Of Charity and Gloria

[norma dollaga]

http://http://patentero.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/of-charity-and-gloria/

Charity Diño, was a catechist,  worked as a full time public school teacher . Her aspiration was to be an instrument in molding  children to become good citizens by   imparting good values. Challenged to use her talents and gifts in a wider arena of service , she volunteered later to work with the most  marginalized farmers  in Southern  Tagalog region. On November 23, 2009, a terrible event changed the course of her life.

Charity was abducted by  the 73oth  Combat Group of the Philippine Air Force. For fifteen days she was physically and psychologically tortured.  At one point she was applied with electric shock several times.  Excruciating of them all was that, she was undressed and the torturers laughed at her nakedness. She is detained until now.  She was charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives.  She never committed those crimes. All she did was to share her most precious time and talents with farmers.

She is imprisoned up to this writing.

How many more?

Recently, Pres Gloria Arroyo pleaded not guilty on the corruption charges related to US$ 329 million government contract with ZTE Corp. She has not been made accountable yet on the electoral fraud and human rights violations during her (illegitimate) rule.

Currently, she is under hospital arrest with a world class treatment. Her daily routine according to her account includes Mass at 7:00AM, morning walk, physical therapy and receiving visitors at 3:00PM.  She writes her memoirs to keep herself busy.

Compared to the many Filipinos who are suffering and in dire poverty, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is so lucky. Her only limitation now is her health condition. If that illness gripped an ordinary woman scavenger in Payatas, she could have been to where millions of good Filipinos wish her to be by now.

Two women in two separate circumstances.

One has been a victim of human rights violation under the power Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. She is cuurently detained at  Batangas Provincial Jail in Batangas Citywith other political prisoners. Who could have forgotten the Oplan Bantay Laya under her rule? This policy led to more than a thousand cases and victims of extrajudicial killings, abduction of activists, imprisonment of human rights defenders and advocates of justice and peace, and organizers of poor farmers and workers.

Under Arroyo’s command responsibility Charity was jailed for almost three years now, just because of her  love for the farmers. Charity is just in her 30s. She could also write her book and tell a thousand times the sufferings and the ability of the farmers to struggle, to dream and hope. She could leisurely write about teaching and learning as she had been a public school teacher.   But right now she has to gather strength to rise above the trauma and the ordeal she went through. And unlike Gloria, she still has to wrestle how to fulfill her immediate dream—that is, to be free.

Charity is not guilty as charged.  In fact she was a victim of a lot of violations on the first day she was abducted. Certainly she has no beautiful bathroom or all the comforts that she needs like what Arroyo enjoys.

Gloria pleads not guilty. She went back to hospital arrest smiling and would do her normal routine. Lucky woman!  Charity was abducted, tortured, detained and humiliated for the crime she never committed.

Charity represents many political prisoners while Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is not made accountable yet to this time. Would the Aquino  government  do something to right the wrong ?

Norma P. Dollaga

KASIMBAYAN

3/F NCCP  879  Eds Quezon City