The story of Tata Selo depicts the tragedy of a farmer that commits a crime out of the abuse of someone powerful than him, then being thrown at the fail. I feel pity and sad for his circumstances of having to commit a murder out of someone that is making his life worse. Even though murdering someone is immoral, there should still be a wider perspective of his circumstances that leads to that event, in order to feel the sorrow that Tata Selo experiences in the hands of the Kabesa. Also, the experience of having to take away everything from you, Tata Selo, is a demonstration of the power abuse that the high-class people imparted in the low-class people because of their favors in these corrupt officials or authorities. These instances angers me because of the long history of Filipino in being colonized and abused by foreign countries, especially Spaniards, which repeats again in the manifestation of Filipinos abusing a fellow Filipino. I know that the world is not a perfect place, but we should learn from our history.
Let's ponder about "Justice".
The word justice equates to having a fair treatment in everyone at the society, regardless of being a high-class or low-class people, justice applies to it because of the law incorporated in it. However, it is far from the situation in reality. Similarly, to the story of Tata Selo, the high-class people or the “Kabesa” abuses their power and being favored by these authorities that implements the justice system, which endangers and makes the life of the low-class people or “Tata Selo” harsher, feels injustice, and hopeless to fight for their rights which leads to committing a crime, in this scenario, murder. With the consistent power abuse of these high-class people, the cycle of crimes in the low-class people and high-class people continues.
Upon reading, this story that depicts difference of power of low-class people versus high-class people. I have come to realization that I should contribute in the society even little things that may help to fight these injustices. As a student, the thing that I can do is to support the activist that fights for the rights of the farmers and poor people, and to prevent injustices by reporting it to the right authorities. As an aspiring Civil Engineer, injustice in terms of corruption are the leading perception of different citizens in various projects that are implemented specially in government projects. I will always prioritize the lessons imparted in CE 417 - CE Laws, Ethics and Contracts to uphold the ideal justice that everyone wants to achieve in terms of Civil Engineering.
In real life, as I have been reading the story of Tata Selo, I think about that as long as there is a corruption in anyone regardless of being the rich or poor, there will be an endless cycle of it due to the concept of revenge and unfairness that they receive in life. Also, there are still high-class people that fights along side the low-class people and the examples are Chel Diokno, that fights about the Human Rights of Filipino Citizen, and former Miriam Defensor Santiago, which authored Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law among many others. People like them are very much needed in real life, because they are considered as the hero or protagonist that confronts the corrupt authorities or antagonist that fights for the justice of low-class people and high-class people in the society.
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