Every administration weaponizes the law to persecute its enemies in the guise of addressing corruption and government wrongdoing. It succeeds because we enable it.
What should have been a genuine campaign for reform often becomes selective so it can push its agenda at the expense of those opposed to it. The pursuit of justice ironically becomes a tool of political oppression instead.
Sadly, the people enable those in power because of the sheer belief that sending someone to jail, regardless of motivation, is a crucial first step to arresting misconduct.
Tired and weary of systemic corrupt practices, we have embraced a concept of symbolic justice where it does not matter whether political personalities charged with crimes are innocent.
For as long as they represent what is perceived as evil or anathema to what is good and morally acceptable, the people could not care less if they unwittingly suffer and become scapegoats for moral superiority.
Leila de Lima is a case in point. Lawyers know the evidence against her was weak. Yet her incarceration was celebrated by some as a glorious triumph of justice.
The same can be said about Harry Roque. Those in the legal profession know he merely acted as a lawyer who perhaps used his connections to intercede on behalf of POGO companies. His methods may have been unlawful and therefore should be the subject of a lesser offense.
But because he is seen as an enemy, at least by this administration, he is being accused of a non-bailable offense, even though there is no sufficient evidence to hold him directly liable for qualified trafficking.
The fact that people are intensely polarized further exacerbates this problem. With no unifying agenda to push for, they become enablers of political groups that take advantage of their misplaced vigilance for fiendish ends.
This is why those in power can afford to do whatever they want by pandering to every whim and caprice of their supporters. Meanwhile, those opposed to them galvanize their own groups to create chaos and, in the process, blur our perception of truth.
Certainly, there is a reason why Lady Justice wears a blindfold. Otherwise, the rule of law becomes selective and therefore, oppressive.