Santiago F. Dumlao Jr. l March 6, 2024 l Business Mirror
PROSPERITY for all shared by every Filipino is the banner declaration that encapsulates “Ambisyon Natin 2040: The Life We Want”.
Prosperity is usually equated with things material – food, shelter, clothing, a steady job, income, decent standard of living, savings, money. This is economic prosperity, the opposite of which is identified as poverty.
But economic prosperity is hollow without freedom, which in turn cannot be had without justice.
Freedom is the human condition that allows an individual to develop his or her maximum capabilities and fullest potential. It is an inherent aspiration, an essential personal entitlement. This condition is possible only if there are no obstacles that thwart that freedom.
These obstacles arise in large part from the habits of discrimination embedded in our social structures, uneven privileges in economic opportunities, and entrenched advantages in our political patronage system. It is our justice system that operates to balance rights and obligations so that these inequalities do not become disruptive, so that social dysfunctionalities are corrected, so that personal freedom can be exercised and be enjoyed.
It is justice in its many facets and manifestations that gives us the freedom to which we are all entitled, the freedom to be oneself, to be the best that we can be.
In spiritual terms, freedom means the unimpaired opportunity to be what God wills each one of us to be—a person in His own image. And that defines what is real genuine prosperity.
Justice is about equal treatment under the law, about fair dealing, about protection from abuse of power and authority, about peaceful resolutions of disputes, about impartiality in the redress of grievances, about being able to enjoy all those basic personal rights enshrined in our Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
Justice is that condition of life in a society where the Rule of Law prevails. But then again, unless we have a regime of justice, we can have no freedom. And without freedom there can be no true human prosperity. Without justice and freedom, human prosperity is a condition of meaningless existence.
I hope I have been able to connect the dots, from justice to freedom to genuine prosperity. It is in this broad perspective that we can appreciate what the Supreme Court and the Justice Reform Initiative (JRI) are currently in collaborative effort – judicial reforms. Full credit belongs to the Supreme Court and the leadership the Chief Justice, Alexander G. Gesmundo, for their “firm resolve to perform and deliver meaningful results on the Judiciary’s fundamental function–to secure swift and fair justice for all, finally, in real time.” The “Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovation 2022-2027” is the policy document that tells it all, clearly, cogently, and in specific terms of actions and deliverables.
We should all be reminded to be part of our judiciary’s reform initiatives, yes, by communicating the good news and continuing to point out the deficiencies in constructive manner.
*** Santiago F. Dumlao Jr. is the Secretary General of the Association of Credit Rating Agencies in Asia and chairman of the market governance board and market policy committee of the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the BusinessMirror. Photo from Pinterest.