Hundreds of Philippine police are filing their resignations. Why?
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Mark Saludes Contributor
| Manila, Philippines
For years, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has been on the front lines of the country鈥檚 violent war on drugs, and all the corruption that comes with it. Now, in a bid to restore public trust as leaders recalibrate the country鈥檚 anti-drug strategy, Interior Secretary Benjamin 鈥淏enhur鈥� Abalos Jr. has urged all senior officers to voluntarily resign by Jan. 31.
So far, some 900 generals and colonels have offered to vacate their posts, but will continue working until a committee assesses their links to the drug trade and decides whether to accept or reject their resignation.
Mr. Abalos admitted that the 鈥渧ery radical approach鈥� is a 鈥渟hortcut鈥� to the lengthy judicial process. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to fight in a war when your ally will be the one to shoot you in the back,鈥� he told reporters in a news briefing. 鈥淲e need to cleanse our ranks. The people who trust us must trust us even more.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onThe ongoing purge of police officers involved in the Philippines鈥� illegal drug trade could make way for a less violent war on drugs, but victims say it does little to deliver justice for past offenses.
While some welcome the pivot away from former President Rodrigo Duterte鈥檚 laissez-faire approach to police misconduct, few see it as a legitimate step toward justice. Rights advocates and victims of the drug war have criticized Mr. Abalos鈥� focus on the PNP鈥檚 top brass and his reliance on internal reviews, saying the resignation plan sidesteps existing processes for accountability.
鈥淚t is not a shortcut; it is a deviation,鈥� says Carlos Conde, a senior researcher with the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch, describing Mr. Abalos鈥� call as 鈥渁 PR stunt.鈥澛�
鈥淚f the government is really serious, it should investigate the cases that implicate the police in the extrajudicial killings, planting of evidence, other human rights abuses, and involvement in the illegal drug trade,鈥� he says.聽
Problem in all ranks
The Philippine drug war has claimed up to 30,000 lives, according to rights groups. Lawyer Kristina Conti of the National Union of People鈥檚 Lawyers argues that everyone in the PNP, including those in the lower ranks, must be investigated.
The police 鈥渨ere given so much latitude in implementing the war on drugs. There was a blanket toleration of any abuse,鈥� says Ms. Conti, an assistant to counsel for the International Criminal Court鈥檚 probe into the drug war. 鈥淭he promise of absolution ... emboldened police officers to commit crimes.鈥�
In addition to extrajudicial killings, the issue of stealing and reselling illegal drugs has long marred the government鈥檚 campaign. Indeed, the recent call for resignation came amid growing reports that cops were underreporting seized drugs.
In October, for example, two anti-narcotics operatives allegedly sneaked 42 kilograms of methamphetamine 鈥� worth more than $5 million 鈥� out of a massive drug raid at a lending agency office reportedly owned by police Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo Jr., who was assigned to the PNP鈥檚 Drug Enforcement Group and arrested the following day with 2 kilograms of drugs in his car.聽
Several politicians and public officials, including a group of 147 city governments, have expressed support for cleaning up police ranks. The League of Cities of the Philippines called Mr. Abalos鈥� appeal 鈥渘ecessary in upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution鈥� and 鈥渁n opportunity to defend the honor and sacrifices of police officers.鈥�
Among the resolution鈥檚 signatories was Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, a former PNP general who was recently named to a five-person committee that will investigate police officials鈥� links to the drug trade.聽
Keeping offenders 鈥渙ut of ... sight鈥�
In a press conference Jan. 13, Mr. Abalos said the names of police officials found to have links with the illegal drug trade will remain confidential. Charges against them will be 鈥減ursued in court as mandated by law,鈥� he explained, but if the evidence is weak, the government should 鈥渓et them retire peacefully.鈥澛�
That plan inspires little trust in Mary Ann Domingo, whose son and husband were killed in September 2016 during the height of President Duterte鈥檚 war on drugs.
鈥淭he public do not have access to police internal investigation,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e won鈥檛 know if they really hold those who are accountable, especially those who are involved in drug-related cases, or if they just keep them out of public sight.鈥�
Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of the human rights alliance Karapatan, agrees that the push for internal cleansing 鈥渋s a superficial strategy that will barely scratch the surface鈥� of police involvement in the drug trade.
鈥淚nstead of strengthening the capacity ... to swiftly investigate and judiciously punish and resolve cases involving corrupt practices of police officials, this strategy gives them an easy way out of scrutiny by the public,鈥� she says.聽
Killing continues
Mr. Abalos鈥� internal cleansing strategy is backed by President Ferdinand 鈥淏ongbong鈥� Marcos Jr., who assumed office last summer and sees the purge as part of a 鈥渞ecalibrated鈥� war on drugs.聽
Last year, Mr. Marcos announced that his administration will sustain the anti-narcotics campaign launched under Mr. Duterte, but with a focus on preventing the use of illegal drugs and the rehabilitation of users.
鈥淲e are looking more for the upstream, upstream of the problem, the prevention,鈥� he said in a televised show. 鈥淟et us teach the children: 鈥楧o not go there. You won鈥檛 achieve anything. Most of those who went there were either jailed or are now dead. So why would you want that?鈥欌�澛�
Yet even with the recalibrated approach, authorities have reported some 61 deaths related to the anti-narcotics campaign since Mr. Marcos took office in July. Dahas, a monitoring project by the University of the Philippines Diliman鈥檚 Third World Studies Center, counted 175 drug-related killings from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2022 鈥� higher than the death toll during Mr. Duterte鈥檚 last six months in office.聽
Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch鈥檚 Asia Division, says the government has to provide 鈥渞eal changes on the ground鈥� if the Marcos administration 鈥渋s serious about reversing some of the damage done to the human rights records in the Philippines by Duterte.鈥澛�
For those who鈥檝e lost loved ones in the war on drugs, reversing that damage requires justice. But holding the perpetrators accountable is next to impossible 鈥渋f the justice system will continue to favor those who are in power,鈥� says Mrs. Domingo, the widow.
She鈥檚 filed complaints against the police officers who back in 2016 allegedly shot her husband and son to death. The Office of the Ombudsman did not find basis for murder charges, as Mrs. Domingo originally sought, instead opting for the less severe and bailable offense of homicide. The case 鈥� one of the few filed against police officers during Mr. Duterte鈥檚 war on drugs 鈥� is still ongoing.
鈥淭he government鈥檚 move to allow police officers to voluntarily quit is an additional layer of agony and anxiety for families,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e will spend our lives looking over our shoulders because the people responsible for the deaths of our loved ones are free.鈥�
