Masbate Bishop Joel Baylon has delivered an eloquent plea to public officials of his province and those aiming for an elected position to resist resorting to violence. It is a plea that should be heard and heeded, not only by the people of Masbate, but by all engaged in the imminent 2010 elections.
Bishop Baylon’s plea, a three-page letter, was made soon after the assassination of Milagros Vice Mayor Antonino de Jesus which took place last February 3. But the bishop’s apprehensions about the eruption of election-related violence in his province were stated much earlier, that is, at the beginning of the new year. For even before that time, Baylon spoke of hearing “rumors of goons, ruffians, hardened criminals and gun-for-hire being readied for what they call ‘cleansing’ that must happen if political dreams have to be realized and personal ambitions satisfied.”
It would seem therefore, that for some their dreams and personal political ambitions entail carrying out violent acts and murder. These acts and thinking must be stopped and opposed, but not by subscribing also to violence and its logic. For vendettas and acts of vengeance only continue and reinforce a culture of violence in our political life as a people.
Where and how does opposition to violence begin? Baylon’s answer is clear: it begins with recognizing the value of human life, with treating each other as a fellow human being whose dignity is beyond any material value. Opposition to violence begins when one consciously chooses to value all human life wherever it may be, be it in Masbate or elsewhere.
The 2010 elections are relatively still faroff, yet many would-be candidates know it is the eleventh hour already. Hence perhaps, the desperation that breeds options of violence. Ironically, the elections should be a time of hope, and not of desperation. Lamentably, they have become so.
A bishop in Masbate says, however, it is never too late to begin changing that.