Sen. Francis Pangilinan (Photo from his Facebook page)
“Does freedom have any value in a society tainted with the blood of thousands of victims of extrajudicial killings and impunity? Is freedom meaningful without security in the home and in the streets?”
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan raised these questions when he spoke Tuesday night at an annual event “The Freedom Speech” held in Makati City.
The event was hosted by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation to recognize people who promote freedom and democracy in their respective fields.
“How do we reconcile freedom amid the feelings of despair, fear, and hopelessness among those overwhelmed by the enormity of our nation’s problems: grinding poverty; widespread hunger; massive unemployment; pervasive graft and corruption; horrible traffic especially in urban centers; neglect and waste of people and their potential?” Pangilinan, president of Liberal Party, asked.
“Are we free to talk and express our views without getting demonized, branded, or trolled? Can we express our dissent without the backlash of political persecution, trumped-up allegations, or unjust imprisonment? Can we engage in healthy, intelligent debate without insults or vulgar, cuss words hurled towards us?”
“There are always challenges to freedom, to dignity and human rights, to our common aspirations to live decently. Shall we, in the political opposition, throw up our hands in resignation and defeat, and pass the whole burden to society? Shall we simply sit idly by and wait for this partisan, violent tsunami to pass?” the senator further asked.
Pangilinan said the LP is now in the “process of redefining, leaning on its basic values of freedom, social justice and solidarity.”
“Ours is an institution that serves the highest end of a free society, that is, to help our fellow men and women, empowered and acting together, find their fullest potential in a milieu that respects our rights and dignity,” he said.
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Saying the “woes of our world are so demanding,” the senator underscored the need to stand up, speak out, defy and “do something using our skills, assets and time.”
“Freedom will not emerge with a magic wand,” he said, “Like any other value, freedom does not exist in a vacuum. It must be fought for and exercised.”
“They say the taste of freedom is sweet. But the comfortable and the protected, those who do not fight for freedom, they will never know how much sweeter freedom is, when fought for and won,” added the senator.
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In the coming months, Pangilinan said LP is planning to become a “party of the people, bigger in number and stronger in unity.”
“Amidst the violence, the killings, the attacks [on] our institutions, and the threats of authoritarianism in our midst, I believe we will overcome,” he further said.