My experience is one that I would not wish to happen to anyone, not to any human rights defender. It's about receiving threats day in and day out. It is about how we have sleepless nights and days knowing about the killings, arrests and raids against the good people who we work with or worrying that the next time it might be me, my family or my colleagues in the office. It is about processing that vicarious trauma that one can acquire when you're exposed to reports every day. It is a very harrowing experience.
The lamentable and frustrating part of this is that when you pore into engaging government institutions, they do not address these concerns, and they get back at you with further threats. After the martial law period of President Marcos, this is the most dangerous time, the most dangerous time for activists, journalists, lawyers and members of the political opposition in the Philippines.