Mayor — wanted: Dead or alive?

"There is no culture of impunity in the country.”

So says answering machines in Malacañang. Well there could be some truth in it because cold-blooded killings have long been happening all over the country. They simply got worse in the current administration because now, even priests, minors and mayors are being shot in public and in cold-blood! I guess the Malacañang answering machines don’t want us to label all of it as murder with impunity especially when law enforcers claim they were doing their job when they had to shoot several hundred suspects if not several thousand drug dealers and users. How dare we use the term “Impunity” when cold-blooded murders of lawyers, environmentalists, mayors and priests are so common place and appears to be the standard for dealing with anti-government forces or anti-administration NGOs and personalities.

There is no culture of impunity because criminals and hit men in the Philippines are simply killing at will because they believe they won’t be caught. No there is no culture of impunity; we are just a nation surrounded by assassins chanting “No Fear.”

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The assassination if not cold-blooded murder of Mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan, Batangas alongside the killing of Mayor Ferdinand Bote of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija has placed many Mayors on full alert in terms of their personal safety and security. The “sniper” hit on the late Mayor Halili completely exposes how vulnerable public officials are from a determined gunman especially a sniper. To make matters worse, the use of a “sniper” has brought about a completely new way of killing mayors.

As a result some mayors have asked for additional police security while others have hired more bodyguards, bought bulletproof vests and level-6 armored SUVs. Even those aligned with the President have started to take the necessary precautions because there is no telling who would put out a hit on them; it could be political rivals, the NPA, gambling lords or drug lords and the perpetual political opponent. Now some sectors are saying that being on the Presidential Narco-list is equivalent to a death sentence. So far, four out of a previous 10 have been shot either in a defenseless situations such as inside his jail cell at 3 in the morning, treacherously shot behind the head or gangland style at a pier or Jose Rizal style with a bullet through the heart while singing “Bayang Magiliw.”

Times have certainly changed, even the ways of getting rid of political or business enemies. In the early days, the worst attack you could launch at a public official was to impute or create rumors and gossip that an elected official was immoral and adulterous. But that began to lose impact as people became westernized and liberal. In place of questions on morality, political enemies then focused on accusations of abuse of power through private armies. While effective, that form of attack did not pick up speed and volume because not every mayor was nasty or had private armies. From there, critics used accusations of graft and corruption particularly Jueteng.

Today, Jueteng as well as most private armies have been dismantled or minimized by the police. Unfortunately, evil and wicked men won’t stop at obstructions and corrections. Lets not forget nuisance suits being submitted before the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan. Filing charges in those courts with cameramen tagging along is a sure fire method of discrediting and destroying reputations. But now the ultimate political move is to label political enemies as a drug coddler or a drug lord and make sure that PDEA includes it in their list and it gets to the President!

The mere mention or statement of President Duterte that you are on the drug list is enough to ruin you socially, politically, as well as get you shot in a jail cell, at home or during a flag ceremony at City hall. The only stay out of jail card you get is if you died before the list came out! Mind you at least two to five names on the “Presidential Narco list” were of persons who have long died! Long before Duterte became President!

Unless the Duterte Administration is able to put a stop to all the assassinations, rub out and gang-land style executions, we will surely see more and more public officials and enemies of the government adopting a fight or flee mode. Iloilo Mayor Mabilog reportedly skipped town rather than become next on the hit list. Unfortunately in his absence Mayor Halili drew the short straw. Historically speaking, politicians or public figures who are marked for jail or assassination have all taken flight when given the choice or chance. But the greater number of Mayors or public figures who feel indirectly at risk or threatened are adapting the fight/protect mode.

This in turn could bring back the “War Lord” era where “It takes a Village to” protect a Mayor or a Congressman! If the PNP can’t solve the voluminous murders of the last two years both of the rich and poor, if killers of mayors, lawyers and priests continue to roam unchallenged and fearless, how do you convince the rest of the population to be peaceful and law abiding? How do we convince the world that we are civilized, a tourism and investment destination when the President publicly threatens enemies and ghosts alike that he will kill them. According to the Malacañang answering machine just say: “It’s Fake News.”

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