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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Unsolicited advice

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About a week ago, in what the Philippine National Police characterized as a shock-and-awe operation, 32 people who the police say were all involved in the illegal drug trade were killed in Bulacan. Not to be outdone, the police in the National Capital Region also killed another 34 drug suspects. Most of those killed were in Caloocan City. This operation included a 17-year-old grade 11 student named Kian delos Santos whose mother, an overseas Filipino worker just arrived from the Middle East just a day before the incident.

In a span of three days, 81 people were killed in the war on drugs. This is perhaps the highest casualty rate in a three-day period in the ongoing drug war. It is possible that the killing binge would have continued had the killing of Kian delos Santos not been caught on CCTV where he was shown being dragged alive by police before being killed. This demolished the allegations of the police that Kian tried to pull a gun on them and so they fired in self-defense.

The Palace initially characterized the killing as an unfortunate isolated incident even if on record, 27 minors have already been killed in the illegal drug war including two pregnant women and a four-year-old boy. In this case of Kian, however, there is a CCTV footage debunking police claims plus the fact that for the first time, there seems to be a public outrage over the killing. Even people who have remained quiet in the last several months are now speaking out. The Police also eventually backed down. Even the President has washed his hands of the matter, saying those involved violated instructions and must face the consequences of their action. As a result, the three policemen involved have now been restricted to camp pending investigation. The precinct commander, City Chief of Police and District Commander were also relieved.

Even Cardinal Antonio Tagle who has stayed relatively quiet for some time finally issued a statement condemning the killing of Kian.

Over the last 14 months of President Duterte’s presidency, anywhere between 7,000 to 12,500 people have reportedly been killed in the illegal drug war. This is a staggering number which makes one wonder how much a Filipino life is worth. Probably not much because those we see dead in our streets who are mostly tattooed and wearing slippers do not seem to generate any outrage from the public. If so, it is a sad commentary of what we have become as a people. These are human lives, after all, and not animals. But in an atmosphere like what we have today, abuses like the senseless killing of Kian are bound to happen unless clear and strict guidelines are written down, understood and distributed to all PNP personnel, there will always be people in a big organizations like the PNP who will abuse.

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If the killing of Kian was not partly caught in a five-second CCTV footage, who knows how many people would have died in the so-called shock-and-awe operation? This type of operation, if the Police really want to use it, is more appropriate for the New People’s Army, Maute group or the Abu Sayyaf and not to the poor people who live in the slums.

There was only one time in the past where I have seen similar behavior of some government personnel both civilian and military. This was during martial law, but it is not even close. Some people will always stand out in their attempt to advance their careers. But such behavior destroyed a lot of lives and careers when martial law finally came to an end. People seem to forget that a law enforcement career is a marathon, not a dash. It is not the second quarter that is important but the last quarter. How many lives and careers were destroyed because of the eagerness of some people who like Dr. Faustus are willing to sell their souls to the devil for a moment of fame and glory?

After martial law, many in the military lost their jobs and pension benefits. Some were hunted down by the Alex Boncayao Brigade and gunned down. A few lucky ones were able to escape retribution and retired with full benefits. To those in the PNP who are in the front lines on the war on drugs, bear in mind that there is a time for reckoning. The PNP must therefore do the right thing and enforce the law as it should be. As already proven beyond any iota of a doubt, killing all the petty pushers will not eradicate the illegal drug problem especially if thousands of kilos of shabu are getting through the Bureau of Customs with apparent impunity.

The vast majority of people serving in the PNP are upright and dedicated people who simply want to serve the country. This is the reason why there is still hope in the organization. Let me quote something I once read: “when they came for the communist, I did not say anything because I am not a communist, when they came for the homosexuals, I did not say anything because I am not a homosexual, when they came for the Jews, I also did not say anything because I am not a Jew; when they came for me nobody said anything because there was no one else left to say anything.”

Maybe the killing of Kian has finally awakened some stout-hearted men who are finally willing to speak out. As Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said, even if Kian was involved in drugs, he did not deserve to die the way he did.

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