations dependent on healthy life support systems to thrive and survive, must already be investigated.
Why is a dangerous substance like ammonium nitrate so easily accessible to fisherfolk?
Last week, at the CCTN “Partners in Law” program of the Cebu Lady Lawyers Association, we had a very interesting discussion on this issue. Our guests were Police Senior Superintendent Agustin Molina, Chief of the Regional Maritime Unit 7 of the Philippine National Police Maritime Group, and Mar Guidote, the Deputy Chief of Party of ECOFISH, which stands for Ecosystems Improved For Sustainable Fisheries, who is quite knowledgeable about the complexities of dynamite fishing and the areas for reforms.
It was inspiring to know that PNP MG is using technology in implementing its mandates such as instituting e-blotter in collaboration with the Department of Justice and for reporting of crimes and is even adopting marine-protected areas. And we fully agree with Col. Molina that citizens must lend a helping hand in reporting suspicious and criminal activities in their villages and equally as important, if I may add, to speak about issues and to actively engage in decision-making.
Indeed, the government cannot be expected to do the task alone. As the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said in her Nobel Lecture on December 10, 2014, “We must work… not wait. Not just the politicians and the world leaders, we all need to contribute. Me. You. We. It is our duty.”