Pubdate: Wed, 17 Aug 2016 Source: Philippine Star (Philippines) Column: Sketches Copyright: PhilSTAR Daily Inc. 2016 Contact: http://www.philstar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/622 Author: Ana Marie Pamintuan THE EXPENDABLES This administration will be remembered for institutionalizing mass killings as the ultimate crime-fighting tool. Public acquiescence to the mass killings is among the most astonishing elements in this vicious war on drugs. President Duterte, the architect of the crime-fighting strategy, may be glad to know that these days, when people are exasperated with criminality and even corruption and other forms of abuse in government, they ask why the crooks are still alive. "There oughta be a law" has been replaced with "they oughta be shot" - fatally, if possible. For his savage war to continue enjoying widespread public support, however, Dirty Rody may want to show that he is an equal opportunity tormentor. The way his shock troops are treating drug suspects from different income levels is reinforcing perceptions that class cleansing is an intrinsic element in this war, with state forces giving free rein to their homicidal tendencies only when the suspects are impoverished. The message is not lost on the targeted income class. With the drug war now moving out of the slums and up the value chain, I'm increasingly hearing a comment particularly from poor people: when drug suspects have money, they get due process and enjoy the presumption of innocence. "Hindi pala pantay-pantay. Pobre lang pala ang pinapatay." So only the poor are killed, and it's not an equitable campaign - this is becoming a common observation in the gritty neighborhoods of Metro Manila, which account for a majority of the hundreds of drug suspects executed. At this point, the comment is usually still given with detachment, not in protest or as a complaint. Dirty Rody continues to have a lot of admirers among the very poor. If moneyed suspects continue to be treated with kid gloves, however, I can see the comment soon being laced with anger or dismayed criticism. Because of the pervasiveness of news reports on multiple media platforms, everyone is now well versed on current events. And the poor know when they are getting the short end of a brutal drug war. * * * A joke going around these days is that with the war moving to moneyed traffickers, there is now a shortage of cardboard so drug suspects are no longer being executed and left in the streets with cardboard signs labeling them as pushers. Even in the case of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. and his fugitive son Kerwin, the ones who were neutralized were six of their bodyguards. Father and son are very much alive, just like the identified drug dealer in the "order of battle" of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as well as the politicians who have turned themselves in or outed themselves as drug abusers. We can bet that we won't see any of them getting swift cardboard justice within the first six months of the Duterte presidency. Philippine National Police officials say drug suspects appear to be killing each other. This is one of the PNP's explanations for the rising cases of vigilante killings. PNP officials also say that not even a Senate probe can stop the drug war, whose ultimate objective is to fulfill President Rody's campaign promise to significantly curb criminality within three to six months. The crime rate is down, the PNP has reported. Except, of course, for the homicide rate, which has shot up a thousand-fold. But then killing no longer seems to be a crime in the current administration as long as those killed are the hampaslupa whose bereaved relatives don't even have access to a public attorney. They are our expendables. One day we will look back to this killing season and wonder how our nation acquiesced to this madness. * * * If you're going to resort to mass killings to achieve something, the end must overwhelmingly justify the means. The end includes the lasting impact on society. As I have written, the shock and awe factor in this drug war must be complemented by structural reforms in our criminal justice system if we want to sustain any improvement in the peace and order situation. The government can't kill all drug dealers and abusers plus other criminal elements. Not that ordinary folks, given the current mood, will mind seeing more bloodshed. But at a certain point the body count could finally become nauseating, especially if criminality persists. President Rody has said there are around 600,000 people suspected of involvement in the drug trade alone. I'm sure that if a survey were taken, it would show an overwhelming number of Pinoys who believe him. But his forces can't possibly kill all 600,000 suspects, plus several thousand more involved in other crimes. The Nazis killed much more people during the Holocaust, but Filipinos are no Nazis - or are we getting there? I don't know if we'll ever see a moneyed drug dealer dead from multiple gunshots in a dark alley, hogtied and with his head wrapped in packing tape, with only a cardboard sign announcing the reason for his execution. No civilized person would wish this fate on his worst enemy. But people are waiting for VIP suspects to face indictment for drug trafficking, and to be detained without bail in non- VIP ordinary cells that are crowded, vermin-infested and with awful ventilation and sanitation. There can't be two types of justice under Dirty Rody: one for the rich and influential, and another for the poor expendables. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom