Death squad

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IF there is anything concrete that came out of the Senate committee hearing on extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and war on drugs of the Duterte administration, it was the admission by former president Rodrigo Duterte that indeed, there was a “Davao death squad” (DDS).

Sen. Risa Hontiveros and former senator Leila de Lima had hoped to pin down the former president on the issue of DDS and the way this group of vigilantes-cum-police-officers perpetrated executions of suspected criminals in Davao City. But Digong Duterte’s admission and explanation dashed the lady senators’ move.

Duterte explained that the so-called death squad in Davao was composed of private individuals and businessmen — presumably dead by now — who were fed up with rampant crimes and killings in the city at that time.  Duterte creatively fought both the underworld and the underground (NPA rebels) by supporting this group which has an organizational structure. He did not use the police force because it would damage their careers, their jobs, salaries and future pensions.

‘… if bodies are left strewn in the streets along the way, each case is for the judiciary to investigate, decipher and pass judgment on.’

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In effect, Duterte implemented a novel way of fighting criminals especially those involved in illegal drugs, which was the reason known drug lords in Davao feared for their lives and relocated to Cebu, Iloilo and Las Piñas, Metro Manila. This was affirmed by Sen. Ronald dela Rosa who served both as city police chief of Davao and chief of the Philippine National Police.

The former president was emphatic that he alone should be responsible for the killings that reportedly became rampant during the war on drugs. He maintained that in Davao, those who died were all criminals.

It appears that Duterte, a lawyer, prosecutor and instructor on criminal law, was a street-smart city mayor who believed in unconventional methods. He said he encouraged policemen to egg on suspects so that they would fight back — giving police an excuse to shoot them down. That way, cops cannot be haled into court for any offense in relation to a shootout, and if they do face charges, they will most likely be acquitted.  

The matter of monetary rewards for drug personalities killed, as alleged in the hearings at the House of Representatives by former police colonel Royina Garma, was denied by Duterte.  

While Hontiveros and De Lima were horrified to hear Duterte’s tact in fighting criminals, pointing out the “foul impression” of such an order, the former president just commented that such is their point of view, which is of course, true.

The committee hearing only led us back to where we started: that the head of the Executive branch can, and will, tweak to his/her liking any strategy or tactics in the fight against illegal drugs, and if bodies are left strewn in the streets along the way, each case is for the judiciary to investigate, decipher and pass judgment on.  

With the President’s immunity from suit, it is hard to assail his policies while he/her is the sitting head of state and government, and if the illegal actuations for which the government is seeking punishment is not about graft and corruption, it is harder to complain in court after the president’s term has ended.

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