Ambayan, Brendan PG A.

BS ECE 2

September 30, 2014

Burgos: A Reaction Paper

Burgos is a film based on a true story about the disappearance of an activist named Jonas
Burgos who was abducted. The film is personal as it is political. The cruelty of enforced
disappearance, a continuing crime, stares us in the face. The phenomenon of enforced
disappearance is a slap to our democracy. Although Jonas was abducted during the
administration of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, justice remains elusive up to now.
Unless you forgive, you cant do things objectively. I am a single-minded on one
subject, to recover Jonas alive. These words are not the words one would expect from a mother
being interviewed by media, who have been searching for his son for 6 years. Mrs. Burgoss
search for the truth about what happened to son Jonas was still hopeless. The film illustrates how
Mrs. Burgos from being a mother and a devout Catholic fights and defends human rights. It also
shows how the military has been covering up the truth. It shows the pain and frustration of a
family especially after military officers involved in the abduction of Jonas were rewarded and
promoted.
After I watched the movie, I realized how amazing and inspiring the Burgos family is.
Their fight and search for their family member Jonas is not easy especially to the part of Mrs.
Burgos. Her difficult journey shows not only the hurdles that her family had to face but also her
struggles from within. As a mother, it is not easy to lose a son. Shes not even sure if Jonas is
alive or dead but she still hope that her son is alive and someday he will come home.
As a Filipino, I felt how hard the struggles that they were facing. To seek justice is
difficult in our country. We are always overpowered by those who have money and power. The
justice system in the Philippines is unfair and only for those who can afford for it. This is not
right. Justice is not for sale. Justice is for all. I feel pity to the family of Jonas Burgos who seek
for justice but for six years they found nothing. I feel pity not only to them but also to others
whose family members were also abducted and disappeared that after so many years of painful
search they still dont found a single detail about them. They dont need unsolicited comments
and statements from the government, what they need are fair judgments. Our country is a
government of law and not of men. But why is that there are people who are above the law and
can manipulate it? It should not be like this. Justice is for all or none at all.