Good purpose, wrong process
It is really quite heartening to know that PRRD has now realized and completely made a U-turn from his previous stance of fully backing up and supporting the policemen in the war against illegal drugs. In his earlier statements, he openly encouraged and promised to help policemen who may be charged of killing suspected drug addicts, pushers and traffickers. He even committed to pardon them if convicted. Obviously this kind of policy in waging the war against dangerous drugs is the main reason for the increase in the number of drug suspects killed while being arrested. In fact last week only, thirty two (32) suspects were killed in Bulacan within a period of 24 hours and twenty five (25) more the following day here in Manila. And PRRD even sounded like endorsing such killings when he said “Maganda yan. Patay pa tayo ng another 32 every day, maybe we can reduce what ails this country.”
But with the recent brutal murder of 17-yearold Grade 11 student, Kian Loyd delos Santos by police operatives, Rody made a surprising and well appreciated turn around as he vowed to bring to jail the policemen involved in killing the boy if found guilty. In a late night press conference he told reporters to “wait for investigation. If there is criminal liability, I will order the prosecution of the case to the full extent of the law.” He also assured the public that there will be no whitewash in the investigation.
Undoubtedly, admitting his mistakes and trying to atone for them by shifting his position about fully supporting the police operations against suspected drug addicts, will make him more popular and more admired by the people. It may erase the previous perception that he is so self-righteous and always thinks he is correct. People can now more easily relate to him and feel that he is also like one of them who are just human and bound to commit mistakes although always ready to correct them.
Hopefully he will not change his stance on this matter anymore. Even if he has been previously flip flopping in some of his policies of governance, people now expect that for the remaining years of his term he will be firm and steadfast in his warning that he would not condone “the killing of the innocents” and that while he has ordered government forces to get rid of the drug menace in the country he will not sanction murder and other criminal acts.
Unfortunately, even if DU30 himself has already realized that the policemen of Caloocan City committed a very grave wrong in the killing of Kian and has already backtracked from his previous stance of fully backing up the police in the war against illegal drugs, his die hard supporters continue to disparage the unjustness in the killing of Kian. Obviously, they want to quell the growing anger and resentment against their Tatay Digong’s administration due to the said killing. They still believe that Kian’s killing is not as heinous as it is now being pictured. They even try to belittle the unjustified killing with so many absurdities and non-sequiturs.
Most noticeable here is their repeated attempts to compare the killing of Kian with the brutal and merciless killings and rapes allegedly committed by suspected drug addicts like the massacre of a mother and her three children, the rape-slaying of women and children particularly an eight year old child who was thrown into the river. They point out and ask why people are not as angry and mad at those who committed such heinous crimes as they are against the policemen who killed Kian Loyd. They said that people who are now sympathizing with Kian and his loved ones should have also sympathized with the victims of the drug addicts.
The flaw in this kind of argument is quite clear. They are likening Kian to the victims of the drug addicts. They overlook or intentionally ignore who committed the killings. Kian was killed by the police who are supposed to protect the lives of citizens except convicted criminals who resist arrest and commit unlawful aggression that endanger the lives of the arresting officer. The victims of the other heinous crimes on the other hand are killed by suspected drug addicts who cannot yet be considered criminals until tried and convicted by the court of justice. Kian’s killing is therefore more condemnable because the perpetrators are law enforcers. There is really no point of comparison between these two kinds of killings.
And then they likewise cite the case of a policeman who was recently shot and killed while conducting operations against suspected drug addicts. Such incident may really be a good reason to justify the shooting of the suspected drug addicts or pushers who killed the policeman because it is done in self defense. But such case cannot be used as a ground to justify the killings of other suspected drug addicts and pushers roaming the slum areas.
Apparently what is happening in our country now concerning the war against drugs is the use of a good purpose to justify the extrajudicial killings. In short, they overlook the time tested adage that the “end does not justify the means.” It is true that this narcotic problem ruining our country for so long now should be completely annihilated. But in doing so, we should also use means that are within the bounds of our laws. As the saying goes, “two wrongs do not a right make.”