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Sunday, July 23, 2006

Norms of Non-Involvement

Much has been said with the case of two missing UP Diliman students, Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan. One might wonder why I’m suddenly more than concerned with this issue, considering I have never been affiliated with any activist, peasant or labour organisation. In UP, we’ve heard so many stories of activists with pronounced leftists leanings gunned down or abducted and never found again. Then, as soon as the posters around the campus get plastered over by Jag and Lee sale flyers, life goes on – back to Leithold, Samuelson and Ritzer as if nothing happened.

I’m particularly disturbed with this issue because Karen is my batchmate in BA Sociology. One of our classes, Qualitative Sociology, required us to go on field most of the time. One of my biggest embarrassments as a sociologist is my fear of exploring research topics that are “too immersed” in the field. I don’t think Karen had such fears. She selected uncommodifiable research topics that gave voice to those who are marginalised. She has not completed her BA degree yet because she chose to volunteer for a farmers’ movement in Central Luzon.

Then here lies numerous versions of what happened to her. Some said she was abducted by armed [military] men in Bulacan and was never seen since then. Others say this happened to her because she’s part of the NPA. More disturbingly, some say she got killed in crossfire in Isabela. Clearly, I’m not in the position to verify any of these reports. I am in the position though to get pissed when people say she deserved it because she chose to be there. This comment is tantamount to saying that the government’s all-out offensive against non-state actors is legitimate. Even unarmed civilians can be considered as targets. I understand that this statement is very much subject to debate. However, what is not subject to debate is the importance of knowing what really happened to her. Although I’m a believer of “what is true is what works”, I’d hate to see this issue vulgarised and used for propaganda Karen would not have approved of.

A lot of us tend to be desensitised with these issues. Sadly, we are desensitised for the wrong reason. We stop caring because we think it's futile – might as well be preoccupied with our little issues because at least, dealing with them produces tangible results. But hey, how many times did we passionately engage in a petty argument and say “This is not just about this. It’s about what it represents.” Oftentimes, we don’t understand people who defy norms of non-involvement and fight for intangible causes like justice and legitimacy. Little does it register to us that we do this everyday, it’s just that some people choose to take this battle to the next level, get dismissed in the mainstream and unfortunately, violently fade away in the background.


See
http://www.tigilpaslang.blogspot.com/
http://tigilpaslang2.blogspot.com/
http://www.upd.edu.ph/%7Eupdinfo/

17 Comments:

  • Nako. Here I am again.

    The problem is that much of the activity around their disappearance confuses digging into the truth with taking an ideological position.

    Tigil Paslang. Stop the killing. Already implicit is that she was abducted (and slain) by the government AND therefore that the government is the source of all violence.

    As I said, there are alternative (and more believable) explanations for her disappearance. People are non-involved because those who drive this issue would rather score points and demonize the government then seek the truth and forming their conclusions AFTER.

    People should be passionate about the truth, yes. People should care that a UP student disappeared into thin air. But they should also pause and think before they finger and accuse. Otherwise they're no better than the government they accuse of executing activists without trial or verdict.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:58 AM  

  • My premise here is that Karen must be found. The mere fact that she's missing (there's no feedback from the police/military AFTER A MONTH) should be enough reason for people to be concerned. Non-involvement is not an excuse simply because there are groups (that you don’t agree with) that are more ubiquitous than others. Assuming your “more believable” explanation for her disappearance is true, it still doesn’t change the fact that she must be found and returned to her family for a decent burial instead of having brusque generals saying they couldn’t care less. Even if you find the battle cry of organisations like Tigil Paslang as accusatory, at the very least, their call for justice is still valid.

    By Blogger sabine.strohem, at 9:59 PM  

  • What if the police/military don't know WHERE she is? People disappear/get murdered/get kidnapped in the Phililppines all the time.

    All of them should be found and returned. But these "progressive" groups don't care about these cases, do they; not unless they can use it against the government.

    The medium is the message. The message is sullied by the agendas of these groups. Non-involvement is how people choose to express their disgruntlement over being used by one faction against the other.

    After all, if Karen truly was found to have joined the NPA, would these groups apologize for muckraking on the issue? I highly doubt it.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:34 AM  

  • Exactly. The fact that people (particularly journalists and activists) disappear/get murdered/get kidnapped in the Philippines all the time without hearing feedback from the government goes to show how unresponsive our government is to this issue. This warrants demand for action coming from all fronts. GMA’s outright condemnation of political violence yesterday is useless if not backed up by results. She did not even mention what she’s doing to respond to these cases, and praising Palparan is just a slap on the face.

    If Karen was found to have joined the NPA, these groups may still opt not to apologize by virtue of condemning the government’s all-out offensive against non-state actors. The theme “stop the killings” just becomes more valid.

    Non-involvement is expression of disgruntlement? As I’ve mentioned, even if one does not agree with the “accusatory” nature of these groups, not demanding for justice is abysmal apathy, especially from CSSP students like you. I hope one’s demand for “truth” or justice is not overridden by vehement opposition to how some parties use this issue to forward an agenda. It’s quite ridiculous to choose silence because one is disgruntled on how certain groups treat this issue. It’s more reasonable to be involved because one is disgruntled with how this issue is treated by the government.

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