The time to debate the spate of killings unrelated to the war on drugs and criminality over the last week or so is over. It is time to solve these and reassure the public that the government is on top of the situation. The perpetrators must be brought to justice. Under this peace-and-order administration, crime does not pay and the certainty of punishment is real—not illusory.
Up until the assassination of Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili presumably by sniper fire, a first in the country, and the subsequent killings of General Tinio Mayor Ferdinand Bote and former prosecutor Salvador Solima, all in broad daylight, the public seems to have given the Duterte administration a kind of free pass as far as its iron-fisted approach in the fight against criminality is concerned. Despite unceasing condemnation by critics, here and abroad, of what they termed heavy-handed, almost lawless crime fighting techniques especially in the war on drugs, the public has continued to support the effort.
It appears that the public has factored in, as the experts would say, the daily toll on lives—33 killings a day from July 1, 2016 to May 30, 2018—as part of the normal course of things under a regime that vowed to arrest the deteriorating crime situation by whatever means possible, fair or foul. Such is the public response up until a few days ago. No longer. Now fear is creeping in and the public is hungry for action—real, honest-to-goodness action which not only bring the perpetrators to justice but prevent any more unwarranted killings happening.
The administration, especially the police, is thus put on notice: Solve the killings and prevent any further spike. Or else. On this note, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque need not debate with the usual critics about the state of affairs. There is no need for him and other Palace subalterns to insist that there is no culture of impunity in this country. Or even for him and other pro-administration officials to say that there is no breakdown in our midst and that the rule of law is in place.
In fact, it is totally unnecessary for Secretary Roque to advise the Halili children not to worry over what they hear (possibly the President’s allusion to Mayor Halili’s drug links?) since “no matter what you hear if there are incidents of killings and violation of the right to life, it is the obligation of the state to do everything to investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators to strike fear in the hearts of killers.” There is really no need to point to the obvious. It is the state’s duty to do these things and more.
What is needed now is action and not simply the daily update on the killings. Or the seemingly haphazard manner by which the police have tried to wrap up investigations being conducted on the killings. The increasingly raw, contradictory statements coming from police sources about the killing of Fr. Richmond Nilo is an example on how not to undertake the investigation and resolve the issue.
What is needed now is thorough sleuthing to determine the truth on each and every killing especially the high-profile ones. Only by leaving no stone unturned beyond the glare of the cameras can proper and responsible resolution of these cases prosper. The public, especially the families, do not need to be given daily bulletins about these killings especially if the same are in the nature of speculation. Or bookish theories on what may have happened.
Haste is waste as they say. It is also harmful and painful on the victims’ families. What we need are facts and nothing but. If the same is not available, there is no need to broadcast anything at all just to meet the daily media deadlines.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former PNP chief and himself a respected crime buster, has voiced concern over the recent spate of killings and offered sound advice for the police to regain the upper hand in this decidedly critical fight against criminality.
“The police should have more visibility and undertake round-the-clock surveillance in known crime infested areas,” Lacson noted. In addition, he advised the police to “now put in place stricter firearms control measures as there are too many people carrying guns in every place in the country.”
The police should wake up to a new criminal world, if we may call it such, which boasts of more sophisticated weapons and techniques, more brazen ways to waylay possible victims and the means to blindside the authorities on the violence now enveloping the country.
It is possible that the overwhelming focus and, might I add, seeming success on the war on drugs may have deadened the authorities to a point that we may have neglected the other sources of mayhem like illegal gambling, extortion and kidnapping, among others, all of which can lead to violence and killings. Perhaps it is really time for the police to reassess the situation and pro-actively readjust its ways before the situation gets out of control.
Bringing the real killers of Halili, Bote, Solima, Nilo, Paez and Ventura to justice the soonest time possible will be a good start.