Dawang, Karle Nevin L.

Reaction paper for Restorative Justice

Police operations and Extra Judicial Killings

Everything nowadays are alleged, every news do not show any proof, how

come we believe that it is the administration of Duterte that is ordering the killing?

Couldnt it had been really a self-defense on the side of the police officers? Let

us look into some of the articles which are released by media.

Police officers are paid as much as 15,000 for every drug suspect they

kill, according to Amnesty International.

The human rights group released its investigation, "If you are poor you are

killed: Extrajudicial Executions in the Philippines' War on Drugs," on Wednesday.

It said officers of Philippine National Police (PNP) were paid to kill

thousands of drug offenders upon orders "from high-level officials."

An SPO1 officer, who did not want to be named and is allegedly a part of

an anti-illegal drugs unit in Metro Manila, told Amnesty International they are

given incentives when they kill.

"We always get paid by the encounter.The amount ranges from 8,000

to 15,000. That amount is per head. So if the operation is against four people,

that's 32,000," he said.

 He added they were secretly paid in cash through their payroll from police

headquarters.

Killing not arresting a drug suspect is on the top of the officers'

minds during anti-drug operations because the cash is in the people's deaths.

"There's no incentive for arresting. We're not paid anything. It never

happens that there's a shootout and no one is killed," the officer said.

The report said "extrajudicial executions, perpetrated both by police during

anti-drug operations and by paid killers with police involvement, appear to have

been organized and planned by high-level officials."

Amnesty International has recorded more than 7,000 drug-related killings,

while the PNP said it has killed 2,551 alleged drug suspects from July 1, 2016 to

January 30. The PNP has also recorded 52,962 arrests.

Human rights group's Crisis Response director Tirana Hassan said alleged

drug offenders are killed based on the "flimsiest of evidence."

"Under President Duterte's rule, the national police are breaking laws they

are supposed to uphold while profiting from the murder of impoverished people

the government was supposed to uplift," Hassan said.

She also said the Duterte administration's campaign is not war on drugs,

but war on the poor.

 The report also said the police operate on an unverified list of people

allegedly selling or using illegal drugs, adding the suspects were killed even

though they were unarmed or willing to surrender.

Citing two cases of extrajudicial killings from Batangas and Cebu,

Amnesty International contradicted PNP Chief Director General Ronald

Dela Rosa's previous statement that drug suspects who resist arrest are

the ones being killed.

"Kung hindi sila nanlaban, buhay pa sila," Dela Rosa said last August.

[Translation: If they did not fight back, they would still be alive.]

Duterte has repeatedly expressed his support for the police, saying he will

back them up as long as they follow his orders.

Amnesty International said the Duterte administration should immediately

order to end all police operations involving unnecessary or excessive use of

force.

The government suspended the war on drugs on Monday, as the war

against rogue cops is the administration's new priority.

The report was based on an independent probe of 33 incidents of drug-

related killings. Witnesses, policemen, drug users, paid killers, and local

authorities were interviewed from November to December 2016.

PNP, Sen. Gordon look for basis of findings

PNP Chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa doubted the findings of Amnesty

International, saying it was meant to discredit the administration.

"Paninira naman. File a complaint. Ilabas nila ang taong yan. Dalhin sa

Ombudsman para magkaliwanagan tayo. Mahirap yung ganun na according to

ano, according ganito eh," he said.

[Translation: Produce the so-called witness and bring the matter to court

so that we don't base things on someone's say-so.]

Senator Richard Gordon, who led the investigation of extrajudicial killings,

is also looking for proof.

"They can say anything about that but they still have to prove it and it's a

good thing that they say that because that puts a hold on some reckless people

who may be doing such thing."

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, meanwhile, insisted the drug

campaign had been effective in ridding the streets of drug addicts.

"Hindi naman totoo yan, ganyan din yung [Those claims are not true,

similar to claims of] Human Rights Watch. Crimes against humanity? 'Yung mga

criminals, 'yung mga drug lords, drug pushers they are not the humanity," he

said.

As of January 31, 2017, there have been over 7,000 deaths, both from

legitimate police operations and vigilante-style or unexplained killings.

Exasperated by the illegal drugs menace in the country, President Rodrigo

Duterte has waged an all-out campaign against it since he assumed office.

 From July 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017, there have been over 7,000

deaths linked to the "war on drugs" both from legitimate police operations and

vigilante-style or unexplained killings (including deaths under investigation).

7,080 total number of people killed in #WarOnDrugs since July 1, 2016

2,555 suspected drug personalities killed in police operations, as of

January 31, 2017

3,603 victims in cases of deaths under investigation, as of January 9,

2017

922 victims in cases where investigation has concluded, as of January 9,

2017

As of 6 am of September 14, the number of suspects killed in police

operations reached 1,506. But during a Senate probe on extrajudicial killings that

day, PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa said that after validation by its Directorate for

Operations, the figure was corrected to only 1,105 deaths.

'Double Barrel' and 'TokHang'

The PNP calls its campaign against illegal drugs "Oplan Double Barrel."

(READ: Warning to drug dealers: PNP has 'double barrel' plan)

Meanwhile, Project "TokHang" a contraction of "toktok" and "hangyo"

(Visayan words for "knock" and "request" respectively) refers to the strategy of

the police nationwide to go house-to-house in their jurisdictions and convince

known drug pushers and users to surrender and change their ways.
 On October 26, the PNP launched Phase 2 of Oplan Double Barrel. After

this, the statistics that the PNP started sending to media were "reset" to zero. For

this purpose, figures from Phase 2 of Oplan Double Barrel were added to the

final figures of Phase 1 as of October 26.

But on November 2, the PNP returned to its cumulative count.

Data below is as of January 31, 2017, 6 am.

43,593 number of police operations conducted

53,025 drug personalities arrested

7,069,095 houses visited via Project Tokhang

1,179,462 total numbers of surrenders in Project Tokhang

- 79,349 pushers

- 1,110,113 users

EJKs, deaths under investigation

The PNP also records reports of extrajudicial, vigilante-style, or

unexplained killings. Many of these cases are still being investigated by the

police.

Data below is as of January 9, 2017.

4,146 number of murder cases outside police operations

3,271number of cases/incidents of deaths under investigation

875 number of cases/incidents with investigation concluded; among these:

- 543 are w/ suspects arrested

- 332 are w/ suspects at large

 Police, military casualties

Revised data below is as of January 30, 2017.

35 police personnel killed during operations

(Including 13 for validation)

3 AFP personnel killed in action

87 police personnel wounded during operations

(Including 10 for validation)

8 AFP personnel wounded in action

As of October 15, the number of policemen killed during operations stood

at 13, while there were 40 wounded.

On October 19, deaths among police personnel rose to 15, while the

number of wounded was revised to 36 after validation. The PNP broke down the

casualties between drug-related and non-drug-related incidents, then reported

only the drug-related casualties afterwards (7 dead, 24 wounded).

As of November 7, they returned to reporting all police casualties.

(Related EXPLAINER: How serious is the PH drug problem? Here's the data)

On January 30, PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa ordered a stop to police-

initiated anti-illegal drug operations, thereby ending Oplan Tokhang and related

activities like buy-busts and the service of search warrants.

 This is in accordance with President Duterte's pronouncement to "cleanse

the police ranks" first after the PNP came under fire for the killing of South

Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo in October 2016. with reports from Bea

Cupin/Rappler.com

Asked about the rise of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, President

Rodrigo Duterte shrugged off the phenomenon, saying it's the result of criminals

killing off other criminals.

"You add more intrigues and then they kill each other, better. Criminals kill

criminals, that is not my worry," said Duterte on Friday, September 2, during a

press conference in Panabo City, Davao del Norte.

The President said this purging of criminals by other criminals is the

reaction of crime or drug syndicates to the "intrigue" begun by his "war on drugs,"

which involves public naming of alleged drug suspects before any court process.

"It is the extrajudicial killing of people getting rid of the criminals by their

own hands," said Duterte.

He added that he "cannot control the criminal minds" if they decide to

murder one another.

However, there have been incidents that appear to be drug-related where

individuals, like a 5-year-old girl and college students, with no criminal record die.

Duterte previously said he claims full responsibility for deaths that occur

during anti-drugs police operations but not the extrajudicial killings.

 He, however, said he has ordered government agencies to investigate

these mysterious killings. The Philippine National Police has said it is

investigating around 900 such killings.

Duterte defended his controverial drug war by reminding media of the

effect of drug addiction on families and young Filipinos.

"You must remember that, along the way, the drug crisis hurt so many

people including parents who raised their children from childhood to college," he

said.

Menacingly, he added, "Just don't fuck with the next Filipinos.... I said do

not fuck my country."

The fact will only be known by people who were actually there and people

who actually gave the orders.

In journalism just one fact that is false prejudices the entire work. In

contrast, in fiction one single fact that is true gives legitimacy to the entire work.

That's the only difference, and it lies in the commitment of the writer. A novelist

can do anything he wants so long as he makes people believe in it.

-Gabriel Garcia Marquez