Pubdate: Thu, 11 Aug 2016
Source: Philippine Star (Philippines)
Column: First Person
Copyright: PhilSTAR Daily Inc. 2016
Contact:  http://www.philstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/622
Author: Alex Magno

FRICTION

Chief Justice Sereno went slightly off tangent when she instructed 
judges named in the "narco list" not to submit to the police without 
a warrant. She then wrote President Duterte to express her discomfort 
over the Name and Shame effort.

The President, when he exposed the explosive list of names, did not 
ask the judges to be arrested. He asked those named to report to the 
Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction over them.

The Court, eventually, did the right thing. It asked that the police 
furnish it with a bill of particulars and requested a retired justice 
to oversee an internal inquiry.

Apparently, the Supreme Court does not have a standing agency, the 
equivalent of the PNP's Internal Affairs, to evaluate complaints 
against judges. It might be high time to organize one.

At any rate, the Chief Justice provoked an angry response from 
Duterte. In his usual bombastic way, the President warned the Chief 
Justice not to get in the way of his anti-drug campaign. If she does 
not, he warned he would order officials of the Executive Department 
to ignore the magistrate.

Then Duterte allowed himself to be carried away, telling the Chief 
Justice not to provoke a constitutional crisis or else he declares 
martial law. That was a remark to be taken in the same light vein in 
which he earlier threatened to padlock the House of Representatives.

Some reporters, however, itching for sensational news, told readers a 
constitutional crisis was brewing and that Duterte was planning to 
impose martial rule. Such poor quality of reporting is unfair to our readers.

By now the national media should be familiar with Duterte's manners. 
The reason his speeches are never boring is that they are infused 
with pure candidness. The candidness sometimes borders on hyperbole. 
But it is candidness nevertheless.

When Duterte is angry, he forgets his promise not to use cusswords in 
his public statements. When he is really really angry, he issues what 
sounds like threats.

On that aspect PNP Chief Bato de la Rosa is nearly a clone. The top 
policeman, however, has been warned that, unlike the President, he is 
not protected by immunity from suit.

Together, they resemble a Batman and Robin tandem out to battle all 
the evil that plagues our society. Their valiant effort to contain 
the scourge of illegal drug use has been met with nearly universal 
acclaim. Ok, "universal" might border on hyperbole. Some justifiable 
concern has been raised regarding due process and human rights in the 
massive effort to curb illegal drug use. Dead bodies, after all, are piling up.

The more dead bodies pile up, however, the lower the crime index 
descends. It is no secret that drug use warps judgment and the costs 
of addiction drive many to other crimes.

Most law-abiding citizens are quietly celebrating the deaths of drug 
pushers. In a matter of weeks, the streets do seem palpably safer. 
"Bato" is welcomed like a rock star wherever he goes. Political 
correctness, however, restrains us from openly celebrating in the streets.

Not everyone is at ease with the tough police tactics used against 
those involved with illegal drugs. The few politicians daring to 
raise concerns over violations of due process are heckled on social media.

The body count, nevertheless, caught the attention of foreign 
governments, the world media and international institutions. 
President Duterte has, of course, tried to calm anxieties by 
reminding law enforcers to keep within the bounds of the law. But 
that is seen as a gesture and not much else.

The tough tactics is essential to the general strategy. Unless this 
campaign delivers shock and awe, it will fall short of its goals. The 
community of criminals will be unimpressed. If they are unimpressed 
they will go on with impunity. Look at the case of that mayor from 
Albuera, Leyte. Just last week, he went straight to General 'Bato' to 
deny any involvement in drugs. While there, six of his bodyguards 
were killed in a shootout with the police outside his home. The other 
day, the police finally acquired a search warrant and found a stash 
of shabu worth P88 million hidden there.

A campaign as dogged and as massive as the one now being mounted 
against illegal drugs will, no doubt, create some friction  whether 
from wellmeaning advocates of due process or from the criminal 
syndicates themselves.

We know the drug lords have been using their money to buy influence. 
We know many politicians are on the payroll of the syndicates. We 
know the drug cartel uses violence to get their way.

The friction is bound to increase as the anti-drug campaign gains 
momentum and wins ground. This will be a test of Duterte's political will.

No one knows this more than Duterte himself. This is the reason why 
he keeps repeating that he is prepared to lose his life or the 
presidency to do what he has to do.

On the war against the drug cartel hangs Duterte's promise that 
"change is coming."

If he wins this war, so many other things will change. The grip of 
narcopolitics will be broken. The corruption of local executives and 
policemen will be reversed. When that happens, the other networks of 
collusion against the public interest will fall like dominos.

The hundreds killed and the hundreds of thousands of drug users who 
surrendered is just the tip of the iceberg. The war against the drug 
cartels is the arrowhead of a larger effort to achieve effective governance.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom