Death is Easy, Life is Difficult

The Philippines has had enough. And we Filipinos have more than our fair share of cruel injustices for the past decades. We have known crimes. We have seen deaths. We have tasted blood. And we have hungered for justice through all these years. And where exactly have the politicians taken the justice we deserve? Anyway, there shall be no more worries now.The long agony has ended when the 16^th president of the Republic of the Philippines finally took oath last June 30, 2016. Bless the Philippines! We now have a president who supports the death penalty.

                                                                                      

Well, don’t get me wrong. I voted for Duterte and heaved a sigh of relief when he won the presidency. But I’mnot in favor of the capital punishment that he is pushing through. I believe in justice of course. But the kind of justice I believe in is not attained through a quick and clean death. Yes, death is the wage for sin as what’s written in the Bible. And only death can pay for life. However, what’s the point of the capital punishment when all of us will die anyway? Through death penalty, we give the rapists, murderers, drug peddlers, kidnappers, and robbers their early freedom. Yes they have erred against the law and humanity. They get defeated when they are captured and thrown into prison. But if we sentence them to death, then they will finally rest with their lifetime debts not fully paid. That is not justice.

It is after all better that they suffer for the rest of their lives to atone for the heinous crimes they committed. Killing them won’t make everything alright. Their deaths won’t make the pain of the bereaved families go away, and won’t make the dead victims come back to life. And if you believe that the death penalty is the only way to sow fear among the criminals, then remember this, a man who does not fear God, the law of the land and even the humanity does not have the right to fear his own death.

That’s why I still favor the lifetime imprisonment. Even if a criminal murders only one person, or rapes his own wife, or kidnaps his own daughter, he should be imprisoned for the rest of his life. Let him rot and waste his life in prison. Let him be bored and hopeless and frustrated to the point in which he will want to threaten his own life. Let him drown in his own miserable debts. Let him suffer. However the most important thing is that, with life imprisonment, we give a chance for the criminals to have that change of heart. Corny as it may sound. But then we have to remember that there is a life after death. We either go to heaven or to eternal damnation. And just because the criminals have done such heinous deeds doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to be forgiven and be saved. In life imprisonment, we give them enough and perhaps more time to realize and repent for the wrongs that they have done. We give them a chance to ask for forgiveness and be forgiven. We give them a chance to go back to God and to be good again even if they are surrounded with walls and bars. And only then can true justice be attained.

We may have different views in life and I respect that. But I still believe that criminals or not, we are all victims of the times we now live in. There is still goodness inside people, as well as there is the bad. Yin and yang, to balance everything. The good and the bad coexist. And that means we cannot totally eradicate criminality even if the death penalty in our country becomes a law once again. What I wish to happen in our country is that we Filipinos must really obey, fear and live by the laws especially those that concern human lives. And that every Filipino must live his life with all his honor and integrity. That teachers and parents for example will educate the hearts of the young Filipinos that they will not turn out into savage individuals. That religious leaders will never tire teaching us about faith and God. That the police and military won’t shy away when they will have to capture the perpetrators of our society and keep the peace in our nation. And that our political leaders will no longer betray us all and play games with our lives. With all these, I believe it will be a difference. It may appear as just mere ideals to some people especially the self-confessed realists. But then, bloodshed cannot be the only solution to set things right for a country that has had enough. As what Mahatma Gandhi once said, “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”Kill the person who killed your loved one and a loved one of the person you killed will kill another one of your loved ones and the cycle will never end.

Let Justice Be Done, Though Heavens May Fall

It is in our nature to look forward to preserving our integrity by creating laws to maintain order in our society. These laws which consist of guidelines and punishments, keep our society in order for centuries. However, if those very laws dissuade our interests, things go nuts.

Take for example, the death penalty. During the Marcos regime, there were minimal incidents of crime at that time. Criminals would hesitate to be on the prowl for the fear of getting killed. But many individuals did not like that idea. They thought that killing the criminals was inhumane and should not be allowed in a Christian country of dignity and honor.After Marcos was banished, death penalty was slowly discarded until it was no more.

But if you look closely, you would notice that those politicians who voted against death penalty had one thing in common; they were corrupt, and they used their power to protect themselves from being killed by the same law they ought to let stand. If you know you are doing illegal things, like stealing the people’s money, you wouldn’t allow such law to stay untouched. Furthermore, those corrupt people are revered by many as good people of dignity, simply because they disapprove the punishment of death for people who caused more deaths than their own.

Many humanitarian causes joined the fight against death penalty saying it “violates human rights”, which still confuses most citizens as to what kind of right; right to live? Or right to harm a person? Moreover, these groups are highly supported by the religious sector that holds dominance over the public opinion based on theological ethics. Hypocrite as they might seem, they who disagree with death punishment, but caused more deaths themselves by allowing those crimes and injustices to seemingly be unnoticed.

Many people see death penalty as a curse to this land; that while we are busy defending life, we are also aggressively destroying it. But the same people fail to understand that by taking one life, we are also saving several others who could have been perished because of those criminals. They made their choice, now let justice choose whether they live or die.

Death penalty is a mechanism similar to killing mosquitoes that could potentially carry such deadly diseases like dengue. Criminals are the mosquitoes, and their crimes are the dengue virus. They need to be eradicated before they can cause more damage to more people.Punishment by death never became immoral. In fact, even the Bible and the Koran imply death as the only true punishment to any sin committed against God. “…and they shall be put to death.” Death penalty does not kill for punishment alone; it also kills to threaten those who plan to harm our society’s order and peace.

Crime is not inevitable, it is a choice. Criminals chose to do treacherous things based on reasons that are subsequently the result of laziness and lack of motivation in life, reasons that no one should be blamed for but their own selves. Open your perception to the reality that you need not worry about death penalty, unless you are one of those who disobey the rule of law. After all, the majority only seeks for justice, peace, and order. Now that’s something worth killing for.

SSG Prexy: Behind the Expected Victory

The new set of SSG officers, they’d better be good for they were chosen by whoever chose them. Nonetheless, can we also say “change is coming” with the new SSG administration? We might as well get to know the newly elected SSG President, Sharazil T. Mabanag, a fourth year architecture student who has been a consistent SSG officer since first year.  He is known for his ‘pakikisama’ and you’ll probably see him smiling and laughing most of the time. Moreover, get to know him better through his platforms, his stand in death penalty and as an individual. Know the leader you elected.

ASSURANCE OF A ‘VOICE’

As a student, he did admit having the same sentiments as others here in the University of Bohol. “Poblemajudnakoaning UB kay kung mag-uwan. My God! Flood is everywhere, undeniably,” Mabanag confessed. He also did address ventilation issue in his department because of dented fans. As the new SSG President, he assure students that problems and sentiments like the aforementioned will be heard by the admin. “Yes! That’s the primary reason why SSG exists, to be the voice of the whole studentry. And I will assure you that!” he stated.  They are planning to implement programs and activities for the students’ welfare. “If their sentiments are in line with the objectives and their rights stated on the UBSSG Constitution and By-Laws, without any second thought, I will certainly fight for it no matter what,” Mabanag added.

MABANAG ON PLANNING

The very weapon of a leader, aside from being able to influence others, is his excellent and realistic platforms. And platforms involve thorough planning and brainstorming. So when asked about this, the new SSG President said that planning ahead means foreseeing the future considering the possible problems to encounter including the consequences of the decisions that are planned and made. Planning ahead of time for him also means securing tomorrow. “Because ‘planning’ is the root cause of victory,” he said.

THE CLEAN AND GREEN PROJECT

One of the biggest projects that the newly elected SSG president is eyeing for is the ‘campus greening’ which includes the ‘no-plastic brigade’. Furthermore, they are also planning to plant herbal plants in the new Senior High School ground in coordination with the Committee Extension officer, Ma’am MalouFudalan and the General Services. The Senior High School is the former Commerce building. Before its renovation, there were variety of ornament and herbal plants planted in its ground which were removed during the renovation process.

ON MONETARY PENALTY

Fines, which some regard as really heartbreaking as well as pocket wrecking has been a burden of the students and an amount fiasco especially during the celebration of the UB Days. “To revise the constitution, it takes a lot of time man gud,” Mabanag stated. It is written in the UBSSG Constitution that the maximum fines per day is P50.00 and according to Mabanag, the word ‘maximum’ means there is a possibility that the fines won’t be exactly P50.00. With this, they are going to divide P50.00 by four (P12.50) because there are some students who attend during morning activities only or afternoon like what they did last Summer Fun Day 2016.

FOR THOSE WHO DON’T LISTEN

The new SSG President hates people who don’t listen. “When I speak, everybody must listen,” Mabanag said. For he believes that a good communication results to a vibrant flow of information which he said is really necessary in his part. But don’t also be too naïve because personally, he likes a person who is easy to go along with, who has a happy attitude and most importantly, a hardworking.

NO TO DEATH PENALTY

Leaders co-exist to serve people yet diversity alone causes a variety of leadership with different views as to what will be the best thing to do on social issues. President Rodrigo Duterte is pursuing death penalty to improve crime rate but for the new SSG President, he will certainly not agree with death penalty. “Killing is a sin and a sin is against God’s laws. Ever wrong doings has its own room for a better change. Nevertheless, people deserve second chances-for the better,” he added.

THE STUDENT BENEATH THE LEADER

Like any other student here in this university, Mabanag also has his fair share of struggle and dirty little secrets. This chap, who’s an avid fan of Captain America admitted that he also procrastinate, especially in doing his plates (term used to refer major subject projects in Architecture). But he still believes that procrastination lies in our own hands despite things being uncertain. Moreover, he’s an example of a loving son who value his parents’ sacrifices and hardships upon raising him as a good individual. He wants them to be proud the moment he step on the stage wearing his toga. Being in his senior year, he’s also excited to hold his own diploma like any ordinary students. This is his greatest dream, to finally get his trophy after spending years in school just to have his degree and soon be called an architect.

When Inequality Means Equity

Last week, I was confronted by the most perplexing question from my younger sister. She asked me innocently,“P100 lagegihatag ni mama nimuteunyaagako kay P10 ra?” That really left me dumbstruck because that was thought she perceived to be unfair. It is like an inquiry of injustice aided with her little idea that all should receive things equally. So as the matured one, I gave her the simplest and subtle explanation I had. Letting her understand that I need much bigger amount since I’m already a college student and there’s a lot of things I need to pay like the excessive handouts and photocopies unlike her who only needs enough amount to buy her snack. What did happen is not inequality though, its equity.

Equality, by simplest definition means the state of having the same thing but equity, on the other hand is all about having things that are appropriate and suitable with your current situation. When we saw someone was given more than what we received, we immediately whine and get jealous. How could life be so unfair? But the thing is, we should recognize the very fact that unfairness really do exist in this world and it is very unfortunate to say that it is necessary and already an element of life. Yet we should also make sure never to confuse equity and inequality. I am not trying to brag here that I am a know-it-all about this stuff but experience had taught me.

I grew up in a barangay where the main source of income of the folks are farming, fishery and carpentry. It is not uncommon seeing children without slippers walking a couple of kilometers everyday just to get to school. At a very young age, I really felt an acute anger towards the world and it’s just normal. And now, as I grew some maturity and had gained more sophisticated way of thinking, I realized: someone has to do the job. Someone had to do the farming, the fishing and the repairs of my antique cabinet. Because if we’re all receiving the same privileges, then society is non-existent since it involves different institutions working together to achieve a certain goal. There will be no equilibrium because there will be no yin and yang.

I am not saying that witnessing the ill-fated lives of these individuals is good nor praying it to happen to someone I despise. I won’t even brand them as unfortunate. Apparently, we are both fortunate and unfortunate, a victim and the guilty.  All we have to realize is that it’s not inequality really, it is equity.

Equity in the sense that you might not have the luxury of a millionaire, the fame of your favorite artist, the talent of an NBA player or the beauty of a queen; we both exist in the same world, breathe the same air and see the same sky. We both have different duties and functions to fulfill. So please don’t be ashamed if your father is a farmer and your mother is a helper, because their job is not an easy one and someone out there cannot do what they are doing. We were made to be like this, born to be like this and destined to be like this because God knows before He created you that there’s no other living creature that is fit for that life and capable to endure the possible setbacks than you.

Frankly, I also had such awful syndrome of self-pity because I just can’t have the things that others get without even giving a sweat and as much as possible, I use all my imaginary superpowers not to blame God. In a worse situation, I also feel like a small a dot. But come to think of it, a sentence even how sophisticated its structure and how the words are creatively entwined, is still not a sentence without a period.