What Right Do We Have Left?

Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology
College of Arts and Social Sciences

Department of Political Science
Andres Bonifacio Ave., Tibanga, Iligan City, 9200 Philippines
Academic Year 2020 - 2021
What Right Do We Have Left?
An analytical essay
Melit Jane R. Yu
Department of Political Science
POS142: Modern Political Theories
Ma’am Yasmira Moner
October 16, 2020
What Right Do We Have Left?

Two hundred sixty-two peasants were killed since 2016, 190 of them were farmer-
leaders killed just this year (Inquirer, 2020) most of which were affiliated with government
opposition. Human rights groups count at least 30,000 killed in anti-drug operations (Rappler,
2020) with numbers still growing even during the coronavirus lockdown (ABS-CBN News,
2020). There are 336,926 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 6,238 deaths in the Philippines
(World Health Organization, 2020) but there was no mention of pandemic response roadmap
in Duterte’s SONA on July 27 (Rappler, 2020). Corruption scandals are perennial to the
country but it worsens today with the PhilHealth P15-Billion Fraud, right when the Filipinos
are most desperate for health insurance and assistance amidst this deadly pandemic.
This analytical essay begins with facts and data to support my discussion on the
liberal conception of a just society, and the end goal of a liberal democratic system – all while
reflecting my answers to the Philippine status quo. All of which is conducive to create the
foundation for my claim and thesis statement that the Philippines is not a just society as far as
the liberal conception of the word is concerned, and has not met the end goals of a liberal
democratic system; instead it is fading farther away from it.
The main concern of the liberal political theory is the individual and his rights
(Klosko, 2013, p.107). Thomas Hobbes, like other liberal thinkers had an instrumental view
of the politics or the state which claims that the state is needed to achieve the human persons’
ends, and because of this, the state should have no interest of its own. Hence, the just society
then has a government that protects the rights of all individuals so that they are able to enjoy
as much freedom as possible, which is why the individuals consented to erect it in the first
place. All of these agreements are in the shape of what we know as the constitution, and also
other laws and statutes – all of which are designed for the shared prosperity of all.
Furthermore, note that the lead paragraph of this essay begins with the issue of the right to
life in the Philippines – particularly its violation: the silencing of farmers who only want
better treatment; Extrajudicial Killings of the War on Drugs; the lack of response to the
pandemic leading to the death of many Filipinos; and corruption which leaves the poorest of
the poor to fend for themselves. All of which, and especially the latter is very unlikely and
unbecoming of what a liberal democratic society ought to be.

The end goal of liberal democracy is to limit government authority through
mechanisms such as separation of powers to serve as checks and balances. As a
representative democracy, government officials are expected to represent the people’s needs,
and not their own interests. Unfortunately, in our country, there is extensive bribery within
the public administration, manipulation by public officials, (Gan Integrity, 2020), lack
procedural fairness and transparency due to nepotism, favoritism, and impunity. Hence, there
is little to no checks and balances, nor representation of the people’s needs and interests.
According to John Locke in his Second Treatise of Government published in 1689,
“Legitimate punishment must be in proportion to the offense: Each transgression may be
punished to the degree and with so much Severity as will suffice to make it an ill bargain to
the Offender, give him cause to repent, and terrify others from doing the like”. On the
contrary, there is little to no punishment when it comes to powerful people in the Philippines.
Corruption scandals by those on power – or those who have connections with them – are left
unaccounted for. These people never repent and even have the audacity to run again for
candidacy only to disappear when needed by the people. While one crime remains unsolved,
new controversies are manufactured to distract us away from more pressing issues.
Furthermore, the justice system is so problematic that the idea of “legitimate punishment” is
surreal. People never really get what is due to them. “Ang batas ay batas.” is an illusion
when the rich gets away with their crimes, and the poor faces jail time for mistrial or delayed
justice; some even face death extra judicially.
John Locke also asserts that the people has the right to revolt when the government is
not doing its end of the bargain or is not being a neutral arbiter, particularly when it tampers
with the legislature or abuses its power (Klosko, 2013, p.157). In the Philippines, we cannot
even at the very least, demand for just treatment from those in power. We cannot exercise our
right to peaceful protests. Instead, the authority violates our right against unlawful arrests. As
a matter of fact, they like keeping the people uneducated so as to hinder them from knowing
enough to dissent. They don’t want to alleviate our poverty so their electoral fraud would
work. Freedom is an illusion here when people don’t really have a choice because they
cannot even provide subsistence for their families. Our right to revolt is an illusion when
asking for the bare minimum of being treated humanely feels like asking for too much.
Democracy is an illusion when we cannot participate in the decision-making process.
As much as liberalism’s social contract theory is concerned, we, the people agreed
and consented to erect a government for it to protect our rights, but why do we feel robbed
from it instead? Is this the end goal of a liberal democratic system – one that screams “Right
to life, liberty, property”? If it is, then the Philippines is fading farther away from such social
and political system. It cannot even grant us the first right, what more the others? What right
do we have left? If the liberal definition of a just society is one that listens and protects the
individual and her rights, then the Philippines is far from being a just nation.
References:
ABS-CBN News. (2020, September 18). Drug war deaths doubled during lockdown?
Killings only up by 5 pct, says PNP.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/09/18/20/drug-war-deaths-doubled-during-
lockdown-killings-only-up-by-5-pct-says-pnp
Gan Integrity (2020, May). The Philippines corruption report.
https://www.ganintegrity.com /portal/country-profiles/the-philippines/
Klosko, G. (2013). History of political theory: An introduction: Volume II: Modern (Vol. 2),
107, 157. Oxford University Press.
Laslett, P. (Ed.). (1988). Locke: two treatises of government student edition. Cambridge
University Press.
Magsambol, B. (2020, July 28). No mention of COVID-19 response roadmap in Duterte's
SONA. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/nation/no-mention-covid-19-response-
roadmap-duterte-sona-2020
Ocampo, K. (2020, July 1). 190 farmer-leaders killed in last 5 months. Philippine Daily
Inquirer. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1299885/190-farmer-leaders-killed-in-last-5-
months
World Health Organization. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation dashboard.
https://covid19.who.int/region/wpro/country/ph

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Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology

College of Arts and Social Sciences

What Right Do We Have Left?

Department of Political Science

POS142: Modern Political Theories

Ma’am Yasmira Moner

October 16, 2020

What Right Do We Have Left?

democratic system; instead it is fading farther away from it.

unbecoming of what a liberal democratic society ought to be.

mechanisms such as separation of powers to serve as checks and balances. As a

According to John Locke in his Second Treatise of Government published in 1689,

“Legitimate punishment must be in proportion to the offense: Each transgression may be

justice; some even face death extra judicially.

Democracy is an illusion when we cannot participate in the decision-making process.

Killings only up by 5 pct, says PNP.

107, 157. Oxford University Press.

Magsambol, B. (2020, July 28). No mention of COVID-19 response roadmap in Duterte's

SONA. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/nation/no-mention-covid-19-response-

World Health Organization. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation dashboard.

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