Church and human rights groups are poised to ask for the repeal of Provincial Ordinance No. 5. This is a measure that seeks to regulate the conduct of medical missions in the rural areas. Under this law, groups intending to go on such medical missions should have a permit from the local government unit, and they should submit themselves for inspection by either the police or military.
The law was passed after some young students from Cebu, who were believed to be NPA rebels, were killed in an encounter with the military in the mountains of Zamboanguita about two years ago. When the parents came to get the bodies of their children, they said that their children asked permission to come to Negros to join a “medical mission.”
In an instant, some well-meaning lawmakers introduced this law to prevent similar incidents from happening in the near future.
But while it is laudable to prevent young students from joining a terrorist group, some are saying that this measure is tantamount to restricting one’s freedom of religion. There are, after all, some people who believe that the best way to demonstrate one’s faith is to reach out to the poorest of the poor.
Since when, they asked, does treating the sick become a crime? Since when has giving food to the hungry become a criminal act? As the Bible says in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
On this score alone, Ordinance No. 5 must be repealed. There are other ways for the authorities to conduct spot checks on suspicious groups heading for the mountains.