jose diokno: a nation for our children

Jose “Pepe” DioknoJose “Pepe” DioknoPublic Servant & SenatorPublic Servant & SenatorNationalistNationalistPeacemaker & Non-Violent Freedom FighterPeacemaker & Non-Violent Freedom FighterHuman Rights LawyerHuman Rights LawyerScholar & EducatorScholar & Educator

A A Nation Nation

for for ourour

Children ChildrenByBy

Jose DioknoJose Diokno

““There is one dreamThere is one dreamthat all Filipinos share: that all Filipinos share: that our children may have that our children may have a better life a better life than we have had…” than we have had…”

“ … “ … So there is ONE VISIONSo there is ONE VISIONthat is distinctly Filipino: that is distinctly Filipino: the vision to make this country, the vision to make this country, our country, our country, A NATION FOR OUR A NATION FOR OUR CHILDREN…”CHILDREN…”

“ “ A NOBLE nation, A NOBLE nation, where homage is paid where homage is paid

not to who a man is not to who a man is or what he owns, …” or what he owns, …”

“… “… but to but to what he is what he is and and what he does…”what he does…”

““A PROUD nation, A PROUD nation, where poverty where poverty chains no man chains no man to the plow …”to the plow …”

“ …“ …forces no woman forces no woman to prostitute herself to prostitute herself and condemns no child and condemns no child to scrounge among to scrounge among garbage…”garbage…”

““A FREE nation, A FREE nation, where men and women where men and women

and children from all regions and children from all regions and with all kinds of talents and with all kinds of talents

may find truth …”may find truth …”

“… “… and play and sing and play and sing

and laugh and dance and laugh and dance and love and love without fear…”without fear…”

““A JUST nation A JUST nation where whatever where whatever inequality exists inequality exists is caused not by the is caused not by the way people act way people act towards each other …”towards each other …”

“…“…but by differences but by differences in natural talents; …”in natural talents; …”

“… “… where every farmer where every farmer has land that no one can has land that no one can

grab from him …”grab from him …”

“…“…every breadwinner, every breadwinner, a job that is satisfying a job that is satisfying and pays him enough and pays him enough to provide to provide a decent standard a decent standard of living …”of living …”

“ … “ … every family, every family, a home from which it a home from which it cannot be evicted; cannot be evicted; and everyone, and everyone, a steadily improving a steadily improving quality of life.”quality of life.”

““An INDEPENDENT nation An INDEPENDENT nation which rejects foreign which rejects foreign

dictation, depends on itself, dictation, depends on itself, thinks for itself, …”thinks for itself, …”

“… “… and decides for itself and decides for itself what the common good is,what the common good is,

…” …”

“…“…how it is to be attained, how it is to be attained, and how its costs and and how its costs and

benefits are to be benefits are to be distributed.”distributed.”

““An HONORABLE nation An HONORABLE nation where public powers are where public powers are used for the public good used for the public good and and not for thenot for theprivate gain …”private gain …”

“… “… where where leaders speak leaders speak not only well not only well but truthfully but truthfully and act and act honestly;…”honestly;…”

““a nation that is a nation that is itself and seeks itself and seeks to live in peace to live in peace and brotherhood and brotherhood with all other with all other nations nations of the world.”of the world.”

““Is this vision attainable? Is this vision attainable?

Or is it just an idle dream? “Or is it just an idle dream? “

““If we base If we base ourselves on ourselves on today, we would today, we would be tempted to be tempted to conclude that it is conclude that it is an idle dream.”an idle dream.”

““For our country today For our country today is in a MESS.”is in a MESS.”

““We Filipinos are a We Filipinos are a variegated people.variegated people.But all of us But all of us are Filipinos … are Filipinos … because because we share the we share the same dream…”same dream…”

““Whether we like it or not, Whether we like it or not, WE ARE ONE NATION WE ARE ONE NATION with ONE FUTURE, …”with ONE FUTURE, …”

“… “… a future that will be asa future that will be asbright or as dark as bright or as dark as

we remain we remain united or divided.”united or divided.”

““If we can but release the If we can but release the creative energy of our creative energy of our

people…”people…”

“…“…then we will have a nation then we will have a nation full of hope and full of joy, full of hope and full of joy, full of life and full of love…”full of life and full of love…”

“…“…a nation that a nation that may be a nation for may be a nation for our children but our children but which will be which will be a NATION OF OUR a NATION OF OUR CHILDREN.”CHILDREN.”

SourceSourcehttp://www.diokno.orghttp://www.diokno.org

On ViolenceOn Violence

““If resort to violence is natural in man, If resort to violence is natural in man, so are attempts to control it. Man so are attempts to control it. Man wants to live, but he also wants to live wants to live, but he also wants to live well. Life is not worth living, if he must well. Life is not worth living, if he must live under the constant lash of fear. live under the constant lash of fear. Violence is a part of life, yes…Violence is a part of life, yes…

But to tame violence is to civilize lifeBut to tame violence is to civilize life.”.”

On the Insurgency ProblemOn the Insurgency Problem

““Food and freedom, job and justice – Food and freedom, job and justice – these are the keys to peace. … we these are the keys to peace. … we (must) recognize these needs for (must) recognize these needs for what they are, and that the answers what they are, and that the answers to them are not intended to stop to them are not intended to stop rebellion or subversion, but to enable rebellion or subversion, but to enable every Filipino to live as a human every Filipino to live as a human being, proudly and with dignity.”being, proudly and with dignity.”

““Development is not just Development is not just providing people with adequate providing people with adequate

food, clothing and shelter. food, clothing and shelter. Development is also people Development is also people

deciding what food, clothing and deciding what food, clothing and shelter are adequate, and how shelter are adequate, and how

they are provided.”they are provided.”

On DevelopmentOn Development

““Development for whom? Development for whom? …or do we mean by development …or do we mean by development

that we are developingthat we are developing a better people – a better people –

people with a conscience, people with a conscience, people with a heart, people with a heart, people with the guts people with the guts

to stand up and to stand up and defend their rights?”defend their rights?”

““We cannot enjoy civil rights We cannot enjoy civil rights unless we enjoy economic, social unless we enjoy economic, social

and cultural rights, and cultural rights, anymore than we insure our anymore than we insure our economic, social and cultural economic, social and cultural

rights rights unless we can exercise unless we can exercise

our civil and political rights...”our civil and political rights...”

On People’s RightsOn People’s Rights

““True, a hungry man does not True, a hungry man does not have much freedom of choice. have much freedom of choice.

But equally true, But equally true, when a well fed man when a well fed man

does not have freedom of choice, does not have freedom of choice, he can not protect himself he can not protect himself

against going hungry.”against going hungry.”

““If we do not struggle with all that If we do not struggle with all that we have and do all that we can to we have and do all that we can to

vindicate our rights, we do not vindicate our rights, we do not only condemn or rights to death; only condemn or rights to death; we also condemn our hopes and we also condemn our hopes and our dreams, our present, and our our dreams, our present, and our

children’s future.”children’s future.”

As any regime grows arrogant As any regime grows arrogant then it “ begins to underestimate then it “ begins to underestimate

the intelligence of its people, the intelligence of its people, to continue to deny to continue to deny

or distort reality, or distort reality, to exaggerate accomplishments – to exaggerate accomplishments –

in short, in short, to lose all credibility.”to lose all credibility.”

On Unpopular GovernmentsOn Unpopular Governments