by Renato Reyes Jr, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) President
The biggest danger to the rule of law and human rights articulated by former President Duterte during the Quadcomm hearings is the idea that “justice” can be meted out if one is presumed to be a criminal. He has repeatedly said during past hearings that it is okay to kill criminals, so much so that police should encourage them to fight to justify killing them. He even admitted to himself killing 6-7 people in Davao, whom he said were criminals.
The idea of labeling someone as a criminal in order to justify extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations latches on to the perceived slow pace of the justice system in the country. In true populist form, Duterte makes use of the people’s frustrations with the justice system to justify a brand of “swift” justice that dispenses with due process and the rule of law. It is a very dangerous mindset and policy. The dispensation of “justice” is left to the corrupt police officers who are more interested in the rewards system than in eradicating crime.
It is the same mindset that has led to the killings and arrests of hundreds of activists during the term of Duterte. Activists are labeled as “communists” and “terrorists” which is then used to target them with arrests or killings.
When the Bloody Sunday Massacre happened on March 7, 2021, Malacañang quickly came out with a statement praising the police operation that resulted in the deaths of 9 people. The statement said that those killed were armed communist insurgents even if subsequent investigations by a DoJ task force showed that those killed were not armed nor were they rebel combatants.
It is time for the Quadcomm to look into the far-reaching human rights implications of the bloody drug war. The “war on drugs” is the template used for killing hundreds of activists. In the drug war, a list is used to “identify” or label drug dealers and traders, which is then used to justify their killings. In the war against dissent, red-tagging is used to accuse activists of illegal acts, which then justifies extrajudicial killings, arrest warrants, and trumped-up charges.
The pursuit of justice demands an investigation of these crimes of the past regime. The idea that it is okay to kill criminals simply because they have been labeled as such, even absent any due process, should be permanently stamped out of our government institutions.#
