“Your concern is human rights. Mine is human life.”

In his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 23, President Rodrigo Duterte attempted to downplay his growing list of alleged human rights violations, clarifying that his concern is towards protecting the lives of people rather than their rights. This in itself is contradicting because protecting human rights entails the fight for protecting human lives.

The contradiction explodes to a larger proportion when the Mindanaoan strongman, as people should recall, promised in 2016 SONA that his administration will strive to recognize and defend the human rights of Filipinos, especially the poor and the marginalized, saying “Human rights must work to uplift human dignity. Human rights must not be used as an excuse to destroy the country.”

But how can Duterte advocate for human rights when he himself said, in an interview with Qatari broadcasting network Al Jazeera, “I don’t care about human rights… I have a duty to preserve the generation.” Not to mention he also said, “If it involves human rights, I don’t give a sh*t,” in the same 2016 interview, just months after his first SONA.

Meanwhile, in his second SONA, Duterte unapologetically boasted about the success of his controversial “War on Drugs.” The crackdown on illegal drugs left mountains of dead bodies in its wake, families torn apart by death and loss, as well as numerous human rights violations. However, Duterte seems to be unfazed despite the latest death toll surpassing 20,000 victims—as per opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes—because the former Davao City Mayor said he feels euphoric on the “successful” anti-illegal drugs campaign.

But did people really expect Duterte, a self-confessed murderer who admitted to stabbing someone to death when he was just 16 years old and killing three men when he was still mayor of Davao City, to be a champion of human rights with such a questionable background? Did people really expect Duterte, someone who said, “Forget the laws on human rights. If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out. Because I’d kill you,” to respect the basic rights of all people, drug pusher or not?

Duterte’s third SONA marked a new chapter in his presidency, which is also an invitation for reassessment of his last two years as the country’s leader. So far, Duterte’s presidency has characterized itself as a violent one, filled with vulgarity, death, and consequently its disregard for human rights. This is where the fear of what’s to come lies since Duterte, the most powerful man in the Philippines, has already shown he is a man with a mission—to wipe out anything and everything related to illegal drugs, no matter the consequences.

It raises a question on what more should the nation expect from a regime that turns a blind eye on the welfare of its citizens, especially now that an impending martial law approaches. The administration’s disregard for human rights, silencing of enemies and critics, wrongful convictions and imprisonments, attempt to control mainstream media, proliferation of fake news and propaganda, and the unconstitutional extension of martial law in Mindanao all seem to lead up to the implementation of martial law in the whole Philippines: an all-too-familiar, eerie chapter of the country’s history.

As Benilde’s official student-journalists’ organization, the Benildean Press Corps urges the Benildean community and the Filipino nation to be vigilant; to act on injustices violating the human rights of our brothers and sisters.

When people in power trample on the rights of their citizens, there’s no place for complicity and complacency. Now, more than ever, is the time for every Filipino to come together and stop tyranny from reigning the nation once again—hopefully closing this dark chapter once and for all.