‘They are not helping PRRD’

“They are not being helpful.” “They should be utilizing logic instead of loyalty.” “They are just sinking PRRD deeper into the mud.”

Those are statements recently expressed by certain individuals who are supporters of the former president Rodrigo Duterte and his anti-drug campaign and who disapprove of the anti-ICC statements of the DOJ secretary and some senators.

We cannot fault Sec. Remulla et al for defending PRRD and for challenging the ICC investigators for “interfering” in Philippine affairs, but the PRRD supporters say things could be handled logically, factually and diplomatically. They believe that Duterte is unfairly getting a disproportionate amount of the blame for the extrajudicial killings and threatening the ICC makes PRRD look guilty.

Perhaps those in a position to bring out the facts should do so properly because I am confident that in doing so, we will all come to terms with OUR part in the war, OUR share of the blame, either through commission or omission, and maybe then we will be able to separate those who did what was right or did their jobs versus those who used the war for evil and personal gain.

Before we start pointing fingers at PRRD alone, let us all revisit the years just before mayor Rodrigo Duterte was elected president. Back then the single failure of the PNoy government was in the fight against drugs and criminality such as kidnappings, rapes, contract killing or “riding in tandem” assassinations, as well as terrorist activities.

People were afraid to leave even a paper bag in their car because of “basag kotse gangs,” young people could not take out their cell phones in public for fear of snatchers on motorcycles who would shoot you for not giving up your phone. There were horror stories of female office workers being molested or assaulted while riding taxis or schoolgirls being grabbed and snatched.

The PNP gave quarterly updates on how shabu and other drugs were spreading throughout the countryside. Cities and barangays as well as exclusive subdivisions and gated communities eventually became meth labs or shabu tiangges.

The worst was when drug pushing became a “livelihood” for poor Filipinos when certain mayors, councilors as well as numerous barangay captains turned into neighborhood shabu dealers. As a journalist, I regularly heard from “operatives” fact checking on these allegations before they moved in on a target or neutralized said individuals.

Then came the “Dirty Harry of Davao,” the mayor with real political will and the track record to show that he cleared Davao of communist terrorists as well as drug dealers. That alone convinced the majority of Filipinos to vote for him as president. He was not elected for his economic genius, political savvy or charisma. He was rough, tough and often rude, but we wanted him to fight crime and put a stop to drugs and drug dealers.

No one laid down conditions or terms of engagement. No one even looked over his shoulder. As long as he got rid of the drug dealers and criminality, no one asked questions. In fact, those who could have said or done something, did not. We all looked away and simply assumed that those who were caught in the mix were either guilty, involved or had no business hanging out in drug infested areas. The truth is, we silently approved of the war on drugs!

Duterte himself confessed that he misjudged the gravity of the situation when he said he could solve the problem in three to six months. He did not count on generals and elected officials being extensively involved in the drug trade or standing as protectors or obstructionists. Even the Bureau of Customs had been infiltrated by mobsters. To fight the greedy and the corrupt, PRRD pit greed versus ambition. He relied on the ambition and drive of lower ranked officials to take the fight to the ground.

Yes, PRRD declared war against drugs and that was the wish and the will of the people. The subsequent and alleged EJKs are a totally different thing. PRRD’s pronouncements were political optics and sound-bytes meant to rally the troops, reassure the public and remind the criminals that they were no longer in control and would be put out of business. Talking tough and declaring war on drugs alone do not kill people. People kill people. PRRD did not. But all that is now being used to unfairly put all the guilt on his shoulders.

What happened on the ground has happened in many countries such as Mexico, Colombia, even the USA where drug lords operate. Here, they all snitched on each other or tipped off the cops in order to drive the competition out of business. Some of the EJKs were actually gang retaliation on suspected informants. In a country where contract killing prices (based on testimonies of arrested hit-men) range from P20,000 to P150,000 only, it comes as no surprise that mercenaries and vigilantes actually went into business to rid their neighborhoods in exchange for “clearing costs,” just like kidnappers and hostage takers charged “board and lodging” for victims.

And while some generals and elected officials were making money from the drug trade, the ambitious officers imposed “ulo-ulo” quotas, as in kill quotas, on drug pushers or criminal repeat offenders, thereby slowly killing the market. This was reported to me by other officers in the field. The quotas were intended to fast track the promotions of higher ups. They were not imposed by general headquarters or the Office of the President. They were “required” by the overly ambitious officers who saw a fast way to get to the next rank.

The ultimate tale is that we all had a part in the war on drugs, whether we admit it or not. Let’s not be like Caiaphas saying: “It is better for one man to die than the whole nation to be destroyed.” We’re all guilty in this war.

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