Tarnished again

There was no shootout, according to a fact-finding team of the Philippine National Police, after it wrapped up its probe into the shooting incident that left 13 people dead along a highway in Atimonan, Quezon last Jan. 6. After a re-enactment of the incident, based on what several eyewitnesses recounted, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima reached the same conclusion, telling The STAR that the 13 appeared to have been killed “in cold blood.”

De Lima has supervision over the National Bureau of Investigation, where several agents have let on that their probe is leading toward similar findings. The police and military personnel who participated in the shooting incident have shown unwillingness to cooperate in the probe. This has not helped them; there’s a strong likelihood that they may soon face administrative and criminal complaints for the mass killing.

Among the casualties in this mess, apart from the joint police-military team, are their organizations. The PNP and Armed Forces of the Phil- ippines have not yet completely shed their image as human rights violators. While a reputation for taking no prisoners may put fear into the hearts of the bad guys, it can have the same effect on law-abiding citizens. When innocent people fear that they could end up as collateral damage in a security operation, it becomes difficult to get public cooperation, which is indispensable in effective law enforcement.

The country has often been criticized for weakness in upholding the rule of law. Summary execution or “salvaging” is a manifestation of this weakness. Democracy cannot mature if people believe that justice can be attained best by taking short cuts, even if it means violating civil liberties.

The line between swift justice and injustice can be razor-thin. President Aquino, the only son of two democracy icons, should lay the groundwork for the eradication of this mindset in the PNP and AFP. He can start by ensuring that justice is rendered in the mass killing in Quezon.