Dawang, Karle Nevin L.
Reaction paper for Restorative Justice
Police operations and Extra Judicial Killings
Everything nowadays are alleged, every news do not show any proof, how
come we believe that it is the administration of Duterte that is ordering the killing?
Couldnt it had been really a self-defense on the side of the police officers? Let
us look into some of the articles which are released by media.
Police officers are paid as much as 15,000 for every drug suspect they
kill, according to Amnesty International.
The human rights group released its investigation, "If you are poor you are
killed: Extrajudicial Executions in the Philippines' War on Drugs," on Wednesday.
It said officers of Philippine National Police (PNP) were paid to kill
thousands of drug offenders upon orders "from high-level officials."
An SPO1 officer, who did not want to be named and is allegedly a part of
an anti-illegal drugs unit in Metro Manila, told Amnesty International they are
given incentives when they kill.
"We always get paid by the encounter.The amount ranges from 8,000
to 15,000. That amount is per head. So if the operation is against four people,
that's 32,000," he said.
He added they were secretly paid in cash through their payroll from police
headquarters.
Killing not arresting a drug suspect is on the top of the officers'
minds during anti-drug operations because the cash is in the people's deaths.
"There's no incentive for arresting. We're not paid anything. It never
happens that there's a shootout and no one is killed," the officer said.
The report said "extrajudicial executions, perpetrated both by police during
anti-drug operations and by paid killers with police involvement, appear to have
been organized and planned by high-level officials."
Amnesty International has recorded more than 7,000 drug-related killings,
while the PNP said it has killed 2,551 alleged drug suspects from July 1, 2016 to
January 30. The PNP has also recorded 52,962 arrests.
Human rights group's Crisis Response director Tirana Hassan said alleged
drug offenders are killed based on the "flimsiest of evidence."
"Under President Duterte's rule, the national police are breaking laws they
are supposed to uphold while profiting from the murder of impoverished people
the government was supposed to uplift," Hassan said.
She also said the Duterte administration's campaign is not war on drugs,
but war on the poor.
The report also said the police operate on an unverified list of people
allegedly selling or using illegal drugs, adding the suspects were killed even
though they were unarmed or willing to surrender.
Citing two cases of extrajudicial killings from Batangas and Cebu,
Amnesty International contradicted PNP Chief Director General Ronald
Dela Rosa's previous statement that drug suspects who resist arrest are
the ones being killed.
"Kung hindi sila nanlaban, buhay pa sila," Dela Rosa said last August.
[Translation: If they did not fight back, they would still be alive.]
Duterte has repeatedly expressed his support for the police, saying he will
back them up as long as they follow his orders.
Amnesty International said the Duterte administration should immediately
order to end all police operations involving unnecessary or excessive use of
force.
The government suspended the war on drugs on Monday, as the war
against rogue cops is the administration's new priority.
The report was based on an independent probe of 33 incidents of drug-
related killings. Witnesses, policemen, drug users, paid killers, and local
authorities were interviewed from November to December 2016.
PNP, Sen. Gordon look for basis of findings
PNP Chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa doubted the findings of Amnesty
International, saying it was meant to discredit the administration.
"Paninira naman. File a complaint. Ilabas nila ang taong yan. Dalhin sa
Ombudsman para magkaliwanagan tayo. Mahirap yung ganun na according to
ano, according ganito eh," he said.
[Translation: Produce the so-called witness and bring the matter to court
so that we don't base things on someone's say-so.]
Senator Richard Gordon, who led the investigation of extrajudicial killings,
is also looking for proof.
"They can say anything about that but they still have to prove it and it's a
good thing that they say that because that puts a hold on some reckless people
who may be doing such thing."
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, meanwhile, insisted the drug
campaign had been effective in ridding the streets of drug addicts.
"Hindi naman totoo yan, ganyan din yung [Those claims are not true,
similar to claims of] Human Rights Watch. Crimes against humanity? 'Yung mga
criminals, 'yung mga drug lords, drug pushers they are not the humanity," he
said.
As of January 31, 2017, there have been over 7,000 deaths, both from
legitimate police operations and vigilante-style or unexplained killings.
Exasperated by the illegal drugs menace in the country, President Rodrigo
Duterte has waged an all-out campaign against it since he assumed office.
From July 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017, there have been over 7,000
deaths linked to the "war on drugs" both from legitimate police operations and
vigilante-style or unexplained killings (including deaths under investigation).
7,080 total number of people killed in #WarOnDrugs since July 1, 2016
2,555 suspected drug personalities killed in police operations, as of
January 31, 2017
3,603 victims in cases of deaths under investigation, as of January 9,
2017
922 victims in cases where investigation has concluded, as of January 9,
2017
As of 6 am of September 14, the number of suspects killed in police
operations reached 1,506. But during a Senate probe on extrajudicial killings that
day, PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa said that after validation by its Directorate for
Operations, the figure was corrected to only 1,105 deaths.
'Double Barrel' and 'TokHang'
The PNP calls its campaign against illegal drugs "Oplan Double Barrel."
(READ: Warning to drug dealers: PNP has 'double barrel' plan)
Meanwhile, Project "TokHang" a contraction of "toktok" and "hangyo"
(Visayan words for "knock" and "request" respectively) refers to the strategy of
the police nationwide to go house-to-house in their jurisdictions and convince
known drug pushers and users to surrender and change their ways.
On October 26, the PNP launched Phase 2 of Oplan Double Barrel. After
this, the statistics that the PNP started sending to media were "reset" to zero. For
this purpose, figures from Phase 2 of Oplan Double Barrel were added to the
final figures of Phase 1 as of October 26.
But on November 2, the PNP returned to its cumulative count.
Data below is as of January 31, 2017, 6 am.
43,593 number of police operations conducted
53,025 drug personalities arrested
7,069,095 houses visited via Project Tokhang
1,179,462 total numbers of surrenders in Project Tokhang
- 79,349 pushers
- 1,110,113 users
EJKs, deaths under investigation
The PNP also records reports of extrajudicial, vigilante-style, or
unexplained killings. Many of these cases are still being investigated by the
police.
Data below is as of January 9, 2017.
4,146 number of murder cases outside police operations
3,271number of cases/incidents of deaths under investigation
875 number of cases/incidents with investigation concluded; among these:
- 543 are w/ suspects arrested
- 332 are w/ suspects at large
Police, military casualties
Revised data below is as of January 30, 2017.
35 police personnel killed during operations
(Including 13 for validation)
3 AFP personnel killed in action
87 police personnel wounded during operations
(Including 10 for validation)
8 AFP personnel wounded in action
As of October 15, the number of policemen killed during operations stood
at 13, while there were 40 wounded.
On October 19, deaths among police personnel rose to 15, while the
number of wounded was revised to 36 after validation. The PNP broke down the
casualties between drug-related and non-drug-related incidents, then reported
only the drug-related casualties afterwards (7 dead, 24 wounded).
As of November 7, they returned to reporting all police casualties.
(Related EXPLAINER: How serious is the PH drug problem? Here's the data)
On January 30, PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa ordered a stop to police-
initiated anti-illegal drug operations, thereby ending Oplan Tokhang and related
activities like buy-busts and the service of search warrants.
This is in accordance with President Duterte's pronouncement to "cleanse
the police ranks" first after the PNP came under fire for the killing of South
Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo in October 2016. with reports from Bea
Cupin/Rappler.com
Asked about the rise of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, President
Rodrigo Duterte shrugged off the phenomenon, saying it's the result of criminals
killing off other criminals.
"You add more intrigues and then they kill each other, better. Criminals kill
criminals, that is not my worry," said Duterte on Friday, September 2, during a
press conference in Panabo City, Davao del Norte.
The President said this purging of criminals by other criminals is the
reaction of crime or drug syndicates to the "intrigue" begun by his "war on drugs,"
which involves public naming of alleged drug suspects before any court process.
"It is the extrajudicial killing of people getting rid of the criminals by their
own hands," said Duterte.
He added that he "cannot control the criminal minds" if they decide to
murder one another.
However, there have been incidents that appear to be drug-related where
individuals, like a 5-year-old girl and college students, with no criminal record die.
Duterte previously said he claims full responsibility for deaths that occur
during anti-drugs police operations but not the extrajudicial killings.
He, however, said he has ordered government agencies to investigate
these mysterious killings. The Philippine National Police has said it is
investigating around 900 such killings.
Duterte defended his controverial drug war by reminding media of the
effect of drug addiction on families and young Filipinos.
"You must remember that, along the way, the drug crisis hurt so many
people including parents who raised their children from childhood to college," he
said.
Menacingly, he added, "Just don't fuck with the next Filipinos.... I said do
not fuck my country."
The fact will only be known by people who were actually there and people
who actually gave the orders.
In journalism just one fact that is false prejudices the entire work. In
contrast, in fiction one single fact that is true gives legitimacy to the entire work.
That's the only difference, and it lies in the commitment of the writer. A novelist
can do anything he wants so long as he makes people believe in it.
-Gabriel Garcia Marquez
