Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes. NOY MORCOSO\/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and leftist coalition Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) are in agreement: the abduction, extortion and killing of Korean Jee Ick-joo, by no less than police officers, has shown that the Duterte administration\u2019s \u201cwar on drugs\u201d has just worsened the culture of impunity.
\u201cAmid the rising toll of extrajudicial killings in the country, the so-called \u2018war on drugs\u2019 has become a convenient cover for rogue elements within the Philippine National Police to commit other crimes, such as kidnapping for ransom of foreign nationals,\u201d the human rights agency said in a statement.
In a protest rally outside the\u00a0 PNP headquarters on Friday, Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes made a similar observation: \u201cThe war on drugs is now just being used [as an excuse] to commit other crimes like kidnapping for ransom and murder, and no one is being held accountable.\u201d
\u201cWe call on the President not to give a blanket endorsement for the \u2018war on drugs\u2019 as justification for killings, because now the police think it\u2019s okay to commit crimes because they won\u2019t be held liable for it,\u201d Reyes said\u00a0 in Filipino.
In a statement, Reyes ran down the instances of police overstepping boundaries the past year: \u201cThey think they can get away with the killing of a drug suspect inside a jail cell. They think they can kidnap and murder a foreigner inside the police camp. They think it\u2019s OK to run over unarmed protesters with a police van. They think they can plant evidence, coerce witnesses and cover up all their crimes.\u201d
\u201cUnless the socioeconomic basis for the proliferation of illegal drugs is addressed, the drug problem will persist and the drug war will continue to target the poor. Impunity will only further erode whatever little is left of the credibility of the police force. Impunity will only generate resistance from the people,\u201d Reyes warned.
The CHR underscored it is now an \u201cimperative\u201d to revisit the antinarcotics campaign, and called on the government to \u201crespect human rights and abide by the principles of due process.\u201d
\u201cThe Commission reminds the PNP to strictly adhere to its Police Operational Procedures, the UN Code of Conduct of Police Officers, and to remember that the PNP must promote and protect human rights because this task lies at the very core of maintaining peace and order, ensuring public safety and upholding the rule of law in the country as contained in their PNP Guidebook on Human Rights Based-Policing,\u201d the CHR said.<\/p>\n