The price of freedom is eternal
vigilance.
--Thomas
Jefferson, American Revolutionary
PRESS
RELEASE
Reference: Shem
22 September
2006
TAÑADA AND MABINI JUSTICE:
NEVER AGAIN TO AUTHORITARIANISM!
“NEVER AGAIN TO AUTHORITARIANISM!”
This was the statement made by the former Senator Wigberto “Ka Bobby” Tañada at a forum in Ateneo de Manila University yesterday. In the forum co-sponsored by Mabini Justice entitled “NEVER AGAIN! Defending Civil Liberties and Democracy Amidst a Resurgent Authoritarianism,” Sen. Tañada spoke of the horrors of the Martial Law years and correlated it with the present socio-political crisis in our country.
For Sen. Tañada and Mabini Justice, Martial Law has always haunted the Filipino people. The majority of the current population of the country was alive during that time that nobody had to reiterate what are the accompanying effects of the Martial Law.
Now, we are threatened by its recurrence. The onslaught of the anti-people policies by the Arroyo administration—the RVAT Law, the EO 464, the PP 1017, among others—in addition to the extrajudicial killings and disappearances of government critics remind the people of the terror of the two decade authoritarian rule.
“The violent, the repressive and the anti-civil liberties character of the Martial Law do not have to be lived through by the present youth. I believe it is high time that we organize ourselves for a common national agenda of preventing another Martial Law above us,” said Rep. Erin Tañada, the son of former Sen. Tañada and an active student leader during the Martial Law years.
“At the present, GMA remains at the offensive while we, the people, are positioned at the defensive. We continue to remain vigilant for our civil and political rights which the present administration do not hesitate to trample on,” added the representative who is also the chairperson of the Mabini Justice.
Rep. Erin and the Mabini Justice believe that today is one of those days when
the people have to show their force, not just to those against them, but more
so, for each of them. The silence of the people on the different attacks on
civil liberties only allows GMA to become more ardent in propagating
anti-people, anti-poor regulations.
As Sen. Bobby Tañada said, “Unfortunately, we have not learned the lessons we were supposed to have learned.”
We should have learned how to be vigilant—for vigilance is the price of freedom.