CONTEST PIECE FOR REGIONAL SECONDARY SPEECH CONTEST

Rage Against Impunity

Judge shot dead, wife wounded in court compound in Baler
Jealous dad kills 3 children
Teenager kills ex-girls BF
These and more are the news stories that we, Filipinos, have to live with each day.
Every day, an average guy is gunned down to death in a far off neighborhood in Luzon. A woman
is mugged in a dark alley on her way home may be in Visayas. An innocent kid is desecrated in the dark
in Mindanao. A Filipino is being violated on a day to day basis. This, maybe, has become a casual run-onthe-mill in the country, but this is certainly no laughing matter.
Perhaps, it does not take a genius to build the bigger picture these headlines reveal. There, beyond
the lines, is depicted a picture of a grim reality- that crime is breeding in the country. That a culture of
violation of rights is taking the country by storm. That we are living under the mercy of the criminals
illusion of impunity. With these, I beg the question, WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
Crime, a common household concept, is as old as human civilizations. It has endured several
millennia. It has grown as a healthy parasite in the thriving communities of men. It has somehow eluded
the crushing arms of justice. In the first six months of the year, an increase of 46% in the number of
crimes committed nationwide has been noted as compared with the figures for last year during the same
period. Without stating the obvious, this figure happens to include men, women, and children, who were
resolved to become part of a dead statistic by people who afford no respect for the rights of others.
Undoubtedly, crime, as our common enemy, has grown far out of proportion to be handled by
only a selected few.
For this, I hold the opinion, and I daresay that the fight against crime prevention and crime
solution is not only the battle of the men in uniform. It does not matter only to the elderly lady who has
five bolts to lock her door, or to the woman who is terrified to walk home in the dark. No, this is not just a
burden for the few. Rather, this matters to all of us. It has become incumbent upon us to rise against
crimes and to rage against impunity. If we really put premium on our rights and respect the same, we
should wake up to the reality that dismissing such proactive stand against crime is no longer an option.
Not only the police should be entrusted with such responsibility but also the people.
Not just empowering the police but empowering the people also.
The Filipinos have to realize that to enjoy security and peace, everyone has to stand up against
crimes in a collective manner. As citizens of the country, each one has the reciprocal and moral obligation
to look after his or her fellows back. Through the power of social media, modern technology, and better
access with the elements of law enforcement, people must act with the end in mind of crushing the
common enemy. Only then that we can extend the hand of justice and pierce through the cloak of fake
impunity behind which these criminals hide.
And all of this shall fit into the bigger, broader picture of what the Government is doing.
By putting an end to the bloody streak of crimes, we can finally put to rest the overhanging worry
that hover in everybodys mind that danger is just around the corner, waiting for its next prey.
And we can go to all those communities where life was like a dead-end, where crime felt
inevitable, and there we can restore hope and opportunity too.