Activist nun warns of erosion of Filipinos’ moral fiber

Activist nun Sister Mary John Mananzan has warned about the erosion of the Filipinos’ moral fiber, describing the development as “worse than martial law.”

Mananzan — one of the most recognizable faces in the events of the 1986 People Power Revolution in February that eventually toppled the dictator Ferdinand Marcos — said the Catholic faithful now “see the loss of respect for people, for life, for law.”

“We are threatened by something worse than martial law. We are seeing an erosion of our moral fiber as a people,” said the outspoken nun from the Benedictine Order.

A former president of St. Scholastica’s College, Mananzan was on the front line of the mass of people that stopped the tanks sent by Marcos’ loyal generals to assault Camp Crame, where leaders of the 1986 revolt had holed up.

She lamented that the Duterte administration had ushered in the “most obnoxious machismo, sexism and misogynism” in the history of Filipino society.

“There’s a breakdown of rational governance. The new normal now is to be rude and offensive, to tell a lie, tell fake news. What is happening to us Filipinos? Are we losing our dignity…?” Mananzan said.

One of the most vocal opposition voices to moves to amend the 1987 Constitution, she said its proponents seemed to want to “ram charter change down our throats.”

Mananzan also pointed out that those who dared go against the government were punished, citing the cases of detained Sen. Leila de Lima, Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and online news source Rappler.

“If you protest, you will be punished. What kind of democracy is this?” she said.