JUST like in the movies, the sequel is more challenging on the part of the director and producer. This may require a bigger budget, and a few good actors should be added to highlight the climax. President Digong and General Bato did not promise (can’t assure) that the return of the “force” to drug war will be less violent.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) will still be the lead bureau, but a new drug enforcement group within the Philippine National Police will be formed to be a part of the new task force. This time we will see new and fresh sets of police officers who are more qualified and credible. They will be fully prepared… to execute the law, to kill as needed, and to die in the line of duty (“Oplan Tokhang 2: Project Double Barrel Reloaded”).
So, it’s just like the movies acted by Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, Liam Neeson and Daniel Craig. For our local incarnates, we have the likes of Fernando Poe Jr., Eddie Garcia, Phillip Salvador, Robin Padilla, and Lito Lapid. Can Digong and Bato make a difference this time? If we have to follow the line of thinking of the movie directors based on script; then the target this time should not just be the small fishes (pushers and addicts in the squatters’ area).
We hope that the new task force will hit the cartel composed of drug lords, generals, big politicians, and businessmen. If the president has hundreds in his drug list, then it is now the time to trim them down through legal means (due process). If it cannot be avoided, we do not opt for collateral damage but something should be done to hit the targets only. In the high-octane scenes, we do not want to let the greed get in the way of human safety.
We do not want to see a government that advocates the destruction of drug personalities for political purposes, and capitalizes on it to satisfy the expectation of some spectators. We want to believe that the sequel will have a provocatively open ending. New names will be out and some heads will roll. With eerie feeling, the bishops will again say that this is dehumanization and conveys a sense of dread.
If we expect to see a full-throttle action, we hope not to see death-defying stunts in the squatters’ area starting with the impish and naive men of the streets. We don’t want to hear freak-out news that the cornered addicts scampered during the raid and some climb the roof of the house, later jumped and hit in the stomach by protruding iron bar. The guy is found dead. (I just don’t know if priests and barangay captains would want to join the raid.)
It could be possible that drug addicts got firearms during their pot session and when they heard that the policemen are coming in, they start shooting at each other. The five of them died and the raiding team recovered later unlicensed firearms. There could be a boy and a girl who commit suicide because the parents of the girl discovered that she is pregnant.
You see, we can always anticipate hearing good stories on the bloody part of the war on drugs. Some may not be believable but there are no witnesses to tell their stories. We can only speculate. These victims are just small fishes. I do not say that we will not focus on them but we also believe that to kill a vine, we have to pull out the roots. The new task force should not start on the twigs.
President Digong should not just mouth out names. He has to produce evidence and bring the matter to court. Earlier, the president made mention of narco generals. Where are they now? They have been put to shame. Can the president be consistent in his best effort? If he wants to be a loose cannon with a death wish, we want to see hypermasculine action.
General Bato should see to it that the new task force will not have a bizarre master plan so as not to fall into a slightly comic tomfoolery just like what happened to “Operation: Tokhang.” Thousands of drug addicts surrendered but the government does not have enough rehabilitation centers. After the roll call, some went back to their sewer dwellings to continue their tour-de-force habit of using shabu.
The church can only pray that to give important value to life, “War on Drugs Part II” will not again become a splatter thriller and a whimsical fairytale-style approach to drug problem. We look forward to a bravado performance of the task force but we are not expecting for an apocalyptic sequence. Life is valuable even that of an addict, pusher, or drug lord. Life should not be removed using visceral violence.
We are still in a democracy and no Filipino dreams to live again under a dictator (after Marcos). For our war on drugs, we do not want this principle: shoot-’em up, smash-’em up to obtain energy-packed, testosterone fueled, non-stop action. PDEA and PNP, we had enough of choreographed violence. Our civilization could survive without killing. Let us start with peace. Good luck to the newly formed Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (Icad)!