TO WHOM THE JUSCTICE MUST PREVAIL

 

The world is divided by status, and those who are lower in status will continue to be despised by those who are higher in status.  Without a question, wealth is the most important factor in determining who gets what and who doesn't. Those who have more wealth, the more one acquires both concrete and abstract things such as houses and land, as well as happiness, protection, loyalty, justice, and even one's life, health, and dignity, especially compared to those who have little or none.

The story of Tata Selo written by Rogelio Sikat represents a helpless man, like a bird being trapped. But, unlike a bird, he is despised, judged, and condemned by the all-knowing crowd. It clearly happens that Kabesang Tano was killed and the accused was Tata Selo. But being accused of any crime that anyone has done, is a must that it should undergo a fair trial. Such injustice is demonstrated by Sikat in the story when Tata Selo is sentenced to death for murdering the captain when he can still argue that he was only defending himself from undue caning of the captain, as evidenced by his wounds, or that the act was motivated by retaliation for ejecting him from his land and after his child, Saling, became ill while working in the captain's house. Even justice, which is intended to serve equity, is distorted and stomped by a system in which one's capacity to get justice or protect oneself from it is proportional to one's purchasing power, thereby opening the greatest door of justice to the affluent, and perhaps only to the rich.

Justice must well serve in an equal manner for everyone. It is right to punish Tata Selo for the wrongdoings that he has done but it is also right to discover all the facts and truth in able to be served the right justice everyone must get. As I read the story, I understand that if Tata Selo has done wrong, he must be punished. But learning about his story I also felt sorry for him. Because of all the mishaps that he has experienced, he has the right to be angry but killing is not one of the solutions for the problem. Considering those events, every detail of the story must be taken into account. Tata Selo must have done a grave sin but so do the other characters in the story. Everyone must get their punishment according to what they have done and deserve. Justice must be equal for everyone no matter what they are in the society or whatever they own.

The truth may be hard to find sometimes. Some hide the truth or  parts of it for different reasons.  Sometimes it is easy for us to judge other people base on how they are perceived by society. We were influenced by the things that we heard or told to us. These prejudices against others are sometimes baseless. Others simply seeing other people is enough to identify them as the worst, without considering what actually occurred, what prompted such actions, or how such actions are carried out.  We all have different stories to tell, sometimes those stories take sides that may be contradicting to others. Understanding those different sides can give us the truth and avoid misjudgment and unequal justice for everyone.