Pubdate: Mon, 08 Aug 2016
Source: Philippine Star (Philippines)
Column: Sketches
Copyright: PhilSTAR Daily Inc. 2016
Contact:  http://www.philstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/622
Author: Ana Marie Pamintuan

HYPERBOLE

It's just hyperbole, President Duterte said in explaining his promise 
to kill local government executives and other officials involved in drugs.

He may be telling the truth. Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. of Albuera 
town in Leyte, after all, is still alive after turning himself in 
last week and naming his son Kerwin, still at large, as a drug dealer.

As of yesterday afternoon, Mayor Mamaulan Abinal Mulok of Maguing, 
Lanao del Sur and former mayor Mohammad Ali Abu Abinal also remained 
alive after presenting themselves to Philippine National Police chief 
Ronald dela Rosa at Camp Crame last Friday.

Duterte supporter Peter Lim, despite confirmation by the Philippine 
Drug Enforcement Agency that he is the same man in the PDEA "order of 
battle," also remains alive and well after he was threatened with 
death by the President himself.

On the other hand, six of Espinosa's henchmen were killed in a police 
raid on his home after he turned himself in and enjoyed a night's 
stay at the official residence of the PNP chief.

So if you're Kerwin or any of the 159 mostly incumbent mayors, vice 
mayors, judges, congressmen, cops and military officers tagged as 
drug personalities by President Rody at a pre-dawn press conference 
yesterday, you'd give yourself a 50-50 chance of escaping the 
"shoot-to-kill" order he has issued for public officials involved in drugs.

With hundreds of drug suspects killed by police and vigilantes since 
July 1, the Duterte administration has shown clearly that when the 
President issues a threat to kill, it tends not to be mere hyperbole.

This proof of readiness to kill has to be the only reason for the 
unusual speed of those tagged as drug personalities in presenting 
themselves to authorities. For almost all of them, it's their first 
time to face the national media, and unfortunately for them, it is 
under shameful circumstances.

* * *

While President Rody has said guilt has yet to be established and 
each one on his shame list will get due process, the general 
perception is that for him to publicly name the "narco-officials," he 
must have the evidence against them and everyone is guilty.

I must confess that I am one of the many Filipinos amazed by the 
pervasiveness of the drug problem in our country  not just the extent 
of drug abuse, but the involvement of so many people in government. I 
guess drug trafficking is an even more lucrative enterprise than 
jueteng and other forms of illegal gambling. As a local government 
official and prosecutor for many years, Rodrigo Duterte must have 
seen the extent of the problem, and now he is in a position to deal 
with it. He clearly believes his ultimate objective justifies the 
brutal means, especially because he had promised during the election 
campaign a timetable of three to six months to make a dent against criminality.

It has probably helped that the President does not feel indebted to 
local executives or lawmakers. He has often pointed out that only one 
provincial governor (Imee Marcos of Ilocos Norte) and two mayors 
supported his presidential bid. At his first State of the Nation 
Address, he reminded all the balimbings or turncoats in the "super 
majority" who were applauding him that almost all of them did not 
support his candidacy.

After showing that his campaign promise to kill, kill, kill was no 
mere hyperbole, the President now has a unique weapon for imposing 
discipline even among elected officials. He must use this weapon wisely.

The survival instinct is basic and among the most powerful. And Dirty 
Rody is also Crazy Rody; no one really knows what he'll do next.

He's so unlike all his predecessors, seemingly without a thought to 
legacy or survival (in life or politically, although crushing the 
opposition in Congress indicates otherwise). He seems to be an 
agnostic so he doesn't even worry about making peace with his maker.

President Rody has happily stressed that being nearly 80 once his 
term is over, he can no longer go to prison. This isn't entirely 
accurate; there is no age limit for imprisonment for heinous 
offenses, and mass murder is heinous enough, although elderly 
convicts have greater chances of pardon or court-ordered release on 
humanitarian grounds in our country.

Speaking of humanity, this early there is talk that certain quarters 
may ask the United Nations to take a look at a possible case of class 
genocide in the Philippines, circa 2016, with state forces zeroing in 
on impoverished drug suspects. There is no age limit for UN-imposed 
punishment for crimes against humanity.

* * *

At least this war appears to be entering the next level, leaving the 
adik-adik or petty drug suspects and moving up to the major 
operators, including the public officials corrupted by drug money.

Perhaps the next targets will be the high-end nightclubs in Metro 
Manila where Ecstasy and other party drugs are distributed like candy 
to wealthy patrons. Two of the most notorious are in the turf of one 
of the President's known supporters, but he has vowed not to spare 
his allies. These clubs can only operate with the protection of 
persons in authority.

President Rody has made his point: he is ready to kill. He must 
ensure that his imprimatur is not wielded with impunity by his shock troops.

If he wants any positive impact of this vicious war on criminality to 
be sustained beyond six months and after his six years in power, he 
must complement it with safeguards against abuse together with 
institutional reforms to strengthen every pillar of the criminal 
justice system.

For this, he needs the cooperation of the two other branches of 
government, which are normally beyond a president's control. For a 
long time, elected local officials have also behaved like independent 
republics.

At this point, dizzyingly high public approval ratings give the 
President immense persuasive powers over politicians. But more than 
this, after just over a month in office, Rodrigo Duterte can ask any 
public official who refuses to cooperate with him a simple question: 
do you want to be part of the death statistics? Who can say if it's 
just hyperbole? The President must use this fear of Dirty Rody to 
push necessary long-term reforms. We can't just kill our way to a 
better, stronger republic.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom