9 hrs · INQUIRER.net ·
Duterte says he's running for president because he doesn't want anyone (i.e., Grace Poe) messing up the Constitution.
Without saying we support Poe, and we do not, we say to Duterte:
Better clean up your own human rights record first to show your loyalty to the Constitution.
The bill of rights of the Const, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), and the UN Human Rights (UN HR) rapporteur have condemned the past Davao City death squads, the past salvagings in your city, and other past human rights violations in your city during your incumbency.
They're all on record.
So far, you haven't apologized for them.
On the contrary, you've attacked the institutional motives and findings of fact and law the CHR and the UN HR via general denials and acidic language.
Fascism and totalitarianism are anathema to genuine democracy, whether shown in official actions (e.g., making a land title forger eat the fake title before media cameras in your office), or in cowboy-style shoot-to-kill public utterances, or in showbiz-style dramatic interviews to gain media mileage.
Not to mention a past public incident, which was televised nationwide, when your aggressive daughter (former mayor of your city and a lawyer, at that) punched, injured, threatened and coerced a court sheriff in your city while enforcing a writ of execution.
The scandalous incident earned for her the repulsive title "pambansang kamao".
We admit that Filipinos want a disciplinarian leader to maintain peace and order in the country.
Ignorant millennials, who did not experience the pains and sufferings caused by the Martial Law years, push for peace and order at all costs.
They cite you as their model. They equate your strength and appeal to Marcos, The Dictator.
Peace and order are not the be-all and end-all of our society
Freedom and democracy are our true goals as a people.
Our values as a people are enshrined in the bill of rights, the statement of state policies, and the social justice provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
To show your humility, apologize for your poor human rights record as Davao City mayor.
Be brave enough to accept and apologize for your past mistakes, lapses, and violations.
Your freedom-loving and independent-minded brothers and sisters in the Philippine Bar might reconsider their negative impression of you.
Be true to yourself. Be true to the people.
We might give you a good chance to lead us as a people if we discern the purity of your conscience.
- Laserna Cueva-Mercader Law Offices
Las Pinas City, MM, PHL.
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