Pubdate: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 Source: Sunstar Cagayan De Oro (Philippines) Copyright: 2006 Sunstar Cagayan De Oro. Contact: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2983 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?236 (Corruption - Outside U.S.) EDITORIAL: DEALING WITH LOW-LIVES ONE thought that with all the attention in the war against drugs, small town lottery and other political issues that a simple case of an alleged beating done by two agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Northern Mindanao would remain under the radar for long. But it surfaced thanks to media vigilance and now P02 Iraz Zari and P03 Perfecto Vargas Jr. are facing the prospect of a court trial if the complainant does decide to pursue his case. The charges stemmed from the allegations made by drug suspect Jingle Mahilum that he got beaten up, loaded up into a vehicle and threatened with summary execution by the two agents, which compelled him to make his escape. In response Orbe replied that there is no evidence to substantiate the claim but hastened to add that he wasn't defending his people from the allegations. The PDEA regional director said he was merely trying to let the courts rule on the case and if found guilty, he won't interfere and even impose disciplinary action on them. While that is an assurance the public need reminding that this didn't mark the first time that PDEA under Orbe's leadership were accused of irregularities. Remarkably it was last year when, a few weeks off their impressive raid of a shabu storehouse in Cagayan de Oro that two of Orbe's men got entangled in an alleged bribery attempt with a suspected drug pusher. The entrapment operation conducted by the regional office of the National Bureau of Investigation in Northern Mindanao yielded some evidence of irregularity but as to be expected, Orbe somehow denied that his people were involved in anything anomaluous. Barely a year later and now, this report of two PDEA agents tied to an alleged beating and attempted murder of a drug suspect. The agency perhaps has the advantage of having to deal with people whose credibility are shot because they are drug suspects and the public doesn't take kindly to these low-lives. But with these reports one cannot help but question the agency's methods in dealing with drug suspects. Dealing violence on criminals or the so-called "eye for an eye" approach may look good in the movies but not so in real life. There is such a thing as human rights and while victims and the public may rise a howl over it that's the way the justice system is supposed to work on all sides. While one has to give the agency the benefit of the doubt one also has to ask; is the PDEA becoming just as crooked and ruthless as the people that they're supposed to be prosecuting? That's why they are in law enforcement in the first place. They're supposed to draw the line between law and justice on one hand and vigilantism and extreme prejudice on the other. We certainly hope Director Orbe lives up to his promise or assurance. In this case one needs to distinguish between the scum of society and the good guys; if PDEA and the rest of our protectors started taking matters into their own hands they're not acting like the good guys anymore. - --- MAP posted-by: Tom