Delivering on a promise
He promised voters a killing spree against bad guys, and he won by a landslide. So Rodrigo Duterte looks determined to deliver on his promise and carry out his mandate.
Already the president-elect is laying the groundwork for this, putting up bounties for notorious drug lords and encouraging citizen participation in crime busting. He has placed retired military and police officers in charge of even agencies that require expertise in complex financial matters, apparently with the prime objective of purging the corrupt or at least scaring them enough to mend their ways. Yesterday Duterte said he wanted a berdugo – literally, an executioner – to head what he described as a graft-ridden Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
With a P5-million bounty for every notorious drug trafficker killed either by cops or civilians, and a slightly lower amount for capturing one, his war on drugs is sure to get swift results. This is something that will sit well among those used to instant gratification, or who are fed up with criminality associated with drug abuse and the corruption and violence that go with the illegal drug trade.
Citizen arrests are allowed and killing someone caught in the act of committing a crime is justified by law under certain circumstances. But generally, in a democracy, justice is served when guilt is established and the side of the accused has been heard. Due process is guaranteed and innocence is presumed for all suspects.
Giving law enforcers and civilians alike the imprimatur to play God, allowing them to act like accuser, prosecutor, judge and executioner all rolled into one, is a power that is easily abused, especially in a country with a long history of gross human rights violations.
Even the call for three police generals to resign because they are involved in drugs could have been done quietly, whether or not the accusation is true. Now any star-rank police officer who leaves the service will be suspect, and who will admit to being a drug dealer, a serious offense that can warrant a life sentence?
The president-elect can be lauded for doing what he can to achieve quick results, and for moving resolutely to deliver on his campaign promises. But lives and careers are at stake. There are laws to be followed and rights guaranteed by the Constitution that the nation’s chief executive is sworn to uphold.