Likhaan is a non-governmental organization that delivers basic health
care to poor communities. It works to ensure people’s human rights,
including the right to health and sexual and reproductive health and
rights. In this way, it hopes to help alleviate the poverty of
individual women, their families and their communities. More
importantly, it seeks to strengthen the capacity of people to
participate in the building of democratic processes and institutions.
It takes the view that genuine social change is a long process that
requires material and non-material investments in people’s capacity to
think and act for themselves.
Since the declaration of the state of emergency last February 24,
2006, our community organizers report that there is genuine fear
brought about by the threat to civil liberties. One of our young
organizers expressed fear of arrest for holding organizational
meetings, educational sessions, etc. Other community members said that
they are fearful that statements and activities that demand the
delivery of government services or that question government decisions
and actions would be punished. These are the immediate and observable
effects of Proclamation 1017 and the subsequent civil rights
violations.
We are all witness to these: police brutality and violent dispersal of
peaceful protests, warrantless arrests, illegal searches and seizures,
media censorship and threats to press freedom. Proclamation 1017 has
also been used to justify the revocation of rally permits and, under
this guise, the violation of the right to assembly.
Furthermore, Proclamation 1017 is in itself a vicious distortion of
the Philippine Constitution.
We are at the brink of tyranny. A president faced with serious
evidence of cheating her way into office, instead of facing the
consequences has, step by step, deployed her vast powers to stifle
redress and dissent. Over the past few months, she and her allies have
killed the impeachment process, silenced witnesses, gagged
congressional investigations, and dispersed rallies at whim, calling
such brutalities “calibrated preemptive response”. And now we have
emergency rule.
By her own actions, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has lost any claim to
legitimacy, to ruling based on consent.
Tyrants feed on silence, apathy and acquiescence. We refuse to comply.
It is our decision to resist government’s attempts to stifle civil and
political rights. We have not worked for so long only to have some
tyrant overturn our efforts to help communities exercise their
democratic entitlements without fear.
In this regard we are aware that Filipinos are seeking alternatives.
We, ourselves have been educating communities that good governance
does not mainly depend on the appearance of a rallying figure or a
heroic leader. That ordinary people do have a decisive role in shaping
government and making it accountable. That responsive and effective
governance can only come about through democratic processes and the
building of strong social institutions. Thus, rather than focusing on
personalities or shortcut solutions, we support a democratic
transition governance process.
Such a process should move immediately towards ensuring fair and clean
national elections. It must do so by throwing out the current rascals
in the Commission on Elections. It must then move to put in place
procedures and processes that will ensure transparency, efficiency,
fairness and integrity. Based on the experience of the Cory Aquino
revolutionary government, we believe that this should be accomplished
within one year.
We are opposed to any prolongation of leadership by any person or
group of people who do not have an electoral mandate, no matter how
competent or well intentioned they may be. We are aware that prompt
elections may very well lead to the return of the usual crop of
unworthy elite politicians. Nonetheless, we would rather put our faith
in our people and invest in our long-term learning as a nation, rather
than rely on messianic leaders— civilian or military—who have no
accountability.
The transitional government must address the needs of the poor as a
matter of social justice and equity. In all its programs and services,
it must insure the human rights of people in all spheres—political,
economic, social and cultural. It must never abridge the people’s
rights to expression and to demand accountability of the transitional
authority.
The transitional government must ensure that it keeps itself free of
undue influence from traditional powerbrokers. While responding to the
legitimate needs and grievances of the military and police, it must
guarantee professionalism in the armed services and uphold civilian
supremacy at all times. While respecting religious freedom, it must
guarantee the separation of Church and State and end politicians’
practice of courting support by imposing sectarian doctrine as
government policy, often to the detriment of women’s wellbeing and
rights.
As health workers we believe in the nonpartisan nature of the service
we provide. All persons regardless of religious, political or other
types of affiliation should have access to health services that assure
their wellbeing and dignity. We have accepted the fact that health is
not the stuff of headlines. Through periods of crisis or calm in our
national life we have continued to work on what most consider “soft”
issues. But we speak out now in this time of crisis because our work,
though never partisan, is not apolitical. Without basic democratic
processes, without civil and political rights, we cannot heal people
and keep them healthy.
Signed:
Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, MD, PhD - Chairperson
Junice Demeterio Melgar, MD - Executive Director
Staff members
Likhaan (Linangan ng Kababaihan, Inc.)