#TemplarsPick | ‘Kapalit ng Katahimikan’

Princess Dorothy Gwyneth Paclawon

Layout |Tahnia Dalit

#TemplarsPick | ‘Kapalit ng Katahimikan’

Documentary by Kara David

How far can tradition be used to excuse a crime?

The documentary by Kara David called "Kapalit ng Katahimikan," set in South Upi, Maguindanao, explored the stories of young women who did not get justice for the exploitation done to them. The documentary shed light on how exploitation was being handled in indigenous tribes in Maguindanao, and how justice was often lacking.

For a young unmarried woman, purity was very important because it affected their potential marriage. This mindset was still very prominent here in the Philippines, especially in rural areas. According to studies, this was the reason why most women did not report sexual assaults done to them. Other than shame, there was another reason: the high legal cost of filing for a case; not everyone could afford it. Not only that, some tribes had tribal councils where they processed most disagreements to avoid bigger disputes for the future of the tribe. In the documentary, there was another term for remediation of fights called ‘alegro’.

There was a case in the documentary where the victim receives 6,000 pesos and a horse after an ‘alegro’ instead of filing a case of rape. This showed a loophole in the law that was supposed to protect citizens and ensure their rights were not abused by other people. How can one get justice in court when they can’t even file a case?

In one of Kara David's statements, “Kung mismong kaanak di ka paniniwalaan, magsusumbong ka pa ba sa kinauukulan” this message resonated with many victims of rape and many others. There were cases where the exploitation repeatedly happens because families refuse to take legal action, some even have to marry their rapist based on others’ instigation to avoid shame. With this in mind, can we still say that women and children are well-protected in this country?

If members of a society were not safe and continuously hurting each other, then our country would have a hard time progressing.

The documentary featured two kids at the age of 10 and 5 who were molested by their own uncle multiple times. According to the Philippine National Police, out of the 8,460 victims of rape in 2022, 6,000 are children. According to Amnesty International, the majority of rapes were committed by someone known to the victim. Through generations, children and women were protected because of their weak constitution, yet assaults still happened to them.

Reading how the exploitation of the kids happened in the children's own words and writing was very emotionally overwhelming, as Kara expresses. The emotion in the documentary was heartbreaking as it was terrifying that such a vile thing can very much happen to everybody, especially since children are still developing their brain and their bodies, they are easily threatened and they believe things easily.

There is still a lot to improve in today’s society; particularly in how the law is enforced and how victims are given justice are some of the things that need improvement. However, do not just wait for improvement and change – we must push for it. Like this documentary of Kara David, let others know what is happening behind the scenes, and give voices to the voiceless.