WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RIGHT AND A PRIVILEGE?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RIGHT AND A PRIVILEGE?

There is a very thin line between what we call a right and what we consider a privilege. But that thin line often separates justice from inequality, democracy from elitism, and compassion from indifference.

In theory, a right is something you are entitled to simply because you are human — like the right to life, to vote, to speak freely, or to receive due process under the law. A privilege, on the other hand, is something that must be granted or earned — like a driver’s license, a scholarship, or access to exclusive benefits.

But in practice, the difference often boils down to one thing: money.

If the government has enough money, it can afford to deliver more basic services as rights available to all citizens. But when the government’s coffers run dry, these same services are rationed as privileges — handed out to a few, often wrapped in bureaucracy or politics.

Take education, for example. The Philippine Constitution clearly guarantees free and accessible education at the basic level. Yet, how many public schools still lack classrooms, books, or teachers? Health care is also declared a right, but millions of Filipinos still cannot afford to see a doctor. It’s not for lack of compassion or laws — it’s for lack of resources.

As I have often said, even the most benevolent government with the most enlightened leaders will always be limited by financial capacity. Good intentions are no match for empty treasuries. That’s why many of our so-called “rights” are only available to those who can afford them.

Let’s look at water, power, and the internet — basic utilities that every household needs. These are not free because utilities have costs: infrastructure, maintenance, labor. What matters is whether everyone has access to them at affordable rates. For those who can’t pay, the government may provide subsidies or discounts — but those are still privileges, not rights.

That brings me to this question: Are basic human needs rights or privileges?

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) adopted by the United Nations in 1948, every person has the right to “an adequate standard of living,” including food, water, housing, and medical care. By that standard, these are not privileges — they are rights.

And yet, according to the World Health Organization, over 2.2 billion people worldwide still lack access to safe drinking water, and around 820 million people go hungry every day. These staggering numbers prove what I call the reality gap: what we recognize as a right on paper, we deliver as a privilege in practice.

In the Philippines, the same pattern repeats. We call it “free healthcare,” but hospitals charge for everything from syringes to bedsheets. We call it “free education,” but public school parents still have to pay for uniforms and “voluntary contributions.”

The question then becomes: Who should be held accountable when rights are not delivered?

The answer is clear: the State and its officials. Governments are the primary duty bearers of human rights. They are legally and morally obligated to make sure every citizen can access what they are entitled to — whether it’s justice, health, education, or basic utilities.

If a local government denies you access to a service guaranteed by law — say, a burial site for your family — the responsible officials should be held liable. You can file a complaint with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), or even take it to the Office of the Ombudsman. That is how democracy is supposed to work.

But there’s also a deeper layer of accountability — one that involves all of us. Civil society, the media, and ordinary citizens must insist that rights be protected and privileges be fairly distributed. If we stay silent when public services are hoarded by the powerful, we become complicit in the injustice.

We can’t keep saying “Wala kasing pondo” (“There’s no budget”) as an excuse for inequality. The real question is: Why don’t we have enough funds? The answer lies in economic growth, fiscal discipline, and corruption control.

If we grow the economy efficiently and manage public funds honestly, the government will have more resources to turn privileges into rights — to make free education truly free, universal healthcare truly universal, and social justice truly just.

In the end, the difference between a right and a privilege is not just legal — it’s moral and economic. Rights are what we owe to every human being; privileges are what we grant to a select few. The task of a responsible government is to close that gap, so that no Filipino’s dignity depends on his wallet.

Perhaps one day, we will no longer have to debate where the line between rights and privileges lies — because every Filipino, regardless of wealth or status, will finally stand on the side of rights.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres

iseneres@yahoo.com, senseneres.blogspot.com 03-04-2026