Re-sharing this, because today I cross this off my shame list.
Written on June 6, 2020
For weeks, I’ve tried to wrap my head around how this government could disappoint us on an almost daily basis while we face a pandemic. And it’s not just one or two people in government, but the many different branches and agencies that make it up.
It’s been said before and I still believe it to be true, the problem is deep and systemic, therefore the solutions should also be the same. Part of this systemic problem (and I think it’s a big one) is culture, specifically the culture of non-accountability. Just this past week, we see this culture and how it played out in speech, action, and law.
June 3, 2020. The MMDA blamed commuters for the chaos on the roads during the first few days of the GCQ, when it could have spent the last 2 months preparing for this situation. On the same day, it reported that it will sue and fine the bike group that took it upon themselves to create a pop-up bike lane for the safety of bikers along Commonwealth Ave.
June 3, 2020. The Anti-Terror bill was passed in the House by a vote of 173-31 with 29 abstentions. Among the many problematic and vague provisions on terrorism, surveillance, and arrest without judicial warrant, the bill also takes accountability in the form of damages off the shoulders of the government, by removing Sec. 41 of the Human Security Act of 2007, which requires damages to be paid to a suspect if he or she is acquitted. This is to be charged to the law enforcement agency that filed the charges.
June 5, 2020. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III ‘takes responsibility’ for the delay in the release of compensation for healthworkers who had died or became seriously ill, by blaming his subordinates: “Nakakahiya talaga, Sir, namatayan nga tapos nagpa-wardi wardi yung mga tao ko na parang walang sense of urgency. Kaya po ang sama-sama po ng loob ko, Mr. President.” (Although he tried to make up for this in a tweet earlier today, damage has been done.)
June 5, 2020. UP Cebu students, facing no specific charges, were dispersed and arrested during a peaceful protest inside campus. Meanwhile, Major General Debold Sinas and 18 other policemen, who face criminal charges for violating ECQ protocols (Taguig City Ordinance No. 12-2020 and Republic Act No. 1132), remain on their posts.
This widespread culture of non-accountability reveals that we’d rather point the finger than take responsibility and work with each other. We’d rather relieve responsibility from ourselves and our own than resort to justice. This is what “power” in our country currently looks like. But power does not mean exemption from accountability and responsibility. It’s quite the opposite. (I don’t think I need to repeat Uncle Ben’s famous words.)
As I write this, I reflect on my own power as a citizen. While standing for accountability, it’s only right that I point the finger at myself first. I did not vote during the last national elections. This is something I regret and take full responsibility for. While seeing all the news online and reacting heavily to them, I do not ignore that I am part of the problem. Taking responsibility not only means owning up to a decision. It also means facing the consequences and doing what’s necessary to solve the problem. For our government this means listening to its constituents, abiding by the constitution, and executing based on its promises, among many others. For me, it means to vote and to speak up.
“Culture is not a set of beliefs, it’s a set of actions,” says venture capitalist Ben Horowitz. It’s high time that our own actions reflect our values, and this country’s values.