The Manila Times

Proof positive Duterte seeks to destroy organized crime in the country

- BY YEN MAKABENTA Columnist

First word

T quickly the violent and tragic events of the state’s (government’s) perennial

When we view the incident as more and a criminal gang, we can see the greater stakes involved, such as the welfare and security of the local community and the nation.

We see and hear the voices of those who the assurance that our government won

Looking at it as the outcome of police some distance from the grisly details. We deadly weapons.

Organized crime

US Federal Bureau of Investigat­ion (FBI) as “any group having some primary objective is to obtain money through illegal activities.”

gangs, drug cartels, Chinese triads, - titution rings and illegal gambling dens when operated as businesses can also fall into the category.

From Wikipedia, I got the fol crime is a category of transnatio­nal, national, or local groupings of by criminals who intend to engage in illegal activity, most commonly - groups, are politicall­y motivated.

Gangs may become discipline­d enough to be considered orga gang can also be referred to as a network, subculture and community of criminals may be referred to as the underworld.

of extra-legal protection and quasi law enforcemen­t. Some have written an economic study of the Ma

Filipino mafia

It’s not idle speculatio­n or fearmonger­ing to say that Filipino crime lords and gangsters have thought also of building for themselves a Filipino mafia. From the many media accounts Baleleng, their legions of soldiers, and the network of protection that they enjoyed from the police, the judges and local government­s, the Parajinog family probably came closest to successful­ly building a Filipino mafia.

It is against this perspectiv­e of taking root here at home, that Duterte’s twin war on illegal drugs and crime. The menace is real. His program is clear and unassailab­le.

battle in this war.

Crime in the movies

We are rightly warned not to get carried away by the movies, but as a film buff I contend that the good crime films have a penetratin­g insight into the underworld.

the saga of the Parajinogs, and Baleleng become more comprehens­ible to me when I view them from the lens of the cinema.

Take the story of Los Angeles, California, and how its police repelled an attempt by a powerful crime boss from taking over crime

The LA story is told in a rousing featuring such stars as Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. The plot goes as follows: The setting is Los Angeles, 1949. A tough mob boss (Sean Penn) and his gang have virtually taken over the city, with police and judges in his pocket. The police commission­er hires an American war hero (Josh Brolin) with two Purple Hearts to form a squad of six, and they are tasked with stopping and expelling the crime boss: “The mob must never get a foothold in Los Angeles.” The war veteran forms his team, each member a tough guy in his own not going to build cases: We are going to war.”

The ensuing war is bloody and mob boss is tough as nails. But the war vet is tougher. He knows better

Towards the end, the war hero, counting all the losses and wins,

“You lose everything, you win the war, you’re a hero.” But then he also says: “You lose everything, you lose the war, you’re a fool.”

In the end, the mob gets no foothold in Los Angeles. The city of angels, says the narrator, was

Our crime problem is real

To sum up, the plot of “Gangster Squad” has the ring of authentici­ty. The characters are impressive­ly drawn. The tactics of the police and the tactics of the mob resemble what see in our country today.

should convince us all that orga country, and the war on drugs is really necessary.

Worrying about the human rights of criminal gangs is a luxury for the opposition.

With the Espinosas of Leyte and there are too many dead bodies. But we should be in no doubt that there are other criminal gangs and narco-politician­s in the land.

Did DU30 watch “Gangster Squad”? Maybe not. But he or Bato may have seen” The Untouch

Of course, the bad guys go to the movies too.

Fortunatel­y, they do not win

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