Pubdate: Wed, 10 Aug 2016
Source: Cebu Daily News  (Philippines)
Copyright: 2016sCebu Daily News
Contact:  http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1723
Author: Nestor B. Ramirez

SHAMING COULD NOT STOP THE DRUG TRADE

Early Sunday, President Rodrigo R. Duterte dropped another bombshell 
and announced to the public the names of seven judges, 52 incumbent 
and former mayors and vice mayors, three congressmen, one former 
board member and 96 police and military officers allegedly involved 
in illegal drug trade, bringing the total number of shamed individuals to 159.

What could the "presidential shaming" of politicians, judges and 
policemen believed to be involved in illegal drug operation attain? 
If indeed they are really into the illegal drug business, could 
shaming make them stop their illegal activities?

One thing is definite: it makes the suspects' knees shake especially 
those who are still holding public office and those that are planning 
a comeback.

Regardless how high the level of quaking, there is no guarantee that 
they will stop unless they will be silenced by the bullets of either 
the raiding policemen or the riding in tandem vigilantes.

Since the first public shaming by Duterte last July 5, 2016 
consigning five active and retired generals and a Cebuano businessman 
into limbo, no single charge was filed against any of them and not 
even one has an arrest warrant attached to his name a month after the 
public pronouncement was made during the 69th founding anniversary of 
the Philippine Air Force.

As a lawyer and a former prosecutor, Duterte's supposed refuge in 
bringing down the illegal drug business should have been the court 
where allegations are substantiated by evidence and testimonies while 
the defendants would be given their day in court to prove otherwise 
and be considered as innocent until proven guilty.

Being the most powerful man in the country, Duterte can make use of 
his influence in convicting all he tagged as illegal drug operators 
and even go to the extent of fabricating evidence against them until 
conviction.

That would at least give a semblance of regularity compared to the 
purge that is happening now in the country where suspects are either 
shamed or killed.

What Duterte claimed as a verified list included a judge who was 
killed eight years ago, a man whom he named as a congressman but was 
never elected into the post, another person as a town mayor but was 
not also elected as mayor and a police official who was identified in 
the latest remark with a rank lower than his present level.

These flaws placed the integrity of the administration's campaign 
against illegal drugs highly questionable.

This made me think that the president was handed an unverified or 
recycled list that made his bombshell a dud. Judging from the quality 
of information that the president wanted every Filipino to consume, 
one could easily quip that shaming and murder is this 
administration's most effective tool to fight the drug menace.

The president must stop giving negative pronouncement against anyone 
especially with the kind of information handed to him that is 
considered weak and preposterous.

Whoever is responsible for the unverified information must also face 
the wrath of the president because it could cause more damage to the 
families than using drugs.

Every lawyer worth his salt would not result to trial by publicity, 
character assassination and murder to win a case but by precisely 
collecting pieces of evidence to build a strong case and not by 
resorting into extra judicial methods.

With all the rhetoric that is happening, it is still uncertain what 
the administration wants to attain in this brand of war against illegal drug.

Certainly shaming and assassination would not stop the suspects from 
disengaging but would somehow sow more hatred and anger among the 
children and loved ones of those who are publicly shamed by the president.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom