FEATURE: The wrath and bloodshed of Duterte’s leadership in the Philippines

The Philippine president’s directive for those breaking Covid-19 curfew, “shoot them dead”, is consistent with a deadly regime.

CAPE TOWN, March 20 (ANA) – President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs has caused the death of tens of thousands of civilians.

Filipinos caught up in the “war on drugs” or participating in human rights advocacy are targeted for death.

In a series of scathing reports, the United Nations has warned of “impunity” and called for an investigation into human rights abuses.

The reports state that the war against drugs appears to have resulted in systematic extrajudicial killings.

Duterte’s heavy-handedness extends to other areas of his presidency. In April 2020, Duterte’s chilling speech, in a national address to the nation, ordered the police to shoot any Philippine citizen who breaches the coronavirus lockdown.

“I will not hesitate. My orders are to the police and military, as well as village officials, if there is any trouble, or occasions where there’s violence and your lives are in danger, shoot them dead.

“Do not intimidate the government. Do not challenge the government. You will lose,” CBS News quoted the president as saying.

Seven human rights organisations said on March 18 that the Philippines government would face international accountability for the systematic killings of activists and human rights defenders, as well as for the gross human rights abuses committed.

As part of a joint operation against suspected members of “communist and terrorist organisations”, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Army (PA) raided the homes of several human rights activists in Calabarzon on March 7, 2021.

Emmanuel Asuncion, Ana Marie Lemita-Evangelista, Ariel Evangelista, Melvin Dasigao, Mark Lee, Coros Bacasno, Abner Esto, Edward Esto, Dumagats Puroy and Randy de la Cruz are the names of the activists the PNP and the PA killed during raids, according to the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT SOS-Torture Network).

House raids listed as “important” do not require a search or arrest warrant, but may be conducted solely based on a person’s inclusion on a “drug watch list”.

Police who perform house searches without arrest warrants routinely compel suspects to make self-incriminating statements or face lethal force.

Last year, four journalists were killed by the Philippines government.

The International Press Institute (IPI) called on Philippine authorities to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the assassination of freelance journalists in the Masbate province town of Milagros.

In total, 86 journalists have been killed.

The Committee To Protect Journalists listed the names of each journalist murdered on its website.

The UN stated that the “Presidential Task Force on Media Security was established in 2016 to investigate and prevent violent attacks against journalists”.

According to Human Rights Watch, since Duterte stepped into the presidency five years ago, more lawyers have been killed than under any other government in Philippine history.

Data collected found that 110 lawyers were killed from 1972 to 2020. Of those killings, 61 have taken place since 2016.

Charges have been filed in just seven cases. The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) and the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) stated that this indicates a gross lack of accountability for serious crimes.

Members of the NUPL, representing activists and victims of human rights abuses, were involved in many high-profile attacks.

NUPL was established in 2007, during rampant human rights abuses under former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, responsible for 22 of the 110 lawyers killed (data collected by the Rappler), the highest number after Duterte, according to the Guardian.

Many challenges were cited by relatives of victims, mainly women, lawyers and journalists interviewed by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in recording cases and seeking justice.

“The practical barriers to seeking justice within the country are almost insurmountable,” witnesses, family members, journalists and lawyers said.

“People who use or sell drugs do not lose their human rights,” said Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, describing the witness testimonies as “heartbreaking.”

According to the UN report, some government comments have “risen to the level of incitement to violence”, and “vilification of dissent is becoming increasingly institutionalised.”

Bachelet said the “inter-agency committee on extralegal killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other grave violations, involving political, environmental, agrarian and labour activists and media practitioners.”

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher