Perang Dadah Filipina: 2017 Tahun Kematian

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Drug war in 2017: The year of deaths and denials

Official data shows that 3,993 people were killed in police operations, yet the Duterte administration refuses to tag them as extrajudicial killings. Human rights organizations say the world will not be fooled.

Jodesz Gavilan
@jodeszgavilan
Published 11:00 AM, December 19, 2017
Updated 12:35 PM, December 19, 2017
MANILA, Philippines – It's been a news cycle of deaths and denials in 2017.

Practically every day for the most part of the year, TV footages, online posts, and newspaper photos showed blood and grief as policemen raided poor villages and shanties to implement the Duterte administration's war on drugs. (READ: The Impunity Series)

Despite official data and eyewitness accounts, the government has repeatedly denied that the dead are victims of extrajudicial killings.

This state of denial has come in many forms, such as official declarations – like the one made before the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in September – that the deaths from police operations "are not extrajudicial killings"; the rejection of calls by United Nations member-states to conduct a thorough and impartial probe; and the intimidation of local and foreign human rights advocates.

At the slightest hint of intending to investigate the drug war, international organizations and personalities were demonized by President Rodrigo Duterte. He cursed and threatened to slap United Nations Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard and warned to put on the immigration blacklist US lawmakers who have been pushing for an independent probe into alleged police abuses.

The government also declared it would reject aid from nations that have expressed concern over the killings.

Parallel to these frontal attacks were diplomatic efforts made by Duterte's advisers, such as Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

Before state-parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC), where a Filipino lawyer filed a "communication" against Duterte, Roque said that the administration would "reassess" its commitment to it should the court violate the principle of complementarity enshrined in its founding treaty. (The principle requires the ICC to step in only if it's been proven that a concerned country has not been willing to act on the issues hurled against it.)

Government officials have also issued broad commitments to bring to court anyone found to violate criminal laws.

Denial's consequences

DEATH. A relative lights a candle to a tomb of Perola, a street sweeper, who was killed in a drug raid in Manila. Photo by LeAnne Jazul/Rappler
DEATH. A relative lights a candle to a tomb of Perola, a street sweeper, who was killed in a drug raid in Manila. Photo by LeAnne Jazul/Rappler

Latest government numbers show that 3,993 suspected drug personalities were killed in police anti-drug operations since Duterte became president in June 2016. Families of victims said policemen shot defenseless suspects. (READ: The Fifth Man)

Ellecer Carlos of the In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement (iDEFEND) said the administration's dismissal of any human rights probe is proof that it won't "accept any interference.” But this has consequences, he said.

Carlos noted that aid-giving states have "considerations that will always depend on how the government treats its most vulnerable, how it respects, protects and fulfills human rights." He added, "There will be states which may now think twice about providing support to the Philippine National Police because they know that the funding will just go to waste.”

As signatory to various international human rights treaties, the government is “duty-bound” to follow the guidelines and implement appropriate measures to investigate and prosecute those responsible, he said.

Non-acceptance of the criticisms and recommendations by other countries regarding the human rights situation “does not relieve the government at all of its obligations and accountability before the community of nations,” according to lawyer Perfecto Caparas.

“At all times, government remains to be the duty-bearer primarily responsible to respect, protect and fulfill all the economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights of all people, who are the rights-holders,” he added.

No to executive branch's investigation

Human rights groups and advocates said the situation calls for investigation by parties outside the executive branch of government. (READ: Supreme Court asked to order probe into all EJK cases)

Yet, the local constitutional body tasked to protect human rights and prevent its abuse, has also been emasculated. The Commission on Human Rights is barred from accessing important legal documents such as case folders of drug war deaths.

Outside the Philippines, the UN has various mechanisms and tools to hold countries and leaders accountable.

The UN Human Rights Council can unilaterally begin its own investigation of the reported extrajudicial killings here, according to John Fisher, director of Human Rights Watch Geneva, citing the example of Myanmar and the prosecution of the Rohingya Muslims there.

“One way or another, there needs to be an investigation, there needs to be accountability and if the government is sincere in saying that it is open to that kind of scrutiny, then we expect them to be open to that kind of probe,” Fisher said.

He expressed the hope that the government would eventually cooperate with an international team – should the time come. (READ: No extrajudicial killings in PH? World 'not fooled,' says HRW)

“If the government claims that they are not doing anything, why would they not want to cooperate?” Fisher said. “The fact that they have been so resistant to independent scrutiny suggests that they are well aware that the killings of the so-called war on drugs are in violation of international standards and that in fact don't want what's happening to come to life,” he added.

What local groups can do

END KILLINGS. Protesters from the Bantayog ng mga Bayani march along Quezon Avenue for #DayOfProtest rally at the CHR. Photo by LeAnne Jazul/Rappler
END KILLINGS. Protesters from the Bantayog ng mga Bayani march along Quezon Avenue for #DayOfProtest rally at the CHR. Photo by LeAnne Jazul/Rappler

Carlos said that any move by UN agencies and experts is “very dependent” on the activities of human rights groups in the Philippines. (READ: 'Demonizing' human rights in the first year of Duterte)

These local groups have been the center of Duterte’s tirades. He has threatened to shoot advocates if they “obstruct justice” even as rabid supporters called for their death. “The government fostered systemic impunity and engendered routine disregard for the rule of law makes the work for human rights defenders very challenging and risky,” Carlos said.

While it is a tiring and taxing battle, the human rights campaign compels groups involved to exhaust all legall means to exact accountability from public institutions and officials.

If these means are exhausted and impunity persists, then this would be a "key requirement for various international mechanisms to kick in,” Carlos said.

One example of an international mechanism is the ICC, which can try Duterte over crimes against humanity or “serious violations committed as part of a large-scale attack against any civilian population.”

In April 2017, lawyer Jude Sabio filed with the ICC a 78-page “communication” entitled, "The Situation of Mass Murder in the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte: The Mass Murderer.” Additional documents were filed by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano.

The filing is just the first step as the Office of the Prosecutor still has to decide whether the complaint has basis. (READ: What challenges will complaint vs Duterte face before ICC?)

But the "decisive arena” of the human rights struggle is in the domestic front, Caparas stressed. “Surely, our people will continue defending the democratic space we still have at the moment," he said. – Rappler.com

iloveselangor

Orang Miskin penagih dadah ramai yg mati

iloveselangor

Tembak depan orang ramai....baru takut

raisa

Dadah kehancuran sebuah negara dan memang itu bentok penjajahan era modern dari puak liberal

iloveselangor

.

iloveselangor

Akak sokong BN kalau BN boleh buat camni

iloveselangor

Long live Duterte!

HannahMontana

ini maksudnya perangi dadah.

finesse

Tak suka la aku cara macam ni.

raisa

finesse replied at 27-12-2017 11:09 PM
Tak suka la aku cara macam ni.

Lebih baik membunuh 100 geng dadah dari pada berjuta juta rakyat jadi korban lanjootkan khkh

hungryhenry

teringat Narcos, patut banteras tokan2 dadah ni

ninja boy

harap malaysia buat spt ini kasi tembak semua penagih dadah. kerana penagih dadah itu siap berpakej sekali menjadi perompak penyamun pembunuh, merosak harta

samasam90

apa pula defenseless.. duterte dah bagi tempoh utk serah diri kalau tak kena tembak, tapi penagih pengedar masih tak serah diri.. la ne bila betul2 di tembak, menggelupur semua.. rasa la sendiri.. go duterte go..

samasam90

finesse replied at 27-12-2017 03:09 PM
Tak suka la aku cara macam ni.

duterte dah bagi tahu semua rakyat dia hatta penduduk pendalaman pun tahu apatah lagi penduduk bandar..

duterte suruh serah diri bagi pengedar dan penagih utk masuk rehab, kalau tak serah diri, dah sampai tamat tempoh nanti, kena tembak je..

yg kena tembak ne set2 yg xpercaya duterte xkan buat la..

shamsadis

sebelum penagih tu bunuh korang, baik kita bunuh pengedar dadah

iloveselangor

samasam90 replied at 28-12-2017 12:06 AM
apa pula defenseless.. duterte dah bagi tempoh utk serah diri kalau tak kena tembak, tapi penagih pe ...

Kat tangan diorg ada pistol sis...celah mana defenseless pulak kan.

Ni set2 ajak berperang dengan Duterte.

taikor

I sokong perang dadah Duterte...

akusukaq

berkat hapuskan pengedar ekonomi filipina naik mencanak.

orgsepang

Akak sokong. Bukan tak diberi peluang untuk serah diri kan jadi lebih baik mati dari menyusahkan orang

ashcroft86

Patut wat cmni kt msia, apply gak kt mat rempit. Kluar je merempit, amik ko peluru kt badan. Dah makin teruk rempit skrang ni and xde concrete solution kot melainkan tembak je. Puas hati klu boleh tgk mat rempit kne tembak.