REACTION PAPER EAPP

TOPIC: WAR ON DRUGS NOVEMBER 11. 2022

REACTION PAPER

The War on Drugs campaign was started to reduce the illegal drug trade and

fight against drug users and suppliers; in Duterte's administration, it was a scary and

brutal war, drug dens were being raided, and innocent people were getting killed, which

bothered the people who witnessed it or went through it thinking that they may be the

following victims of the deadly war on drugs. The drug war in the Philippines is ruthless

and does not help to eradicate drugs as Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte

promised fully. After many criticisms of the government's way of executing the drug war,

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte continues to do this, expecting it will end the drug

problem in the Philippines. He and other high-ranking officials have ordered and

encouraged the killings in a campaign that may qualify as crimes against humanity; from

2016 to 2017 in his power, at least 2,555 of the murders relating to the drug war have

the Philippine National Police to blame (Human Rights Watch, 2017). It somewhat

serves its purpose of minimizing drug use, dealing, and trading in the country; however,

it also spreads fear to the people due to its cruel way.

As we already know, drug addiction is one of the problems faced by the world today,

linking it to violence and malicious acts. In the Philippines, War on Drugs, also known as

Oplan Tokhang, is the intensified anti-drug campaign to diminish the level of drug

consumption, drug addicts, and violence linked to drug use during the administration of

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. We are obligated to help the ones who seek help and

guide others to do the right thing; however, during the war on drugs operation, some

people got killed because some drug users "tried to fight" against police officials, and
even innocent people are killed cause of this war. The drug war's component, Oplan

Tokhang, or undercover operations, was inhumanely triggering the death of drug users

and innocent people. Those methods created a culture of fear in the people who are

suspectable in the eyes of the authorities; they tend to be careful of what they say,

knowing that if someone criticizes it, they will possibly be the following targets of the

brutal war.

This culture of fear is fed into the people's minds, and they do what they can to

avoid conflict with the authorities. To avoid being caught or killed and to ease their fear,

people tend to voluntarily submit themselves for verification, hoping their names will be

cleared in the eyes of authorities. When it is time they verify or clear their names from

the list of the police, they are listed instead as surrenders which bring confusion to them

as they are not users of illegal drugs. This situation is worrisome because those who

think they are safe from the police are tainted with their names by being users of illegal

drugs. Teodoro Locsin Jr., the foreign affairs secretary of the Philippines, reported

before the United Nations in 2019 that more than 1.4 million Filipino drug users have

come forward for rehabilitation which is a significant count, but as some people say who

are expecting a verification, receive a form that they are a surrender instead. The

manipulation of surrenders of this drug war makes it suspicious and questionable for it

to be justified and to bend their wrongdoings, killing drug users who expect change

through rehabilitation and abusing the rights of innocent people involved in the cruel and

unethical war against drugs. Even though it indeed reduces the crimes related to illegal

drugs, it is not the best way to fight and solve the problem by ignoring rights and using

violence toward ordinary people.

BAJAN, DELFIN, EMPAL, LUMNA ARISTOTLE

to be informed and to defend themselves to prove that they are innocent, which is

stated by the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Article 3 Section 12 (1) "Any person under

investigation for the commission of an offense shall have the right to be informed of his

right to remain silent and to have competent and independent counsel preferably of his

own choice; If the person cannot afford the services of counsel, he must be provided

with one; These rights cannot be waived except in writing and in the presence of

counsel." This right states that the authorities must ensure that the accused is informed

of his rights and are available for him, which means that before he is proven guilty, he

must have a trial and be safe from the violence that threatens his free will. However,

these rights seem to be absent during this drug war; the police pick whomever they

want, tagging them as drug addicts, and much worse, they cannot defend themselves

against the authorities because they will use it against them if they have no lawyer.

Sadly, they cannot argue or fight for their sides because they cannot afford lawyers, so

they will automatically surrender even if they did not commit any crime. It is known that

most of the victims of this drug war belonged to the low to low-middle-class members of

our society; this is relevant to what the police say that they cannot hire a lawyer;

however, Article 3, Section 11 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that "Free

access to the courts and quasi-judicial bodies and adequate legal assistance shall not

be denied to any person by reason of poverty," which is not known to the ordinary

people because they are consumed by the threats and violence of the authorities and

because they simply did not know about any rights of theirs. As a leader and the head

of the country, Former President Rodrigo Duterte should know about these rights and

BAJAN, DELFIN, EMPAL, LUMNA ARISTOTLE

that has been done well, especially those who execute the drug war; if they applied

human rights, because sometimes, like "Oplan tokhang," there are many extrajudicial

killings because of some ignorant police arresting who is in their list without a warrant

and killing them and falsifying pieces of evidence.

Summarily, the drug war is both a blessing and a curse for this country; during

Duterte's administration, it decreased crime rates with the cost of twisted morals that

justify killing people without due process of law, but even with those inhumane methods,

the drug problem is still rampant today. This campaign also created an excellent

opportunity for the police who want to abuse their power for fame and money at the cost

of the life of innocent people and drug users who can still be alive today if the methods

used is more humane and engaging that will not affect the emotions of the victims and

their relatives. This drug war did not truly achieve its goal of eradicating the drug

problem; instead, it spread fear to the people because of the extrajudicial killings by the

authorities whom the President protects. More peaceful ways can be used in this drug

war if the executors of this drug war respect the rights of the people to defend

themselves before given punishment, having more engaging and trustworthy authorities

who do not threaten the civilians to surrender without evidence against them and, to

serve and protect the welfare of the ordinary people truly. Furthermore, the government

can do better to eradicate the drug problem in this country competently by strengthening

the education system concerning the harmful effects of illegal drugs and teaching

anyone about their rights just in case of violation, creating a better rehabilitation center

BAJAN, DELFIN, EMPAL, LUMNA ARISTOTLE

towards rich and poor, in achieving justice.

BAJAN, DELFIN, EMPAL, LUMNA ARISTOTLE