Former Army Corporal Winston Ragos, laid to rest with military honors in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Photo: Philippine Army ust like it was in the '70s, human rights in the Philippines are once again being trampled on. Those old enough to have lived through the martial law years—when dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his sycophantic cronies ruled the country with an iron hand—cannot help but notice the similarities between then and now. This is what happens when the rule of law and human rights are tossed aside for the sake of strict implementation of quarantine procedures during this deadly pandemic. We want to make clear that we are not against the quarantine, as some will likely accuse us of being. Other democratic counties have instituted similar lockdowns without trampling on the human rights of its citizens. People everywhere understand the importance of social distancing, the wearing of facemasks and other protective gear, and the need to stay at home as much as possible. The problem is, in this country, the present administration has failed to communicate to law enforcement officials the need for restraint to make sure that they do not inadvertently trample on the human rights of the citizens they serve. Any government can easily attain full compliance by bullying and terrorizing their citizenry. But that is not how responsible governments operate. The rights of citizens are supreme and inalienable. Only a lazy, incompetent, and illegitimate government will resort to such drastic measures. We thus find a couple of recent incidents very disturbing. Corporal Winston Ragos, a former soldier, was shot and killed for violating quarantine guidelines. According to Rappler.com, "On April 14, Ragos was sipping soda and smoking a cigarette outside his family's home in Barangay Pasong Putik in Quezon City when several policemen accosted him for supposedly violating lockdown rules during the COVID-19 pandemic. His back to the police, Ragos raised his hands in surrender, but police Master Sergeant Daniel Florendo Jr insisted he drop to the ground. But Ragos, who developed schizophrenia and trauma from his seven years in the military, refused to heed the order. He then faced the police and reached into a pouch he was carrying." The article further notes that "Florendo shot him twice. Ragos staggered for a few seconds before falling to the ground. He died at a hospital hours later. He was 33 years old. Police said they found a gun in Ragos' pouch, but his relatives insisted it was nothing but a water bottle." In another, more recent incident, an inquirer.net article noted that "A police officer attempted to arrest a Spanish national in the front yard of his own home in a private subdivision in Makati City, after a heated argument on the supposed quarantine violation of the latter's house staff. Javier Salvador Parra said his female house staff was watering plants in his front yard on Sunday when a barangay personnel saw her not wearing a face mask. He said a policeman, later identified as Senior Master Sergeant Roland Von Madrona, then came and wanted to fine him P1,000 for this supposed violation of his housemaid." An argument and then a scuffle ensued with Parra being tackled to the ground and suffering minor bruises. Luckily, the incident was being recorded on video, which might have served to deescalate the situation, and stopped it from turning into a deadly encounter. We want people to follow the law, but at the same time, we expect people who enforce the law to know how to handle authority, most importantly, know the limits to their authority. That is why it does not help when the president goes on public television and tells police to shoot or kill people. We are not a banana republic. We are a respectable country that adheres to the rule of law, as well as international norms of decency, fairness, and justice. When we start giving up our rights and freedoms for the sake of expediency, we risk losing them permanently. As the famous American Benjamin Franklin noted, more than two centuries ago, "those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Published 4/28/2020