Empathy and the gift of silence

INDEED, this is not about politics or legalities, but about the ability to be human. It is not about upholding the law, for certainly there are no laws that prohibited the authorities from allowing Reina Mae Nasino to give her dead child’s coffin a last embrace, which she could have done had her handcuffs been removed. There was no court order that prevented the state from according her that small mercy.

Yet, for Celine Pialago, such mercy could not even be rightfully asked for. She accused us, those who expressed disgust at such naked abuse of power, as the ones abusing and exploiting the situation to serve our political ends. In her words, we are “taking advantage on [sic] the unfortunate situation to capitalize [on] the issue.”