EXTRAJUDICIAL killing (EJK) is a very hot topic since President Rodrigo Duterte sat down in his office. Critics flood against his drug war campaign especially after his pronouncement to “kill all the drug personalities.”
Some were very vocal in accusing the government, even without evidence, that the state’s law enforcement agency is short-cutting the procedures of law and is following literally the directives of the president to kill drug pushers.
Before we embark on the issue of EJK, let us first try to understand the words “Extra Judicial Killing” (EJK). An extrajudicial killing (also known as extrajudicial execution) defines as “killings where the victim was a member of, or affiliated with an organization, to include political, environmental, labor, or similar causes; or an advocate of the said cause; or a media practitioner apparently mistaken or identified to be so," according to Administrative Order 35 (Creating the Inter-Agency Committee on Extra Legal Killings, Enforced Disappearances, Torture and Other Grave Violations of the Right to Life, Liberty and Security of Person). In layman’s term, the killing of a person by governmental authorities without the sanction of any judicial proceeding or legal process.
If we base on the definition of EJK according to the AO 35 one must fall under the personalities mentioned so that the case can be considered EJK. When the state forces, specifically the Philippine National Police (PNP), intentionally kill a certain person without the judicial process, then that can be considered EJK.
The question to be answered now is whether the PNP or other state forces carry out EJK.
I would like to relate the issue here in Cagayan de Oro City since I am presently assigned here. From the assumption of President Duterte on July 2016, the Oro cops had never killed a drug suspect during illegal drug operations. The reasons for these are the city police value the human lives. We adhere to our mandate to protect the human rights of every suspect because they are always considered innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt by the court of law. All of our actions are guided with our police operational procedures.
But starting August this year, the record of having zero casualty during our anti-illegal drugs operations was broken. In the same month, Cocpo had recorded three drug suspects killed and another two for the month of September with the total of five drugs suspects killed since the start of the drug war of this administration.
Based on this statistics, the critics of this administration here in the city and even in an adjacent provinces had related this issue to EJK due to bloody drug war of this administration.
As a spokesperson of Cocpo, I can say that there is no EJK in the city if we base it on the two definitions. All of the drug suspects were killed during legitimate anti-illegal drugs operations conducted by our different drug units and teams. They were killed because they posed imminent danger to the lives of our operatives by shooting using their illegal firearms and some even possessed hand grenades. They were able to shoot our personnel, fortunately, wearing bullet proof vests.
Some claimed that the Oro police had executed EJK but they failed to present evidence. Until now their allegation remains hearsay until proven that our office is involve in EJK. The Oro police don't want to kill anybody but it is also necessary to protect the lives of our personnel.
In our war on drugs we hope to save the lives of the young generations including the old ones together with their family against the danger of illegal drugs.
Our police office is open for any investigation about this issue and the Regional Internal Affairs Service (IAS) has already started their investigation with our personnel involved in operations that resulted to the killing of drug suspects.
Cocpo would like to assure the public that we remain as the protector of the law abiding citizens and the enemy of the law breakers. We don't want that our next generations to be destroyed by the drug menace, that is why we intensify our illegal drug operations everyday as directed by our commander in chief.
The police office would also like to send a message that drug involvement is a criminal act and it can lead you to death if the worst thing will happen.
To all the drug personalities, Cocpo will never stop to find and neutralize you. We will never stop in our fight against illegal drugs because we have a family to protect and a generation to save. If you want to live longer and better, stop getting involved with illegal drugs.
Authorities were never mandated to kill or arrest innocent people but we will go after criminals especially illegal drug personalities. If during the course of arrest and the suspect possess eminent danger to the lives of our operatives, the order of the President is to subdue or kill the person.
Even our personnel are now facing the independent investigation for the death of the suspects, but it can never affect our mission to make this city drug free. If we will not do it today under the term of President Duterte, when we will start to do it? Who will do it?
Cocpo under the leadership of city director, Police Senior Superintendent Nelson Aganon, is committed to win this drug war. The critics of this administration have no balls to do it. These drug problem remains a secret huge threat of the nation, much deadly than terrorism and insurgency.
If we will not be serious in our fight against illegal drugs today, then when will we start doing this? Drug Tycoons are using the law against the authorities, we must be aware that they can pay for their protection from some of the corrupt government officials, that is why it’s not easy for them to be neutralized. But if their runner and user will be slowly neutralized and all of us can feel the burning heat of our anti-illegal drugs campaign, fear in involving drugs will dominate and their business will die naturally because no one will patronize it.