Zero tolerance
ZERO tolerance is defined as a policy of very strict, uncompromising enforcement of rules or laws. We can see that the administration of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has “zero tolerance” for the drug problem. The President has pronounced the total eradication of the drug menace as the top priority in his agenda for change. The results have strengthened his popularity and yet earned criticisms from human rights advocates here and abroad as tens of thousands surrendered and thousands were killed allegedly fighting law enforcement officers in the process of arrest.
High-profile cases fuelled the mounting uproar not against the anti-drug campaign but against how it was being conducted. The murder (as gleaned from the NBI investigation results) of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa (described as defenseless by the NBI), the perceived massacre of Qzamiz Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr., his wife, and two siblings along with 12 others, and the brutal killing of alleged drug pusher (based according to police testimony in the Senate hearing, on social media postings) 17-yearold Kian delos Santos have aroused public concern if not condemnation. According to the children’s Legal Rights and Development Center, a human rights organization for children, they have documented at least 54 cases of minors killed in the war against drugs since July, 2016, until August, 2017, contradicting the Malacañang statement that the “Kian killing was an isolated case.”
This perceived “overkill” is largely attributable to President Duterte’s utterances which may be construed as tolerating if not encouraging this behavior of the law enforcement agents. A few samples bolster this. In his SONA 2017, President Duterte warned those involved in the drug business to stop, saying the alternative is “jail or hell.” In the wake of a “one-time, big-time” operation against the drug trade in Bulacan which resulted in 32 killed, President Duterte praised the operation: “The ones who died recently in Bulacan, 32, in a massive raid, that was good… If we could kill another 32 every day, then maybe we can reduce what ails this country.” While reading a list of government officials allegedly engaged in drugs, President Duterte said, “There is no due process in my mouth.” An Agence France Presse article published in the South China Morning Post September 5 issue states, “President Duterte has said he would be “happy to slaughter” 3 million Filipino drug addicts, and that he would pardon police if they were found guilty of murder in his drug war.”
However, in the wake of the public outrage over the killing of Kian delos Santos and after meeting with his parents, President Duterte “promised that if (the) investigation proves that Kian was murdered by (the) police, the cops involved will rot in jail.” In remarks at the 60th anniversary celebration of the Social Security System, he said he was late because of his meeting with the parents of former UP student 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz and “I’m sorry but I will pursue the case against policemen and if need be, they will go to jail. Wala ako inutos patayin mo, bata o matanda… and even enemies on bended knees. It’s not the norm or rule of democracy. I would never ever condone or allow it.”
President Duterte in his speeches has issued seemingly contradictory statements. In his SONA while stating that those involved in the drug trade should stop or else “go to jail or hell,” he also said, “But don’t get me wrong. I value human life the way I value mine. Each life that is snuffed out translates into future generations lost.” In his inaugural address, President Duterte noted, “…there are those who do not approve of my methods in fighting criminality, the sale and use of illegal drugs and corruption. They say that my methods are unorthodox and verge on the illegal.” But he also declared, “My adherence to due process and the rule of law is uncompromising.”
Today, the Filipino people hope that President Duterte will refrain from issuing confusing remarks and consistently be clear that he values life and adheres to due process. He may want to stop using “kill” in his utterances and instead, as advised by former President Fidel V. Ramos, issue this instruction, “Do not shoot to kill. Shoot to disable.”
There can be zero tolerance in solving the drug problem but there should also be zero tolerance in extra-judicial killings.