To kill for the Filipino | as easy as ABC

“Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque to you, saves lives. … I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to.”

These are strong lines from a film (A Few Good Men) that summarize the fiction. These might as well have been the lines today by the most familiar figure in the land that summarize a policy in real life. I am not suggesting the hero-or-saint dilemma. It is rather comforting and disturbing. The benefits are real, but the pain is absolute. If we cheer, do we encourage it? Or if we clam up, do we encourage it by silence?

It is inspiring, too refreshing to see clean-up drives in different localities, the marketplaces and towns, following the tone from the top. Finally, a leader that makes a difference in the orderliness of a country and in the discipline of its people! Then, the killings. Not only of those you would call the poison trees, but of those creatures who rely on them, and the demise of the unrelated nearby plants as well that could have grown to bear good fruits. The dumped-by-the-roadside, hogtied body of a 22-year-old female scholar and choir member, with the cardboard sign “Huwag tularan pusher,” could be anyone’s daughter. Cheer indeed, out loud or in silence, until the victim becomes one close enough for you to make an angry, brokenhearted condemnation.

What do we know? We never realized that the drug menace is as vast and as deeply ingrained as this. How wrong we were in underestimating the drug menace, and the trigger-happy ones who found a pathetic excuse to kill and commit murder in the name of the campaign. They can be prosecuted, or they can be not. Among the three co-equal branches of government in a democracy, the Executive has the most authority, and in reality, “more equal” than the others (Judiciary and Legislative). Technically, the president can pardon, and theoretically, with his appointing powers can influence who to be prosecuted or not – for violation of laws the president is tasked to implement – through the police and military forces he is the commander-in-chief of.

The country needs Martial Law like a bullet to the forehead. Countries placed in Martial Law are perceived to be going to the dogs. That’s why the president had good sense of judgment to retract on his statements that can reverse the country’s new place in the world. The prime feature of Martial Law is the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. This means that the police can do the warrantless arrests and courts cannot compel the authorities to justify why the person is being detained. Anyone can be detained and no one can do anything about it until that person is released, if he will be released at all. On-the-spot executions do not even require arrests or detentions, and even Martial Law does not technically authorize killings.

Who is disturbed when callous, conscienceless drug lords (some of them are even in political power) get killed? Kill one, save millions, and then millions more – maybe. Who believes though that many of those killed, excluding innocent casualties, are guilty, but to a large extent merely pawns, or only seduced into committing the crimes?

The Supreme Court in one poignant decision, with one beautiful concurring opinion in deciding that poverty is a mitigating circumstance to a crime, said that the hunger of one’s family is an imminent danger. Justice Bocobo then said that extreme poverty is not an exempting circumstance, but the pangs of hunger should minimize the penalty.

Stealing is a different crime from drugs indeed, but the decision brings the thought of the reality that criminals can also be the seduced, thrown into those acts by circumstance, uncallous, and redeemable.

Singapore’s most loved leader industrialized the country, curbed corruption, and instilled discipline without widespread killings. We are at the deflection point of being proud of our own leader that made the word “change” come to life. Mr. President, please use your vast, strong powers to see to it that the roots of this evil is punished by law, and their ability to use money to be exonerated, maimed by your sincere efforts to curb corruption. Please jail and punish the trigger-happy law enforcers who kill the innocents and those who already surrendered alike. Please spare those seduced by poverty, immaturity, and wrong judgment; and give them a chance at redemption and a bright future. Please use all your power to bring hope and spread the message that the Filipino is worth living for.