Alvaran, Mar Anthony Joseph G. Intro: to Phil Politics and Gov.

POL1A Inst. Franz Jude Abelgas

Assessment Worksheet 1 & 2

 “If I fail in three months, better leave the country or I will step down and give the

presidency to Bongbong.” - President Rodrigo Roa Duterte

On the 30th of June, exactly as then aspirant, now current President of the Republic of the

Philippines Rodrigo Roa Duterte announced the launching of his attempt to fully eradicate the

presence of illegal drugs and substances in the country through the means of waging an all-out

war with drug syndicates down to their small-time operations. He had famously promised the

populace his controversial statement to “get rid of corruption, drugs, and criminality.” Yet 6

years and nearing the next presidential elections of 2022, there was hardly any change at all. As

per the estimate of the International Criminal Court, it is reported over 12,000 to 30,000 civilian

deaths as of July 2016 to March 2019. Although it may sound promising to the average Filipino

that within three months for the country to be considered “drug-free”, it is nothing but a

complete shot in the dark; not even the brightest minds that the Philippines could offer can flush

out the corrupt scum in the country, especially when these “scums” are usually found sitting in

seats of power in the Malacanang. The Public opinion and Perception of the general public did

not seem to change, as per the Philippine News Agency, his trust and approval ratings rose from

60% to 65% by the start of December 2021. Perception (the expression of all those members of

a group who are giving attention in any way to a given issue (Albig, 1939), being that the

President justifies Extrajudicial killings as a surefire process of eradicating drugs as a whole

would eventually take a toll and gain the attention of multiple Human Rights activists and the

interference of the International Criminal Court.

Duterte’s Drug War may be interconnected with the government that he partakes in– the same

government in which the importance of Democracy is instilled, as per democracy, it is the right

of each individual to cast their vote to whomever they see fit to take a political position. His

credentials and achievements of Davao City which was considered as the 9th safest city in the

world surely skyrocketed his name in the world of politics, it is quite ironic that according to

national police data, Davao is home to one of the highest murder and rape rates (second) in the

country. There is no argument that illegal drugs and substances will and forever remain as a

menace to our society, but most of the problems that come with Duterte’s drug war come from

the inside, the perpetrators of the system that the government never tries to bat an eye on– it is

our government officials, placed in the seat of power, picked by the citizens that want reform and

were promised change, who perpetuate the system and because of this the idea of Kleptocracy,

wherein officials manipulate and abuse their gains at the expense of the people that voted them in

the first place.

It is without a doubt that the idea of the drug community is an open secret in the slums of our

cities– even before Duterte waged an all-out war against the cartels, most if not all, are more

afraid of the cartels striking revenge on those who squeal in contrast to those who fear the law

enforcement. But also to point out is that even the Filipino voters need to take partial blame for

allowing men of rank and wealth to rule the country without even scrutinizing their track record,

criminal cases (if any), and their morality. It might be hypocritical and offensive for me to state

that the Filipinos are very dependent on the people they elect; as if voting was the only job they

do and wait for changes to be made, not realizing that they, as the majority possess the ability to

reshape the country, but unfortunately, we are not yet ready for that.
We are severely Underdeveloped despite being rich in natural resources– underdevelopment

which is caused by corruption, oligarchic corporations, church meddling, and especially poor

education, which in turn lead to the usage of illegal drugs– drugs in which are sold, re-sold,

confiscated, and sold again. Injustice is present all over the countless murders of the accused,

guilty, bystander, or those who were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. A common

statement, otherwise known as “Nanlaban”, certainly justifies killing in self-defense, only to hide

the failed attempt in persecuting an individual, whether innocent or proven guilty, an expense

that there are just that many criminals scattered in the Philippines that even the law enforcement

despite being organized could not handle. A popular example is the murders of Kian delos

Santos, Carl Arnaiz, and Reynaldo de Guzman, students who never experienced the light of day

after they were brutally persecuted without any formal trial. Neither do we hear in the news that

a local drug boss has been detained, surprisingly all of those who were convicted do small-time

drug peddling, and with the numbers of those jailed in the hundred, the police still fail to trace

the roots of the cartel.

The media and the country have yet to know what happens next after the ICC trials if it

does come into play, but rest assured that the deaths of a thousand innocents will surely not be

tolerated and go unpunished.

Resources, Links, References

Author: Roudabeh KishiRoudabeh Kishi is the Director of Research & Innovation at ACLED.

She oversees the quality, Author: & Roudabeh Kishi is the Director of Research & Innovation at
ACLED. She oversees the quality. (2021, December 8). The Drug War rages on in the

Philippines: New Data on the civilian toll, state responsibility, and shifting geographies of

violence. ACLED. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://acleddata.com/2021/11/18/the-

drug-war-rages-on-in-the-philippines-new-acled-data-on-the-civilian-toll-state-responsibility-

and-shifting-geographies-of-violence/

The Economist Newspaper. (n.d.). How many people have been killed in Rodrigo Duterte's War

on Drugs? The Economist. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/11/22/how-many-people-have-been-killed-in-

rodrigo-dutertes-war-on-drugs

"Our happy family is gone". Human Rights Watch. (2020, July 31). Retrieved February 18, 2022,

fromhttps://www.hrw.org/report/2020/05/27/our-happy-family-gone/impact-war-drugs-children-

philippines

Parrocha, A. (2021, December 14). Duterte's trust, approval ratings climb in Q4. Philippine

News Agency. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162747

Person, & Lema, K. (2021, October 20). Philippines to review thousands more 'Drug War'

killings. Reuters. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-

pacific/philippines-review-thousands-drugs-war-killings-if-time-justice-minister-2021-10-20/

Tejada, A. P. (2016, May 16). Duterte vows to end criminality in 3 months. Philstar.com.

Retrieved February 18, 2022, from

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/02/20/1555349/duterte-vows-end-criminality-3-months