I AM glad that President Rodrigo Duterte has apologized for his intemperate remarks aimed at Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
The President and the Chief Justice preside over co-equal branches of government, namely the Executive and the Judicial. It is vital for the nation’s progress that Duterte and Sereno develop a cohesive relationship.
It is particularly vital at the moment. Duterte has clearly energized the Philippine National Police (PNP) to take a more proactive position in relation to the apprehension of those responsible for the manufacture and distribution of illicit drugs.
In the past, PNP officers were under the impression that “the big fish” received protection from those with influence and that it was not a good idea to arrest these big fish. Court cases tended to focus on those who were caught with incredibly small amounts of shabu. This may look good for police statistics but did not deal effectively with the problem of widespread drug abuse.
What is needed is a better working relationship between the PNP and prosecutors.
It is good also that the third co-equal branch of government, namely the Legislative, is also focusing on the drug problem from the perspective of whether the police abused their authority in their pursuit of those alleged to be involved in the illicit drug trade. Vigilantism has also been reported and it is vital that we have the legislative and investigative framework that curtails extra-judicial activity.
The Senate Committee will deal with these matters next week.
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There is an enormous amount of money involved in the illicit drug trade. In a recent police raid at the home of Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., 11 kilograms of shabu was found. At a street value of P8,000 per gram, this represents a whopping P88 million.
Money buys protection. Money enables the nefarious ones to live in gated, high-class subdivisions. It is regrettable that the police do not have the same access to these subdivisions as they do to the remainder of the community. I believe this should be dealt with by legislation which should give the police equal access to all residences.
When the so-called Alabang boys were arrested in September 2008, the cynical ones said they would never be found guilty. Unfortunately the cynical ones were proven correct. They were eventually acquitted on a chain of evidence technicality due to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) bungling. Accident or design?
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The incident involving students from Lopez Jaena National High School in Murcia on August 6, is of concern due mainly to the wide differences of perception as to what happened.
Three students alleged that they were “slapped with force three times on the chest and some of them were hit in the stomach.”
Is this true? The incident took place during a water safety exercise at a resort in Murcia. Were the blows a curious Murcian variant of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)?
Apparently Murcia Police Station has taken the incident seriously and is considering whether to file charges under Republic Act 8049. This Act is entitled “An Act Regulating Hazing and Other Forms of Initiation Rites in Fraternities, Sororities, and Organizations.”
Was the incident relating to joining a fraternity? If not, the wrong law is being applied.
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Which brings me to the heartbreaking Servando case. This was a student who died as a result of hazing. His father, Mr. Servando worked ceaselessly to address student organizations about the risks attendant to hazing rites. He also managed to bring the case to court.
Earlier this year, the judge threw the case out on the ground that the prosecution did not demonstrate that the death was as a result of fraternity hazing.
The Supreme Court deals with cases that are brought to its attention from petitioners. I believe that in the Servando case the SC should take the initiative and carry out its own investigation.
We need an even-handed justice system.