A SEPTEMBER 16-22, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL
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To the President of the Philippines THE GLOBAL Commission on Drug Policy was born from the recognition that the prohibitionist and repressive “war on drugs,” which has persisted for the past 50 years, has failed. Drugs have always existed and have existed everywhere, and it is illusory to believe that their use can be eradicated completely, particularly through violent methods. Indeed, four members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy were heads of state (Brazil, Mexico, Poland and Portugal) when the United Nations approved in 1998 a 10-year strategy to create drug-free societies. Ten years later, however, drugs produced, trafficked and consumed were more available than when the decision was taken—and that upward trend has continued since. We now admit that a war on drugs will always prove unable to prevent drug supply and use in the long term, leading only to more pain and suffering. For example, the levels of supply of “shabu,” of particular concern in your country, appear to be equally high in Thailand and Malaysia as in the Philippines, despite repressive policies. In contrast, countries as diverse as New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, Uruguay, Bolivia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and West African nations are now considering and even implementing alternatives, including laws regulating the use, possession and/or production of drugs, with marked success in harm and crime reduction. Even the
military regime in Thailand has recognized its failure to reduce drug trafficking, calling it “an unwinnable war.” Mr. President, we believe that your current strategy also constitutes an unwinnable war, at a terrible cost to your population. It is not a question of choosing between human rights and the safety of your people, as you have claimed, but the means employed to address crime must not result in further crimes against individuals whose conduct often causes very little harm. We acknowledge that your people are concerned with high crime and corrupt institutions; there is little evidence to show, however, that drugs represent the root of the widespread corruption and insecurity which your countrymen are concerned about. Repressive and punitive actions, based on the inhumane idea of sacrificing the lives of some to enhance the lives of the majority, are not only ineffective but also undermine the social fabric of your communities, with serious negative consequences: innocent victims killed on mere suspi-
Guest Editorial
Philstar.com photo
cion, orphaned children, fear of law enforcement and arbitrary justice even among law-abiding citizens, increased HIV transmission rates, and prison overcrowding. An effective drug policy is far more complex than you portray it, and should include investments in drug prevention and treatment, harm reduction, public health, socioeconomic development, criminal justice reform, as well as in secu-
rity. These measures will help address the root causes of drug use and trafficking, and not only respect the needs and rights of all individuals but will also be far more effective long-term than the brutal approach which you currently favor. — Fernando Cardoso, former president of Brazil; Louise Arbour, former high commissioner; and Sir Richard Branson, members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy (Inquirer.net)
Fil-Am group urges kababayans: Unite and support Duterte’s war vs drugs and criminality ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, Fil-Am group U.S. The Fil-Am Pinoys for Real Change (USPRC) held a prayer vig- Perspective il in front of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. to declare its support for Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s Gel SantoS-ReloS all out war against the drug pandemic in the Philippines, while making sure the Duterte administration follows the rule of law, due process and accountability. In my interview on The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast “Balitang America” with Atty. Arnedo Valera, acting chairman of USPRC, I asked him if he believes the rule of law and due process was followed in the more than 2,400 drug-related fatalities since Duterte took office. Valera explained: “The president/PNP and the military were ordered to use force only in self-defense and shoot in self-defense. Generals and other police scalawags are being in-
vestigated and cases will be filed; Non-state actors referring to drug lords, pushers and vigilantes who are now engaged in summary executions among and between them to cover their bases are being arrested and prosecuted.” Valera asserted that the USPRC will also act as a watchdog, saying “to make sure that while we support the drug war to save our nation, especially women and children, we will continue to demand accounting of both undetermined deaths and deaths in the encounter and self-defense. Calling for the full support of the drug war is consistent [with our stand] that it should be done under the rule of law.” Valera is also a human rights advocate with strong ties with the United Nations. He affirmed, “As a human rights advocate, I will demand transparency and respect for these principles. Unlike extrajudicial
killings during the Marcos dictatorship to stifle legitimate dissent, killings today are perpetrated by drug lords, pushers and addicts, and of course deaths in self-defense . If there are evidence to the contrary, then the citizenry should be encouraged to come out and cooperate with the government.” He went on to urge kababayans to not presume that the PNP and the military are killers entirely. “If there are excesses, yes we should condemn them. The Rule of law and due process are non-negotiable and we gave specific demands on this, aside from supporting the peace talks, programs for food, jobs and justice etc.” Will you heed this call for unity and support for Duterte’s all-out war vs drugs? *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www. TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel. Santos.Relos
Mary Jane and our drug casualties
At Large
Rina Jimenez-DaviD WHEN you come to think of it, Mary Jane Veloso, who is still—as this is being written— held captive in an Indonesian jail even as she faces execution on drugs charges, has received better treatment at the hands of her captors than thousands of Filipinos suspected of being either drug pushers or users. Veloso was arrested in 2010 for carrying 2.6 kilos of heroin, an amount enough to prosecute her for criminal drug possession. She underwent a trial and was found guilty. She was scheduled for execution, along with several other foreigners, but was excluded from the list after the Philippine government assured that it had arrested and was investigating and filing charges against the “real” guilty parties who had deceived Veloso into acting as a drug courier. Although Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has launched a tough campaign against drug use in his country, it pales in comparison with the “war against drugs” that the Philippines’ President Duterte unleashed even before he took office. To date an estimated 3,000 suspects have been killed in police shoot-outs or in summary executions carried out by unknown and unidentified assassins. Thousands more have
surrendered to local authorities, although many of those who reported to their village chiefs have since ended up in the “kill list.” The stakes for Veloso rose to a dangerously high level recently when it was reported that Duterte, during a visit to Indonesia, had given Jokowi the “go ahead” for the execution of Veloso in accordance with Indonesian law. Jokowi was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying that “President Duterte has given the go-ahead to proceed with the execution.” He explained further that he told Duterte about Mary Jane’s situation “and I told him that Mary Jane [has been found guilty] for carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin. I also told him about the delay in the execution during the meeting.” *** Malacañang has since, by turns, denied such a claim or backtracked on how the exchange really went. At first, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay denied outright that Duterte and Jokowi had even discussed Veloso’s case. But when Jokowi himself confirmed their exchange, Duterte spokesperson Ernesto Abella issued a statement strongly denying that the President had consented to Veloso’s execution. “There was no endorsement,” said Abella. “He simply said: ‘Follow your own laws, I will not interfere.’” Well, I don’t know. It’s an extremely fine line between “I
will not interfere” and “giving the go-ahead.” If I recall right, there was a firestorm of angry comments and outright denunciations when reports reached the country about Veloso’s inclusion last year on a list of drug traffickers scheduled for execution by firing squad. Many, especially Veloso’s family members and leaders of groups working for overseas workers, denounced what they called the government’s “neglect” of Veloso’s case and failure to stop her execution. But in a face-to-face meeting, then President Aquino was described as “breaking proto-
col” when he directly appealed for a stay of execution on Veloso. Sure enough, Veloso was given a reprieve, even if she remained behind bars in Indonesia. But even that did not stop Aquino’s critics from harping on what they called P-Noy’s and Filipino diplomats’ neglect of Veloso. *** Before his meeting with Jokowi, Duterte told the media that he would plead for Veloso’s life, that she be spared the death penalty. But in the wake of reports that he failed to put his case for Veloso’s reprieve, if not freedom, more strongly before
the Indonesian leader, Duterte seems to be taking a less trenchant stance, softening his previously pugnacious approach to most issues. Now his spokesperson is saying that there is still no need to plead for clemency for Veloso since she “is still not scheduled for execution.” Imagine if this had been said under any other president. The comments, especially on social media, would have been scathing. But in the wake of the seeming complacency of Filipino officialdom towards Veloso’s fate, public reaction seems to be strangely muted in turn. Social media posts from Fili-
pinos even seemed to turn the tables on Veloso, saying that, as a drug mule, she deserved her imprisonment and imminent execution. Perhaps these are the same folks who excoriate the “bleeding hearts” among us for raising human rights concerns about the thousands of extrajudicial killings and warrantless arrests. And if they see nothing wrong with the relentless series of killings and the climate of fear being created around the issue of drugs, then how could they be expected to feel a bit of compassion for an accused drug mule like Veloso? *** How could we, as a nation, have felt the stirrings of compassion for Veloso, the mother of two, just a few months ago, and now see her imminent fate as one she fully deserves for supposedly knowingly transporting drugs? Is it because eliminating the drugs problem has suddenly been elevated to a priority for governance, a problem that obliterates entirely all the other social, economic and political issues we face? If so, then let’s stop all pretense and tell Veloso that sorry, we may feel bad about your continued stay in an Indonesian jail and the possibility of death by firing squad, but you know, we’ve got problems of our own and bigger fish to fry in our quest for—what?—the peace and quiet of the dead and complicit?
The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.
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