In a highly-polarized society, gestures of civility are a most welcome relief from everyday scenarios of anger and hate.
Such was the case between Lorna Kapunan and Kristine Ferrer, prosecution and defense lawyers, respectively, in the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Senate.
In a heated exchange at the trial recently, the much younger Ferrer made a rather hasty remark about misleading questions being allowable on cross examinations. With tongue-in-cheek humor, the elder Kapunan objected and declared that she was just holding herself from “spanking” the latter over the remark.
Public reactions took the “spanking” comment as condescending, given Kapunan’s seniority as a trial lawyer for 48 years against Ferrer’s 15-year experience. The presiding officer, Sen. Chiz Escudero even jokingly referred to it as a “generational divide.”
A few days later when the hearings resumed however, Kapunan reached out to Ferrer at the Senate impeachment court and gave her a hug, a gesture that the latter reciprocated warmly. Exchanging laughs, both later faced the media and said that all is well between the both of them.
“Motherly love” was how Kapunan described her reconciliatory move that was appreciated by many. Ferrer meanwhile declared her opponent as being one of her “idols” in the profession. The public admired how both lawyers demonstrated civility despite finding themselves on opposite sides of the impeachment case.
The same could not be said, however, of high school students in Davao City during a recent visit by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. of a government housing project there. As the President was boarding his chopper, a video of his departure was posted online where some students at the Calinan National High School could be heard shouting expletives and ill-wishes against him in the background.
As the video went viral online, viewers were divided as to the appropriateness of the students’ reactions. On the one hand, there were those who insisted that the youngsters should not have displayed such inappropiate conduct towards the highest official of the land. Others, on the other hand, cheered on the students and justified their boldness, calling it part of free expression.
But respect shouldn’t be anchored on political views, which seem to have been mirrored by the heckling students in the home base of the Duterte family, the President’s allies-turned-nemesis.
At the end of the day, the Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Davao City apologized over the incident, calling the students’ acts “inappropriate.” The DepEd also assured that the students were identified and underwent “appropriate disciplinary measures, guidance and counseling and values formation interventions focusing on responsible behavior, digital citizenship and respect for others.”
The anti-Marcos heckling remind us of the need for Filipinos to go back to basics in restoring Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) and in building core character education in Philippine schools as called for by Republic Act (RA) 11476, or the GMRC and Values Education Act.
GMRC is important in the current Philippine situation where civic respect seems to be declining. Every day, we see more and more young Filipinos getting involved in social media toxicity, cyberbullying and even outright physical violence like in the recent cases of mass shootings in schools.
By inculcating among the students the concepts of human dignity, giving of oneself to others in the spirit of community, honesty, gender equity, peace and justice, obedience to the law and love of country, GMRC promises to a long way in restoring basic Filipino values that traditionally identify our country and its people.
