Intolerable inhumanity

Who would have thought that a friend's visit would lead to an inhumane amount of attack? As news has spread, that was comedian-actor Vhong Navarro's state Friday night. It was said that he was allegedly blindfolded, beaten and threatened by six men as he entered a condo unit.

Meanwhile in Laguna, a police station was found to be playing with their inmates' life with a roulette of torture. They would either maul the chosen detainee for twenty seconds or hang them upside down for a minute until they would reveal their source of illegal drugs. There is only a slim chance that their lives would be spared.

It is good news that the police involved in this activity were already relived of their position but Navarro remains to pursue whoever who attacked him and left him black and blue. While both incidents have different motives, both have stepped on a human's fundamental right to life.

On top of the incidents mentioned, there are several others around the globe that have gone unnoticed. In our country, several people have remained missing while others are declared dead. Some political activists are detained for no reason at all. In Cebu alone, cases of human trafficking were recorded in the past year.

Around the globe, 40 million children below the age of 15 suffer from abuse and neglect while 27 million people are currently enslaved in the human trafficking trade around the world. Many are still executed as a penalty to a crime, even if  two-third of the world has abolished this sentence.

The truth is these incidents are not new but the vicious cycle of human greed continues to attack and the rest of the world is not spared from it. Truth be told, the issue of human rights is an ancient topic.

In early Greece, people enjoyed watching men being tormented by lions or bulls in a huge arena. The male who emerges the bravest is everybody's favorite. It was like witnessing a cockfight, only that those who are fighting are humans. Even the infamous Hamurabi code proves no mercy for a human's right to live.

The Commission on Human Rights spoke out on the maltreatment of the inmates in Laguna. CHR chairwoman Loretta Ann Rosales said: "It is quite chilling. We are not tolerating these criminals or the crimes that they have been arrested for but we also recognize that the law accords them to imprisonment as a punishment but they should not be tortured or maltreated while in prison."

It is quite understandable, even if with no stipulated law. A human being, no matter what the color, race, gender, religious belief or preference has the right to live peacefully. Not even a circumstance can circumvent that right. We are of the same species and biological make-up. Humans are humans no matter what the form. Treating others as not our kind is definitely inhumane and unacceptable.

When evil thoughts come in the way, it gets the most of you. That is how greed, pride and anger turn a person into a monster, thereby restricting others to their right to this world. If we only know how to be content what we have, then peace would emanate from our hearts.

Everybody deserves the right to live and be heard. That is why I really admire groups whose causes are to lobby for the rights of the people. We should continue to fight for a world where equality, peace and justice will reign, even if it sounds too utopian. A right is an inherent gift that we should be enjoying while we are still alive.

For Vhong's attackers and the sacked policemen of Laguna, I could only pray for your souls that one day you may realize that there is no good in torture. You are humans too; we all deserve a life free of harm.