Yesterday, Infanta, Quezon Mayor and known opponent of the controversial Kaliwa Dam Project, Mayor Filipina Grace America, was injured in an assassination attempt after attending Mass.
This marks the second such incident related to the Kaliwa Dam in a matter of weeks as the onerous and controversial project continues to rack up media mileage for all the wrong reasons. Earlier this month, several groups had sounded the alarm on the MWSS for the supposed railroading and manipulation of the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes as required by law to be obtained prior to the dam’s construction. And now, this.
Ilang insidente pa ba ang kailangang maganap bago ito bigyang pansin ng ating pamahalaan? Ilang buhay pa ba ang hahayaan nilang manganganib para sa kontrobersyal at kaduda-dudang proyektong ito?
First and foremost, I pray for the speedy recovery of Mayor America. I also pray that this incident does not shake her resolve to fight the good fight for the indigenous peoples of Infanta, Quezon and the biodiversity of the Sierra Madre. I hope that her will to resist this project is further strengthened as she continues to challenge the prevailing status quo in her municipality. May her courage and bravery to forge ahead in spite of the odds serve as an inspiration to human rights defenders and environmental advocates all over the country.
Finally, I call on the PNP to urgently investigate this matter of grave importance. It is a known fact that the activities of human rights defenders have suffered under this present regime. We have all bore witness to the gradual decay of our most crucial institution for maintaining peace and order under Duterte’s watch. But no more. It is high time that the PNP reassert its integrity as an institution.
Isa muli itong hamon sa PNP para muling maipakita sa sambayanang Pilipino na ang kapakanan at kaligtasan ng mamamayan pa rin ang tangi nilang pinagsisilbihan. Nawa’y huwag na kayong kukurap. Managot ang dapat managot. At panagutin ang dapat panagutin.