Impact laden change
Change has really come. This is the overwhelming feeling of the general public a few weeks after the new Duterte administration came into power. And this change in governance is mainly due to the simple use of common sense in the performance of their jobs by the new appointees especially in the Cabinet.
Seeing how Duterte and his Cabinet members exercise the powers of their respective offices makes people wonder why the past administration did not ever think of doing what Duterte and his team are now doing to approach the many ills of our society and the myriads of problems besetting our country. Very obvious in this regard is that the new officials already have simple and doable plans of action in their respective departments when they took over. And they really “hit the ground running” on day one of their assumption into office. In fact, most if not all of them, have goals to achieve in their first one hundred days in office. This is apparently the reason for Duterte’s “excellent” +79 % trust rating in the latest poll survey.
The change with the biggest impact now taking place is obviously in the war against dangerous drugs. Since Duterte won the elections last May 9, 2016 so many extrajudicial killings of suspected drug users, pushers and dealers have occurred almost daily in various parts of the country. Duterte’s stance in this fight, assuring the police of his protection and support, has apparently emboldened the law enforcers to resort to such tactic. At the rate suspects are being killed daily (the highest number is 24 deaths last July 9), almost a thousand suspects will have been killed by the end of the first month of Duterte’s rule.
This “shock and awe” approach appears to be so effective indeed. Thousands of those involved in prohibited drugs, mainly users, pushers and dealers have surrendered. In fact in just 12 days alone, P21,000) thousand surrendered. So many thousand others including some drug suppliers are cowering in fear and sending surrender feelers. It can really be said that the present administration is dramatically gaining much headway in fulfilling its avowed commitment of eliminating this evil menace in our society especially on the youth of the land.
Worrisome to note however is that all of those killed are mere suspects. Since they have been silenced forever, they were obviously deprived of the opportunity to prove their innocence. And even if they are really guilty, they were not tried and sentenced with the appropriate punishment imposed by law and given the chance to rehabilitate and reform their lives after atoning for the crime they have committed.
Another alarming aspect in the ongoing campaign is that most of those killed are poor especially the alleged drug users. Strictly speaking, they can even be considered as victims of this drug trafficking because of their situation in life that drags them into becoming drug addicts. And because of poverty, their surviving relatives are not also in a position at all to vindicate their claim that the killing was unjust and unnecessary either because the victims were not really involved in prohibited drugs or that they were not really putting up a fight against the law enforcers and endangering the latter’s lives. All doubts surrounding the deaths of the alleged drug suspects have been laid to rest together with them. The truth is that the surviving relatives cannot even afford to pay for the funeral expenses and give a decent burial to their slain relatives and suspected drug addicts. So the funeral parlors themselves which are expecting their business to thrive because of the increasing number of deaths are now complaining because their services have remained unpaid and the corpses unclaimed in their parlors.
Most worrisome in the current drive against prohibited drugs is that most of the big-time drug suppliers or drug lords and/or their protectors have not suffered the same fate as these poor drug users or pushers. They are just publicly identified and warned if they will not give up, or condemned without trial like the five Narco Generals recently named by no less than Duterte himself. They are apparently afforded the right to be heard and give their side in a court trial at a pace that they can even dictate.
As of now and on the whole, most Filipinos seem to approve the current “vigilante” style of crime fighting especially against prohibited drugs being waged by the present administration. Such style may have an immediate impact that seem to be good and effective in fighting crimes particularly the numerous violations of RA 9165 otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 which are obviously the cause of many other crimes besetting our society at present.
It is advisable however that this administration should also consider its long term adverse effects. Such style clearly belittles and devalues human lives and may trigger an increase in indiscriminate killings by our own law enforcers and supposed peace keepers thereby forcing hapless and threatened suspects to device ways and means of protecting themselves. Eventually we may become a violent society like the Wild, Wild West of yore.
While still early, this administration should already take steps to regulate the campaign against the trafficking and the use of dangerous drugs. Most basic here is to remind our law enforcers to strictly observe the rule of law so as to avoid as much as possible mistaken killings. The existing rules of engagement against criminals putting up a fight must be observed more strictly. They must also comply with all the requirements of self defense as would justify the killing, particularly: (a) unlawful aggression; (b) reasonable necessity of the means employed and lack of sufficient provocation on their part.
To be sure, eliminating its root cause may be the more effective and less harmless way combating this evil menace. But that will be discussed in another article.
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