Extrajudicial killings

Extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances in the Philippines are illegal liquidations,
unlawful or felonious killings and forced disappearances in the Philippines. These are forms
of extrajudicial punishment, and include extrajudicial executions, summary executions, arbitrary
arrest and detentions, and failed prosecutions due to political activities of leading political, trade
union members, dissident and/or social figures, left-wing political parties, non-governmental
organizations, political journalists, outspoken clergy, anti-mining activists, agricultural reform
activists, members of organizations that are allied or legal fronts of the communist movement
like "Bayan group" or suspected supporters of the NPA and its political wing, the Communist
Party of the Philippines (CPP) by either the state government, state authorities like the armed
forces and police (as in Liberia under Charles G. Taylor), or by criminal outfits such as
the Italian Mafia.
Extrajudicial killings are most commonly referred to as "salvaging" in Philippine English. The
word is believed to be a direct Anglicization of Tagalog salbahe ("cruel", "barbaric"),
from Spanish salvaje ("wild", "savage").
Extrajudicial killings (EJKs) is also synonymous with the term "extralegal killings" (ELKs).
Extrajudicial/ extralegal killings (EJKs/ ELKs) and enforced disappearances (EDs) are unique in
the Philippines in as much as it is publicly and commonly known to be committed also by nonstate armed groups (NAGs) such as the New Peoples Army (NPA) and the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF). Though cases have been well documented with conservative estimates
of EJKs/ ELKs and EDs committed by the NPAs numbering to about 900-1,000 victims based on
the discovery of numerous mass grave sites all over country, legal mechanisms for accountability
of non-state actors have been weak if not wholly non-existent

Do you think this case is it criminals killing criminals?

This photo shows a placard reading 'Do not follow me, I am a drug pusher and my house is a
drug den,' next to victims who were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Manila on July 28,
2016.

MANILA, Philippines 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."

Did you believe that Duterte against extrajudicial killings, -Philstar.com

Yes, because according to :
Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said that President Rodrigo Duterte has assured the
international community that he is against extrajudicial killings.

In a televised interview, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said that President Rodrigo
Duterte is against extrajudicial killings.
"He specifically stood up firmly against violations of human rights and assured our ASEAN
community that he is firmly against extrajudicial killings." said Yasay.
The United Nations have expressed concern over the spate of killings in the Philippines. They
urged the authorities "to adopt with immediate effect the necessary measures to protect all
persons from targeted killings and extrajudicial executions."

Do you agree of whatYasays said?

Yes I agree to him, and I can say this totally changed my perception about Filipino people.
However, the major part of the Filipino people did not support Duterte.
Let's take a look to the official election results. We can see Duterte was elected with 16,601,997
votes, while the other five candidates received less votes. Mar Roxas 9,978,175 votes, Grace Poe
9,100,991, Jejomar Binay 5,416,140, Miriam Defensor-Santiago 1,455,532 and Roy Seneres
only 25,779 votes. Adding those numbers we can see that 25,976,617 voters did not vote for
Duterte! From a total of 42,578,614 voters, only 38.99% voted for Duterte.
Duterte does not represent the absolute majority ( more than 50% ) of the Filipino people,
because 61% did NOT vote for Duterte!
The election for Vice-President was tighter, and it strikes me that 14,155,344 people voted for
Bongbong Marcos. It seems Filipino people already forgot his father Ferdinand Marcos.

What is the response of other country about it?

MANILA, Philippines In a gathering in Manila of Southeast Asian journalists, many expressed
concern and worry for the growing number of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines since
President Rodrigo Duterte came into power.
At the Japan-ASEAN Media Forum, foreign and local journalists came together mainly to
discuss different points of view on the disputed islands and the South China Sea, but the main
topic of conversation among the media revolved on another topic: the Philippine governments
war on drugs.
In an interview with Rappler, Bambang Harymurti, the CEO of Indonesias Tempo magazine,
said that in Indonesia, there is some worry over the Duterte administrations approach,
particularly the increased number of killings.
Asked about the sentiment in Southeast Asias largest country towards it, Harymurti said it
depends on what kind of person you are in Indonesia."
If youre a human right defender, youre worried. Youre worried because this might become
infectious. It might give some ideas to Indonesians because we do have this kind of illegal
activities - extrajudicial killings under Suharto. Which was also very popular among the common
people when they kill people considered thugs, and we dont want to go back to that situation,

he said.
Drawing on the experiences of Indonesia, he also said that he believes following the rule of law
could achieve the same goal
I think using the normal court proceedings, it can be done. Because we have proven that in the
case of Indonesian terrorists, I think more than 700 already arrested, put into the process and so
on. So you dont have to go into extraordinary measures. Because usually the bad side of it is
much worse than the benefit you get.
Last week, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said that while extrajudicial killings have
been happening in every administration after Martial Law, the scale of summary killings under
Duterte is unprecedented.
How much number of killed people from ruled Duterte?
According to the Philippine National Police, 756 drug personalities have so far been killed in
police operations around the country. Another 1,160 deaths outside police operations are under
investigation by the police.
United Nations (UN) human rights experts have also criticized the Philippines' war against drugs
and the extrajudicial killings that it is believed to have spurred.

The concerns of regional journalists were further highlighted in a media forum with Presidential
Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar.
Keiko Iizuka, a journalist from Japanese newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun, also expressed
concern about the Presidents behavior and recent statements, asking Andanar how they manage
him, or whether they advise Duterte to be more presidential like.
To this, Andanar said he does not feel there is a need to manage the president, calling him the
most popular president in the world adding that at least one local broadsheet coined Duterte
the Lee Kuan Yew of this country.

When he speaks conventionally he just expresses what he feels, Andanar said.

It reflects his frustrations with the Philippine society in terms of rule of law, oligarchy, and the
injustice that has left our country where it is right now.
He also said it is important for international journalists to understand the context of the
president.
If you live in slum areas, and you live in the barangays, about 20% of the barangays in the
country are drug infested. If you live in a society where you can take a hit, a high for less than a
quarter cents of a dollar, then this country is in trouble, he said.
When you have 700,000 people who have turned themselves in because they want to be
rehabilitated and they dont want to fight the policemen, out of 700,000, you have 30,000 drug
pushers who have confessed, that is already a Guinness Book of World Record phenomenon.
Where in the world can you see 700,000 who surrendered to government because they want to
change?
Andanar admitted that he understands the international concerns, but continued to defend the
administration.
So of course the West would say thats extrajudicial killings and the West has a point. But it is
also a valid point to differentiate how many have died out of authorized police operations,
extrajudicial killings and regular murders in the country.
Duterte, who has encouraged the police to shoot and kill drug criminals who resist arrest, has
said it was a "very stupid proposition" to attribute the extrajudicial killings to his administration.

Who do you protect?

Still another journalist of Myanmar said that he understands the situation in the Philippines, but
asked whether the increased killings were worth it.
Andanar said that there has been no war against drugs where there are no casualties.
He was elected with that platform. He already warned the electorate, If you vote for me, there
will be bloodshed. So dont vote for me if you dont want bloodshed. But he was voted, he
said.
Remember the mandate, remember the context - that its too much, remember that we have
mandate to reduce poverty. You have to remember that we want law and order in this country,
he added.

Have you been to Mindanao? Have you been to ARMM? I advise you to go there but I dont
think the Myanmar embassy will allow you.
Andanar also asked the journalist what he would do if he were the president of the Philippines.
Who do you protect? The rights of 3.7 million Filipinos plus their families or the rights of say
about 700 drug peddlers who are destroying the lives of 3.7 million and their families? Its just a
simple question, if you were the president, who would you prefer?
3.7 million is the supposed number of drug users in the country.

Who wants to share a story about extra judicial killings?

At our regular village Sunday mass last week, I was listening intently to the parish priests
homily as he discussed the importance of being vigilant about what was happening in the
Philippines. He kept talking about the importance of the Fifth Commandant Thou shall not kill
and how it is relevant to what is happening on a large scale these past few months. I think he was
trying to remind us not to turn a blind eye to the rising numbers of deaths in just the past two
months.
Obviously, many knew that a rise in death toll might come to pass. Those who voted for
President Rodrigo Duterte counted on him and his hard stance against crime and drugs to clean
the streets, as it were, of drug pushers, syndicates, and would-be criminals. And just two months
into office he appears to have kept his word. As they say, change has come indeed. However,
we also have to stop and ask ourselves at what cost?
I have supported President Dutertes stand against criminals. I understand where he is coming
from and we most definitely have to start making sure Filipinos feel safe in the Philippines again.
After all, for too long those who break the law would go by unpunished and as a result more and
more criminals are emboldened to do as they please because they dont fear the repercussions.
There are many aspects of the presidents solution to violence and crime that I can understand
and even support. Placing curfews on teenagers, alcohol consumption, and more are smart
preventive measures.
However, having said all that, I dont believe that shoot to kill is the best way to achieve the
goal of a safer country. When did fighting fire with fire ever actually work in the long run? There
has to be a better middle ground. If the presidents mandate of shoot to kill is followed what we
would end up with are even more vigilantes walking the streets with a convoluted sense of wild
wild west justice. This is not the way to make things safe again. In fact, things might get even
more dangerous.
I understand wanting to clean the streets for our families, but turning a blind eye to what is
happening right now just because we it feel it doesnt apply to us is wrong. It might seem that
way now, but in the end it will come back to haunt us. What happens when one day its someone
we love being wrongly accused and gunned out without a proper trial? Or worse, what if we, or
someone we love, become collateral damage in a random shoot-out? Its not far-fetched
considering the way people are reacting to the presidents mandate.

Just last week, a Party-list congressman in the House called on law enforcers to investigate the
alarming growing rate of extra-judicial killings and prosecute the killers in the governments
ongoing campaign against illegal drugs. After all, killing is just as punishable an offense as drug
use right? One will not stomp out the other. The representative reiterates that the government
cant just stand idly by while unidentified gunman posing as police roam the streets and kill
people with impunity. If we let that go, it will only be a matter of time before it gets completely
out of hand.
In fact, the bloody war on drugs in the country has already made headlines all over the world
on news sites like Time, The New York Times, Daily Mail, and so many more. In the short span
of time that the Duterte administration has proclaimed their war on drugs, over 500 people have
been killed. These pushers or addicts were executed in the name of the war on drugs but
were never given due process or any chance to prove their innocence. In many instances a simple
cardboard sign was placed by the victim with the world Pusher written on it.
Is this what our country has come to? Killing someone and making a claim of their guilt on
cardboard is enough to make it okay? We cant allow this to become the norm. Whats to stop
someone from killing an enemy that may or may not have had anything to do with drugs and just
claiming they are a pusher or an addict after the fact? At that point they wont be able to defend
themselves and it will be too late.
Im sure we all remember the case of pedicab driver Michael Siaron who was shot while looking
for a final fare for the evening on the streets of Manila. After pausing to grab an apple, Siaron
was targeted by gunmen on motorcycles who pumped him full of bullets before riding off. His
wife, who heard the shots, ran to the scene and pushed past the police to cradle her husbands
lifeless body on the asphalt. The photo has been circulating traditional and social media and has
since become a modern day Piet of the Manila slums as eloquently put by The New York
Times.
These people, many of whom are the ones who put Duterte in power because they were
desperate for change, dont always have a voice. We need to help be their voice. We all deserve
justice. I believe that those who are guilty should be punished, however, due process has to be
observed. We need to live in a world governed by law. In fact, over the weekend, Vice President
Leni Robredo also made it clear which side of the fence she is on when it comes to summary
executions. She is grateful that the President has made several statements saying the rule of law
and due process would be honored but she insists that the killings have to stop and enjoins both
the public and the media to help drive this message home.
We all want to live in a safe society. We want to be able to raise our children in a safer world. I
commend the president on his mission to stamp our crime, drugs and violence in the Philippines.
On that note, we are all aligned in wanting a better country. However, there has to be a way to do
this while letting due process and the rule of law prevail. I remember the Latin legal phrase

Fiat iustitia ruat clum, which translates into Let justice be done though the heavens fall.
Fair justice should always prevail, especially when lives are at stake.