This was how the militant Akbayan organization described Pres. Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs, even as it “welcomed” the pastoral letter of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) against extra judicial killings.
It noted that while most of the 7,000 people killed in the government’s war against drugs were poor, “big time suspects like Peter Lim score a meeting with the President and is able to fl y out of the country undetected.”
“Corrupt cops reported to have used the drug campaign as a pretext to extort money from businessmen are penalized with push ups,” it noted.
Akbayan said Duterte’s campaign “is not a war on drugs – a war connotes that the opponent has the organized ability to engage the government in combat.”
“But no, there are only 7,000 poor people lying dead on the streets. That is not a war – that is a massacre,” it stressed.
Akbayan described the CBCP pastoral letter as “a necessary development that should help remind the public that killing is not a solution to the country’s problems.”
It also lamented that “an entire ethnic minority – Moros, are insulted with deployment of erring cops to Mindanao. Clearly, this so-called war on drugs divides Filipinos into two camps – those who can curry favour with justice, and those who cannot.”
Akbayan said “the CBCP’s stance on EJKs should help the public reclaim a democratic space to reflect on the human and long-term cost of this violence. With the church speaking out and exercising its moral suasion, may we inspire communities and families to speak out, so the public can gain an insight into the very real stories behind the numbers.”
“We call on the CBCP to also extend support to victims of EJKs and the witnesses who may be willing to step forward to bring perpetrators to justice. Akbayan intends to support the church in this particular effort all the way,” it also said.
