Pubdate: Sat, 15 Jan 2005
Source: Mindanao Times (Philippines)
Copyright: 2005 Mindanao Times.
Contact:  http://www.mindanaotimes.com.ph/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2980
Cited: Philippine National Police http://www.pnp.gov.ph
Cited: Drug Enforcement Administration http://www.dea.gov
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

Editorial: A Dragging Drug War

That drug syndicates are killing each other is an oft-repeated angle 
surfacing time and again which has become quite a trite justification of 
the summary executions in the city. We heard the spin two years ago and we 
still wonder if the people, especially the relatives of those who were 
killed, are appeased by this statement that they no longer demand justice 
for their slain kin.

If indeed it is true that there is a "drug war" going on, what is 
government doing to put an end to it before more bodies litter the streets? 
This could be a long drawn-out war and if these hooligans are intent on 
wiping out each other from the face of the earth, when will government step 
in and arrest these groups?

Also, apart from confirming that these killings are indeed the result of an 
illegal drug ring gone berserk, what are our two law enforcement agencies - 
the  Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, 
going to do about it?

While we laud these agencies for the raid that stopped the operation of 
what could have been the largest shabu factory in the country and their 
seriousness in pursuing the case, we urge them to exert the same effort in 
solving the killings.

Killings have become a staple in the frontpages of local newspapers. Its 
daily reportage has diminished the shock value of murder and fails to 
elicit outrage on how cheap life has become these days. Has the community 
accepted that summary execution is the solution to fighting the drug menace?

Have we grown tired of seeking for answers to these unabated killings and 
no longer expect justice to prevail? That's a very sad thought. As of now, 
we can only pray that the heavy cloak of apathy that hungs like a shroud in 
this beautiful city will one day lift and set us free.
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