Wazzup Pilipinas!
"Extra Judicial killings and fear are becoming a norm for control to address social issues. Now we see democratic balances destroyed as it is portrayed as evil. It is heart breaking to see that we are not able to confront and make our leaders accountable. Democracy is eroding before our eyes." - Jess Lorenzo
Does it mean I'm wrong if I am outnumbered?
Last time I looked I thought we were in a democracy, and that even a single voice matters.
A single voice that never falters may be all that it takes to put some sense to those who have given up on others just so their kind are kept safe and secured. They are willing to sacrifice the weak so they could remain in control.
It saddens me to know that there are people who can soundly sleep at night knowing their fellow men are being slaughtered while they are happily tucked away in their beds.
It frightens me to be living with people who would wish me dead instead of rehabilitated if ever I commit a criminal offense.
I am not happy about what is happening to the Philippines.
I'm sorry but I never meant to force my ideas down anybody's throat. If I wanted to, it wouldn't be on social media where emotions and sincerity cannot be felt. That is the dilemma of being online, we become "disconnected in a connected world."
I thought we post on social media so we can get some form of feedback, reaction or comment, whether positive or negative. We should expect to receive both.
If we want to keep something to ourselves, then we would not post anything at all, unless you believe social media is just your "outlet" to let out your frustrations. That everyone should just agree with what we are posting regardless of their own beliefs.
Similar to how Duterte should accept all the criticism because he should know that he is not perfect and that he should not over-promise and exaggerate.
I was actually more concerned on the promise of 3 to 6 months to eradicate crime. We all know that is impossible. But many were too gullible and believed in him. Now let's see if he will fulfill his other promise of allowing himself to be killed if he can't do it within 6 months. I am betting he will again break this.
Dami ring kasing satsat ni Duterte. He should just let his communications team handle the talking for he is never good in that task. Lagi na lang sasabihin na misinterpreted siya. He is just not a good communicator even though he means well. Sana lang how I wish he does mean well...and puro kayabangan lang lahat yung threats at pagmumura niya. Mas OK pa kung tahimik na lang siya ang we just see the CHANGE rather than puro satsat pero di naman pala kaya within 6 months.
Duterte is like any other trapo... the same broken campaign promises... the 3 to 6 months should have included even all the whining. No excuses.
Digong is the president. He is a public servant. He deserves to know what we think, otherwise he wouldn't know if we approve of his actions or not. We can rave all we want if we see a good act, but we should also be allowed to rant if we see something wrong. That is what we call a democracy.
I am not against him. I am against his ways and thinking. There's a big difference. If he acts good, then I will support him. If he acts bad, then I will not spoil him.
There's actually a lot of suggestions out there but I don't see Duterte's camp doing them.
One is, when they questioned cops intentionally killing drug personalities, people suggested the cops should wear cameras so they could record if there were truly resistances from the suspects. But I don't see any buy-bust operation doing it.
Hindi nga ma-prove na nanlaban sila eh. It's the cops testimonial against the suspects families or relatives. Kaya nga they were advsied to wear cameras para maipakita nila na tunay ngang nanlalaban ang mga hinuhuli nila. Pero wala namang gumagawa. Lol.
That could have stopped all the speculations.
They are the ones in question. They can easily silence the complaints just by presenting at least one proof of resistance. Of course it's not for everyone to see. That would be submitted for their documentation and available for viewing by those who have authority to verify. Also, cops should be trained how to incapacitate instead of killing. We should keep drug personalities alive so they could squeal their sources - the big fish.
What they are now doing smells fishy. It is just like trimming a shrub to look like something cute and adorable, but the shrub remains to be a shrub with its roots intact. Pampaganda lang ng impression niya pero wala naman talagang impact dahil yung true source or origin ng drug menace ay mga buhay pa.
It may be wrong to assume that the masterminds themselves are the ones killing each other, or anybody under them. They should be strengthening their group instead of weakening their forces.
But this president encourages extrajudicial killings. Yun ang problema. Kahit ikaw pa ang pinakamasamang tao sa balat ng lupa, entitled ka pa rin sa due process of law. The moment we try to give a reasoning na palpak naman kasi ang justice system natin so we ignore the law and become judge, jury and executioner, that makes us a criminal too. Of course, you should expect others to retaliate. It would be a never-ending cycle of hate.
Let us not stoop down to their level. We should show them the proper way to act and behave even though most people take civility for granted.
Again, killing is not the solution because we will probably be also forsaking the innocent dahil hindi dumaan sa due process of law.
I am proposing that Duterte focus more on eradicating poverty instead - the root of most crimes and misinformation. The drug menace was caused by poverty. Drug dependents should be cured not killed.
How do we eradicate poverty? Begin with improving education. Raise the salary of teachers to attract more promising educators. Ang nangyayari kasi ay teaching becomes the least choice dahil maliit ang sweldo thus it affects the youth taught in schools.
There are many other ways instead of killing. When you don't make an effort to stop the EJK, that is also a form of encouraging.
Begin with improving education. Raise the salary of teachers to attract more promising educators. Ang nangyayari kasi ay teaching becomes the least choice dahil maliit ang sweldo thus it affects the youth taught in schools.
You can't totally get rid of drugs while poverty and lack of education is still here. Also, we should get rid of this drug menace by rehabilitating instead of killing the drug dependents.
The government should also make it easy for entrepreneurs and startups to setup their business so they can compete with international brands. We should also patronize more local brands.
The key is to empower the Filipinos so they would live a life worth living. Not scare them to obey.
Don't believe everything you watch on TV or movies, even documentaries are not accurate. Each one of us is unique. We should not be getting just one kind of punishment. Killing is not the answer.
Now, people are more scared even in the comfort of their own homes because police might come knocking on their doors and kill them without due process of the law. Unlike before when we fear only the criminals, now we also fear cops who easily get away with excuses as silly as "Nanlaban kasi" or "Nang-agaw ng baril"
BY HOOK OR BY CROOK is a totally wrong mindset. When you stop believing in a Eutopian world, then you will remain stuck in a nightmarish reality. You cannot stop CRIMINALITY if you become a criminal yourself.
Instead of increasing the army and police budget, put it in education instead. So better teachers can teach students how to behave in a civilized world.
They say people under the influence of drugs only gets violent when they are suddenly confronted. Normally, they just sit there wasted. Drug users are like exaggerated versions of drunkards who also violently react at similar environments.
There were many instances when it is hard to believe what the cops are saying. BTW, what would be your first impulse when somebody comes creeping in your homes by force and unannounced and starts pointing a gun at you? Of course you would react violently because you would tend to defend yourself. You would try to point the gun away from you.
You guys are assuming the drug suspects were high on drugs when they got killed. Were there investigations done proving they were under the influence when they got kill'ed? SOCO would not even go to the point of testing the victims' drug toxicity levels.
We should all take part, but not with the killings. Our participation ends, when immorality begins.
Instead of killing, rehab should be prioritized. REAL rehab and not similar to the Q&A routine of DSWD. This may be a slow process but it is SURE. Sabi nga nila SLOWLY but SURELY. Killing is the lazy man's way. It maybe fast but it will only eventually create more problems.
Our rehab centers are not really rehab centers but merely a depository. There is no budget allocated for REAL rehab. The way they do it in other modernized countries.
BTW, most big-time criminals are actually those who are and were former army, police, politicians, etc...not the drug users who are mostly doing petty crimes and busy getting high.
Ever wondered how these bank robbers and kidnappers get financing for their state of the art weapons and getaway vehicles?
Circumstances should never make me lose hope of humanity. Hindi naman lahat ay masama. Maraming biktima rin ng circumstances. I believe man is basically good, and that they can change. Killing them is not the solution. The evil comes when we stop believing that truth.
Are we saying they should be killed instead because they are no longer fit for society. No amount of rehab can ever cure them? Maybe advancement in technology can soon find a cure if efforts are concentrated on it.
Until one is proven guilty, you should not brand anyone as a criminal. That is what is lacking of Duterte's methods. What he is doing is the lazy man's way. Like putting all that dirt under the carpet, instead of permanently throwing them outside.
There were cops who tried to persuade me to allow them to plant illegal drugs on an enemy who did me wrong so he would rot in jail. I refused because that would make me worst than him. But those cops were just transferred to a different station when I reported them.
Komo the past administrations chose not to disgrace our country with a war on drugs campaign. wala na agad nagawa? Duterte is doing more damage than good. International media, UN, political analysts, etc., na mismo ang nagsasalita na he is merely a foul-mouthed arrogant president who is making foreigners scared of going to the Philippines. Asan na yung pangako niya na FOI? Puro exceptions, Asan na yung end of contractualization. All he did so far was to try to bury Marcos at LNMB, public shaming his political detractors with misogynist remarks, release unverified lists of people involved in drugs, etc.
I never said my opinion was better than anybody else's.
When you can't stand a heated discussion, don't ever dare try getting in the frying pan called social media. Social media was meant for us to socialize - open for feedback, comments, reactions, whether positive or negative. It's not a one way street. Expect differing opinions aside from like-minded thoughts. If you don't want others to say their piece, then I guess you should not be posting on social media.
Do you really want me to give up on you? Kahit ikaw pa pinakamasamang tao sa buong mundo, I will never give up on you in order to wake you up from the nightmare you believe is a dream come true.
It's an example that this is how we should work on our drug dependents. Never give up on them no matter how hard. It may seem to be shoving down their throats, but I am willing to be perceived that way just so they'll realize people still care for them.
That maybe our big difference. Some people just easily gives up on their fellow men just so they could move on to the easy way out.
Who ever said we are trying to outdo each other. I thought it was a discussion so we can both learn from each other and not keep close-minded. We should try to absorb all our point of views and never shut down each others' thoughts.
Is it wrong for me to share my opinions on a friend's page even though I know very well that she supports the killings of suspected drug users? Or should I be given the benefit of having the most sincerest concern towards what I deem as her misguided understanding of what is really happening? Or am I the one who is lost in interpreting the ultimate goal of a foul-mouthed and barbaric President?
I believe supporting Duterte should not mean we should ignore his wrongdoings and consider them deemed necessary to achieve an end result. Are the means no longer significant and that we should only concern ourselves with the final outcome? Are collateral damages necessary sacrifices that everyone should accept so that real change can come at last?
I could never live in a world where our lives become nothing more but expendable. Have we lost our humanity in this miserable quest for change?
Interpret it whatever you want. At least I kept trying and will never lose the drive to continue because giving up should never be an option. Just as how determined you are to prove me wrong. I guess there's still hope for the rest of us.. Don't worry, six years is not that long. We could probably manage to survive since Filipinos are known to be resilient. I would hate to say "I told you so" when that time comes. With how things are going, it might be sooner.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
