I was very disturbed when I first saw the news showing the viral video of how the Silay City police force made violators of their face masks ordinance do the shame parade.
Equally disturbing was Silay Mayor Mark Golez defending his police force, saying it was part of disciplinary action that they have been doing for months to teach a lesson to those who violate the mandatory use of face masks and other minimum health protocols covered by a local ordinance.
I was not shocked to see over two dozen residents violating the face mask law because if you go around Bacolod, you can see people without masks in just about every corner and in every tiangge and sometimes within plain sight of enforcers.
That is not to say that we allow these violators scot-free, but is there really anything positive that the shame parade brings about that will justify the violation of human rights?
If we can recall, early on in Duterte’s administration, some local government units tried the shame parade in their campaign against illegal drugs. Those local chief executives were bashed for their barbaric acts.
One of those mayors was Tanauan Mayor Antonio Halili in Batangas province. He was eventually shot dead during a flag ceremony and was tagged by no less than the president of alleged involvement in illegal drugs himself.
That shame parade was broadcasted internationally and there were comments of how barbaric we have become, more so when the extrajudicial killings started.
But I never expected that the shame parade would be practiced here in Negros Occidental. We are supposed to be known as sweet, carinosa people, not barbarians who bring us back to the Inquisition era.
As in other LGUs including Bacolod, there are health ordinances passed to help us curb the spread of COVID-19 and among those are use of face masks, face shields, social distancing and limiting gatherings.
The laws have attached penalties and in Silay, it includes fines amounting to P1,000 to as much as P5,000 for first and multiple offenses. Otherwise, one must do community work if one cannot afford to pay the fines. However, I cannot recall an ordinance passed here in any locality that provides a penalty to be shamed via a public parade.
According to reports, violators are made to walk with hands outstretched from the police station to the Public Plaza where they were then made to stand before a coffin, get lectured, asked to pray, given masks and sent home.
Hmmmm. I wondered what takeaways did those violators attained from such an exercise and I am very intrigued as to what prayer they had to utter to be forgiven for their sins of not wearing masks.
This is not to belittle the local health ordinance because we ought to be reminded that simple wearing of masks, protects us and others from the deadly virus. However, shaming them publicly is not the answer and should not be an option.
Silay, along with the other localities in the third district except for Murcia, has been beset by flooding problems. It would have been a great community service to impose upon these violators mandatory river clean-up, tree planting activities, creating garbage receptacles, and other environmental programs that will help address their problems.
In fact, just today, February 8, we saw some 30 families evacuating in Talisay again as a precaution from rising waters brought about by heavy rains since Sunday afternoon.
There have been work-for-food initiatives in the district and they could have aligned community work programs for these violators commensurate to their fines instead of the shame parade that is non-productive but violative of basic human rights.
It is but right for the Commission on Human Rights to remind the LGU and the police force that this health crisis is a human rights issue as well and as such, they have to be more circumspect in implementing such barbaric acts.
Take San Carlos Mayor Rene Gustilo who saw the need to dialog and issue a warning over erring restaurant owners that were reported to have violated health protocols. Impressing upon them the serious effects and threats of closures are enough to straighten these resto owners.*
It is the same with individuals violating the face masks ordinance. Hammer in them the danger of not using one and make them work their butts off in meaningful community work that may even inspire them to continue even after the hours rendered. Through that, you actually made them partners of development.
The shame parade brings nothing but that. To be openly ridiculed does not help an already desperate and depressed populace who are all affected by this pandemic.
Barbarism does not have any place in our society because barbarians, we are not!*