SONA 2021: A look at

President Duterte's war on

drugs five years on
By Gerg Cahiles, CNN Philippines
Published Jul 19, 2021 11:49:23 AM
1
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Ending illegal drugs was a campaign promise that
President Rodrigo Duterte failed to fulfill in his first three to six months in power. It was a
self-imposed deadline that he repeatedly extended and a war he started but later on
admitted he cannot finish.

On numerous occasions, the President explained he never thought the drug problem in
the country was so vast and deeply rooted, even within the government system.

"Sabi ko nga na [I said before] I can solve the problem in six months. Little did I know
that I will be fighting my own government," Duterte said in his sit-down interview last
June 8.

Five years since the drug war began, over 52% of the country's 42,045 barangays have
been cleared of illegal drugs while more than 31% have yet to be cleared based on
government data.

"Kahit napakarami pa nating nahuli, kahit masasabi nating napakarami na nating na-
confiscate, and yet meron pa ding drug user doon, hindi pa rin pwede i-declare na drug
cleared. [Even if we arrest many or confiscate a lot of drugs, we cannot declare an area
cleared if there are still drug users left in an area]," Philippine National Police (PNP)
Chief PGen. Guillermo Eleazar said. "It needs a whole of community approach where
the police or the enforcement is just part of it."

With this, the controversial "Tokhang" operations continued, where authorities knock on
the doors of supposed drug peddlers and users, and ask them to surrender and avail of
government rehabilitation programs.

As for high value targets, Eleazar said there is no let-up in their efforts to bring them to
justice.

The PNP also noted the continuous drop in crime rates since the drug war was
launched. For example, total crimes from November 11, 2020 to March 31, 2021 went
down by more than 15% compared to the numbers from November 11, 2019 to March
31, 2020.
 Bloody drug war
In September 2016, Duterte said: "Mag-massacre kayo ng isang daan, isang daan rin
kayo, eh di pardon lahat eh [You massacre one hundred, and you're also one hundred.
All of you will be pardoned]. Restored to full political and civil rights plus a promotion to
boot. Basta gano'n mga lalo na, high profile. [Just like that, especially with high profile
cases]. We have to remove them from the syndicates or remove them from this planet."

Based on available government data, 293,841 drug suspects were arrested while 6,147
were killed in the 203,715 anti-illegal drug operations conducted from July 1, 2016 to
May 31, 2021.

That is apart from the more than 20,000 deaths under investigation that the PNP
reported in 2018. CNN Philippines requested an update on these cases, but it has yet to
be granted.

Lawyer Krissy Conti, who is handling the cases of some drug war victims, said the
President himself encouraged and emboldened policemen to kill.

"Hindi lang niya basta inutos na ubusin ang droga. Inutos nya rin na ubusin ang drug
addict, na patayin ang drug addict. He encouraged it. Inengganyo niya ang mga pulis,
ipinasok niya ang konsepto sa kukote ng mga pulis na ok lang na mapatay niyo, patayin
niyo," Conti said.

[Translation: He didn't just order police to wipe out drugs, he ordered them to wipe out
all addicts. He encouraged it. He introduced the concept that it was OK to kill them all.]

But the PNP insisted there was no such order from the President. Eleazar said
policemen need to defend themselves when a drug suspect resists arrest and fights
back.

Eleazar also said respect for human rights is part of police training and whoever violates
this will face the long arm of the law.

Victims' quest for justice

For some of the families of drug war victims, justice remains elusive, like in the case of
17-year-old Joshua Laxamana. His mother Christine Pascual has not yet moved on
from the brutal death of her son.

Laxamana, an online gaming player, was killed in a supposed police operation in

Pangasinan in 2018. Police claimed Laxamana was a notorious member of a burglary
gang, and that drugs and a firearm were recovered from him — something that Pascual
and other witnesses disputed.

Pascual said her son joined a DOTA tournament in Baguio City with two companions.
The incident occurred while the victims were walking home to Tarlac province.
"Pinangarap niya na makilala siya bilang isang magaling sa ganong kakayahan niya,
bilang 'yun ang hilig niya. Ang saklap po talaga 'di ba? Isang araw, makikila siya sa
ganong pamamaraan pa, may baril may drugs, samantalang 'yun ang pinakaayaw
niya," Pascual said.

[Translation: He dreamed of one day becoming famous for what he loves and what he
does best, but what's tragic is that he became known for allegedly carrying a gun and
drugs. He hates those things.]

Murder charges were filed against six police officers for Laxamana's death. However,
the Ombudsman dismissed the case due to lack of evidence. Pascual said the case
filed against President Duterte and the PNP before the International Criminal Court
(ICC) is her only hope to attain justice for her son.

"Wala naman pong imposible pag pinursige, 'di ba po? 'Pag talagang pinush, wala pong
imposible marating 'yang hinahangad namin, napakasarap po sa pakiramdam. Siguro
doon lang po kami makakatulog na ang anak namin o sinumang pamilyang may
kamukha namin na masarap pong matulog na napaglaban mo po at merong nagdusa
sa nangyari samin," Pascual said.

[Translation: Nothing's impossible if you pursue it, right? Pursuing and attaining what we
long for will make us feel good inside. I think the only time we can get a good night's
sleep is when we or any family that has gone through such a horrible thing like we did,
gets justice, and until the people responsible suffer for their crime.]

Before stepping down on July 15, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda sought a full
investigation on the drug-related killings in the Philippines. Should the ICC proceed with
the formal investigation, Malacañang said the Duterte administration will not cooperate.

"I believe that the decision to move forward into a formal investigation stage is legally
erroneous and politically motivated...Hinding-hindi magko-cooperate ang Presidente
hanggang matapos ang kanyang termino sa June 30, 2022 [The President will never
ever cooperate until his term ends on June 30, 2022]," said a fuming Presidential
spokesperson Harry Roque in one of his press conferences.

Quest for transparency: Body-worn cameras

Police have started using body-worn cameras for their operations. Eleazar said it was a
change introduced to make police operations more transparent.

"Napakalaking bagay nito kasi magbibigay ito ng proteksyon hindi lamang sa sinasabi
nating suspects, pati na rin sa mga pulis na binibigyan ng maling akala o malicious
accusation. In effect, ito ay para sa kabutihan ng lahat," the PNP chief said.
[Translation: This is of great importance because this will not just protect the rights of
suspects, but also protect our policemen from false and malicious accusations. In effect,
this is good for everyone.]

With controversies hounding the government's bloody war on drugs, former PNP chief,
now senator, Ronald Dela Rosa said things could have been different if there were
body-worn cameras during his time. Dela Rosa was the poster boy of the Duterte
administration's "relentless" campaign against illegal drugs.

"Since may namatay, at nagke-claim ang pamilya na hindi talaga lumaban, nagke-

claim naman ang pulis na lumaban, merong doubt ang publiko. Pero kung meron na
sana 'yun, na-establish na sana na ito talaga may ginawang kalokohan ang pulis, mali
ang ginawa nila, established kaagad. Ma-file-an agad ng kaso. Kung wala naman, kahit
na anong claim ng other side, sa victim o sa suspect, naka-counter agad
'yung claim nila dahil merong ebidensya," the senator said.

[Translation: There is doubt among the public when police say a suspect died after
fighting back, and the family says otherwise. But if there are body cameras, evidence
can be established quickly and allegations of any wrongdoing can be proven or
disputed.]

Recently, the Supreme Court issued a set of guidelines in the use of body-worn
cameras in serving search and arrest warrants. These guidelines may help improve
public trust in law enforcement, according to the Commission on Human Rights.

CHR Spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said they fully support the creation of this legal
framework since the introduction of new technology in the criminal justice system
promotes transparency and accountability.

"We push for the use of body-worn cameras as a preventive measure to reduce lethal
force during police operations; to achieve improved resolution of complaints; and more
effective evidence in judicial proceeding," De Guia said.

Human rights group Karapatan also welcomed the use of body-worn cameras or
alternative recording devices, but said it will continue to keep careful watch for possible
gaps and loopholes that may be used by law enforcers in their operations.

The PNP created a technical working group (TWG) to incorporate the Supreme Court
rules into their existing policies. Eleazar said the TWG is also expected to create a
module that will be used in training their personnel.

"Sa panig ng inyong PNP, tinitiyak namin na ang panuntunan na pinaghirapan at

pinaglaanan ng mahabang oras ng ating mga Mahistrado ay isa sa mga magiging
instrumento upang gawing normal ang konsepto ng transparency at accountability sa
isip at sa gawa ng bawat miyembro ng inyong kapulisan," the PNP chief said.
[Translation: We in the PNP will make sure that the guidelines set forth and given full
attention by our honorable Justices will be utilized so the concept of transparency and
accountability will be instilled in the minds of our policemen.]

Currently, the PNP has a total of 2,696 body cameras that were distributed to 171 police
stations and offices. But Eleazar said they need around 30,000 more to cover all police
stations and units of the national police force.