“There is no life to be found in violence. Every act of violence brings us closer to death. Whether it’s the mundane violence we do to our bodies by overeating toxic food or drink or the extreme violence of child abuse, domestic warfare, life-threatening poverty, addiction, or state terrorism.” –Bell Hooks
President Rodrigo Duterte may have abused his authority by ordering his “berdugo,” Police Lt. Colonel Jovie Espenido, to “kill everybody” in Bacolod City. Every parent, spouse, priest, journalist, teacher, activist, and ‘tambay’ in the city is surely shaking in their shirts as any civilian can be killed on the suspicion of involvement with illegal drugs or as “collateral damage.” They may also be murdered if they resist arrest as shown by the over 5,000 alleged victims of extrajudicial killings since the Duterte administration began waging their bloody rampage against illegal drugs.
In his statement, the president appears to think people in the “City of Smiles” are worse than animals by promoting and sponsoring violence by egging-on an overrate law enforcement official to disregard due process and openly violate human rights.
The president has no regard for human life
Duterte has no respect for the Bacolod City residents who have provided him warm welcomes on several occasions and his irresponsible order may be misinterpreted by trigger-happy maniacs who wear police uniforms. He thinks the only solution to the problem of illegal drugs is to kill both the pusher and user, along with brutally waging terror against civilians.
The president assigned Espenido with a primary purpose of running after illegal drug traffickers in a city he described as being “badly hit” by illegal drugs.
“Bacolod City is badly hit now and I placed Espenido there because he is the only police official feared the most,” Duterte stated. “I told him to go there and you are free to kill everybody; ‘Go, start killing them.’”
Why hasn’t the president been criticized for his statement?
Nobody among the Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod has stood up to remind the president that the city is peaceful and any violent enforcement of the law will not be tolerated by Bacolodnons. If Mayor Evelio Leonardia is unable to criticize his friend, those in the opposition—of anyone in local government who believes in decency and the rule of law—should initiate a discourse or debate to call on the president to rectify his mistake and affirm to the public that he has no intention of sowing terror in the city.
Bacolodnons must unite and chide the president and demand he remind Espenido and police personnel to respect the rule of law and value fundamental human rights.
There should be neither more bloodbaths nor hubris when implementing the law.
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Alex P. Vidal, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo./WDJ