Drug pusher deaths jump as Philippine leader takes office
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Police cars blocked a street as they enforce an overnight curfew for minors in Manila on June 8. Even before he takes his oath of office on Thursday, Philippine President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s vow to kill drug criminals appeared already being rolled out.
MANILA » The bodies of dozens of suspected drug peddlers have turned up in the Philippines in recent weeks, providing an eerie backdrop to the swearing-in on Thursday of Rodrigo Duterte, who has warned of a bloody presidency in his bid to eradicate crime.
Some of the dead were killed in gunfights with police; others mysteriously turned up on the street. One was dumped with sign: “Don’t follow me or you’ll die next.”
The numbers of bodies have spiked since Duterte swept the May 9 elections on promises to wipe out crime and corruption within six months. That bold pledge won him huge support but also sparked concerns about vigilante justice and a lack of due process.
Nicknamed “Duterte Harry” after a Clint Eastwood character with little regard for rules, he says he plans to fulfill his promise despite criticism from human rights advocates and church officials and dares his critics to impeach him.
“If I couldn’t convince you, I’ll have you killed. Just imagine if I kill 10 persons a day for the next six years,” he was quoted as saying by Cebu Daily News in his native Visayan language, referring to drug suspects. “If you’re into drugs, I’m sorry. I’ll have to apologize to your family because you’ll surely get killed.”
So far, the threats seem to be working to some extent: Hundreds of drug pushers and addicts have surrendered to police in recent days, signing pledges to reform.
National police data show 39 mostly drug peddler suspects were killed since the start of the year until the election. But since then, 72 killed have been killed, bringing the yearly total so far to 111 deaths.
Outgoing national police chief Ricardo Marquez dismissed speculation that the spike in deaths was timed to the beginning of Duterte’s presidency, saying he already promised an intensified anti-drug campaign when he took over last year.
“There is no truth to what is being said that it is only now that the police have stepped up the fight against drugs,” he said. So far this year, 183 have been killed in clashes between police and clandestine drug lab workers, dealers and users, he added. The reason for the discrepancy in the totals wasn’t immediately clear.
In one television report, a mother wailed as she saw the body of her son sprawled on a roadside in eastern Camarines Sur province, apparently shot with four wounds and a slash on his neck.
“What they have done is too much,” she said, sobbing on the shoulder of another woman.
Nearly 5,000 suspects have been arrested in anti-drug operations after the election, bringing the number of arrests in a nationwide drive to nearly 19,000 since January, according to police records.
“We are alarmed about the rate of almost everyday killings of suspected criminals and members of drug syndicates,” said Wilnor Montilla Papa, a human rights campaigner for Amnesty International in the Philippines. “Our concern is on the lack of due process, the seemingly abusive stance” of authorities.
Last week, the head of the influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines issued a letter saying the group was disturbed by the reports of growing numbers of drug suspects being killed as well as the spike in vigilante killings. The letter reminded law enforcers that one can “shoot to kill” solely on the ground of legitimate self-defense or the defense of others.
“To kill a suspect outright, no matter how much surveillance work may have antecedently been done on the suspect, is not morally justified,” Archbishop Socrates Villegas said.
Others praised Duterte’s drastic approach to combatting crime.
Arsenio Evangelista, whose son was kidnapped and killed 5 years ago, supports the incoming president’s plan to restore the death penalty and promise to eradicate all major crimes, especially drug-related offenses in three to six months. But he said the recent increase in drug dealer deaths could not have been on orders of Duterte because he isn’t in office yet.
“We want results out of frustration, dismay” with a criminal justice system that is corrupt and does not work, said Evangelista, who is also a spokesman for a group called Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption.
He said his group believes the deaths could be part of an effort by police officials to burnish their accomplishments in the face of Duterte’s plans to revamp the police force. Under pressure to step up efforts, police have clamped down on mostly small-time drug pushers who are easier to find and apprehend, he added.
In the past, such peddlers would rather bribe officers than engage in a shootout, Evangelista said. “It’s not believable that street-level drug peddlers’ behavior changed totally,” he said.
Police Senior Inspector Donelle Edep Brannon, head of a small community precinct in Manila’s tourist district, said the spike in deaths is the result of an intensified anti-drugs campaign initiated by the police leadership in view of Duterte’s strong pronouncements.
Police follow procedures, but deaths could not be avoided if law enforcers’ lives are put in danger by those who choose to fight instead of surrendering to arresting officers, he added.
He said he expects the anti-crime drive to intensify even more once Duterte is in office — and he welcomes it.
“Being a police officer,” he said, “it is better for us to feel that the president himself is our ally in fighting criminality.”
66 responses to “Drug pusher deaths jump as Philippine leader takes office”
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Oh please, let’s extend a variation of this policy, no more drug pushers, to the North Shore. Pillars of the community would rot in jail instead of controlling commerce, if so.
He needs to get tough with radical Islamic elements in the southern islands. Abu Sayyeff operates with impunity there.
He does, buries a pig with each Islamic terrorist, that way he cannot go to heaven.
Sounds like he has adopted Radical Islamic thinking. Just kill those you don’t like.
Maybe they can follow the Obama thinking. http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/immigration/item/17963-obama-administration-releases-68-000-illegal-immigrant-criminals
Exactly. They carry on all day about how terrible the Radical Islamist violence is, and then strongly recommend it being used elsewhere. Not a moment’s pause on the irony. Zero.
We all need to elect TheDonald. Not only do we need to get rid of the Islamist Terrorists but criminals that do any crime. Let them all jump to their death which saves us taxpayers tons of money in which we could share with the Good homeless people that’s just down on their luck. And maybe still have xtra to bump up my impending SS benifits.
Go Duterte! Full speed ahead!
Finally good news comes from the Philippines.
Now if he would do the same to the corrupt police. Ask anyone who has lived in or visits the Philippines regularly about the cops there. They commit as many crimes as the criminals. I stopped going there a few years ago after being shaken down for the third time by police.
That and corrupt politicians, but wait, he’s a politician. Ok scratch that.
Like his style a Trump Solution to the problems.
you want to keep drug dealers in business? Vote Trump!
Dutarte Harry. Do you feel lucky punk?
Knowing the Philippines, it wouldn’t surprise me to someday find out he’s committed crimes as well.
Look how corrupt the whole rail project has been. Maybe we need three or four Durterte Harrys here?
You talking about Cayetano and his friends? He’s the one who cost taxpayers billions by delaying this project with frivolous lawsuits, so be careful what you wish for.
Cayetano is not the one costing the taxpayer billions….HART, Muliufi, Caldwell are the ones to blame for this fiasco. Ben was trying to open eyes & the powers that be didn’t want to listen. Can you hear it now? Rail was a bad idea to begin with. It started with good intentions but good intentions are the mother of all F ups.
If Cayetano was elected Mayor Honolulu would not be in this financial mess called rail.
Oh please.
Crusha you are wrong, you should do research before your post your prejudices against Cayetano and friends.
Brah, the article is about something other than rail. What are you guys going to do when rail isn’t issue anymore? Comment in the Wednesday Food section about how rail has made food taste bad?
No Kennedy T.
Yeah, the engine puts so much coal smoke in the air it makes the food taste bad. Gotta be, brah.
We need some of that here in the good ole USA. Make the drug dealers disappear.
Our society is wrong to let drug dealers live. They should all be put to death.
Meth etc was coming into the islands in containers from burma that were not inspected by officials when landing in Hawaii. This happened during the watch of the ruling party. something stinks.
You seem to sink further into illness every day. Reading your comments, it seems like you’re clinging to sanity by your fingertips.
Everyone read this article: http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/immigration/item/17963-obama-administration-releases-68-000-illegal-immigrant-criminals
This is well known, the mainland is turning into a 3rd world cesspool. Daily murders in the La Raza neighborhoods are a commen element in life. We need to keep them out before they destroy our islands and turn it into the barrio hood.
La Raza again. Sheesh.
“We need some of that here in the good ole USA. Make the drug dealers disappear.”
The minute some of that is condoned by the president of this country, the good ole USA will have been the thing that disappeared.
Drug dealers blah blah blah. Anyone who ever passed a joint to a friend in the high school parking lot is a de facto drug dealer. Kill your kids.
Just stay away from there until they clean up their act. It’s like taking antibiotics. It will take some time for the medicine to take affect, but everything should fix itself in the end. If not, then there will be a lot more bloodshed there like a Scarface movie.
Direct. Succinct. And it’s working. How do you argue with results?
How about starting with murder?
Why bother with distractions like judges and juries, right? Just let a wannabe dictator makes those decision?
Great comment! Sound of reason, indeed.
The failure of the system to maintain law and order leads to calls for radical actions. In such an emergency simplified judicial decisions should be created , like a peoples court with laymen from the local community as judges.
Dah?
I’m comforted in knowing that you are not now and will never be in a position to make decisions.
Very comforted.
what klastri said.
Have they discovered fire yet in this fantasy world of yours?
“Peoples courts”. Oh, I get it. Sharia law.
I would think that a good indicator of effective social policy in the Philippines would be reflected in reduced migration to the US and Hawaii in particular. If they can make a good society, why would people choose to leave it?
Darn starving overpopulaterers ruin their own country and the unwanted and unneeded surplus gets unloaded on the US.
Actually, no, it wouldn’t, because their economy runs largely on their people working overseas and sending money home.
We need Judge Dredd!
The unexpected costs to run the rail down on Dillingham has nothing to do with “delays”. According to HECO, poor planning is killing this project. Their electric poles have been there for decades.
WHY are you posting rail comments under this article??? Jeesh!
Maybe this guy should instead focus his efforts on eradicating the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf headquartered in the southern province of Mindanao???
I’m not advocating for or against his alleged policies at all. But, I have a question, is Abu Sayyaf more dangerous to the population than the drug dealers?
@ ad 1 – Abu Sayyaf was responsible for the 2004 Ferry bombing which killed 116 people. One event of many. That’s pretty dangerous.
Wonder how many lives destroyed or loss because of drug dealers?
Let’s see who I should be concerned with today…the crazies stabbing folks…the drug dealers…the terrorist…hmmm…perhaps conceal and carry (training) and supplemental force-on-force for us law abiding citizens not a bad idea. 🙂
Mexico could use some of this.
Everyone has forgotten how safe, clean, zero crime the PI was when F.Marcos was ruler. He was corrupt, but he took out the low lifes just like this newbie is trying to do. New guy, old strategy.
Actually, Marcos murdered doctors, lawyers, other politicians, women’s rights advocates, labor rights organizers, housewives, farmers, paramedics, and thousands of other good citizens whose only crime was to rebel against him. Ten thousand victims and their descendants won a US federal lawsuit that sought reparation for murder, imprisonment and torture that Marcos had his underlings commit. Life was not safe by any means under the Marcos regime. If you think it was, you do not deserve to live in a democracy. Marcos’s greed and bloodthirstiness are well documented here: http://www.bantayog.org.
Because they were mostly communist and jihadist. Life was safe there, it only mattered what side you where on; if you where an American service member stationed there or passing through or a US citizen, you were untouchable! plaaaeeese don’t talk about democracy and freedoms. The victims got reparations from his assets/investments in the US/Hawaii. Mabuhay!
You’re totally mistaken. Biggest example: Benigno Aquino, who was most definitely neither a communist nor a jihadist. Thank you for confirming to everyone that you’re completely lacking in knowledge and that anything you say is wholly dubious and worthy only of mockery. Maraming salamat po, gago. =)
This is a flat out lie. You’re lying.
I like it. We should do the same here.
I like his style. Trump out all illegal activities and secure your borders. Be selective as to whom you allow into your country.
Absolutely! Just like the Asiatic Exclusion League did in the early 1990s!
duterte’s “kill all drug dealers” pronouncement without setting guidelines for proper police processes of identification, investigation and arrest of these drug dealers, assures that innocent people will be caught up in the elimination of drug dealers.
This is exactly how the Taliban rule. Exactly. It’s Sharia Law, and people here are cheering it.
Imbeciles.
Trump supporters cheering on murders being committed by a tin pot dictator shows their true character.
This is exactly how the Taliban rules. Exactly.
If you are a fan of Sharia Law, you support Duterte. Most of the folks cheering on this murderer don’t know enough to understand any of this, of course. Ignorance is bliss.
“I love the poorly educated!” Go Trump!
Obviously, the only thing separating the savages from the righteous in the case is… well, what side their on.