We at Laban ng Masa strongly denounce the newly enacted Republic Act 10973 granting subpoena powers to the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
Giving the police the power to summon anyone without having to get permission from the courts is like giving a rising dictatorship yet another bullet to shoot at our already dying democracy.
It is a clear and present danger to all citizens—but especially the poor and already disenfranchised, since they are the ones who will be hard pressed to fight back against the threat of legal action should they refuse to heed the subpoena.
There is a reason why this power—something which Marcos’ Philippine Constabulary used to enjoy—was previously abolished: because it undermined checks and balances and exposed ordinary people to the whims and caprices of the police.
Such a power is a potential danger even when placed in the hands of more democratic governments. But it is downright lethal when granted to the kind of government we have today: a regime that has not only repeatedly expressed contempt at human rights but has actually encouraged mass human rights violations.
The passage of this law is just the most recent sign that the Duterte administration is stepping up its efforts to put in place the conditions for an outright, if still informal, authoritarian regime. In recent weeks, the government has also started to escalate its attacks on the CPP-NPA, using them as a pretext to intensify the US-led “war against terror” in the country. As many as six hundred individuals have been included in a so-called “terrorist hit list,” and a growing number of activists belonging to various legal mass and sectoral organizations have already been rounded up.
But even as we condemn these latest despotic steps, we also express our dismay at the so-called “opposition” leaders who actually voted in favor of this law, including Senators Francisco Pangilinan, Leila de Lima, and Risa Hontiveros.
We understand the immense pressures they face, but support for this law is inexcusable at best. They must immediately renounce it and take concrete steps to quash it. Otherwise, they too must be held accountable for exposing everyone, particularly those of us in the pro-democracy movement, to the greater threat of repression. They too need to be called out for enabling, if not to colluding with, dictatorship.
Sadly, this latest compromise on the part of Liberal Party leaders and their allies only serve to remind us that the so-called “opposition” cannot be counted upon to lead the fight against tyranny.
But it also reminds us that--if we are to successfully defend our hard-won rights and build a real democracy--we ordinary, working people cannot rely on anyone but ourselves