In Manila, dozens of drug dealers and users are killed by an organization lead by the President of the Philippine, Rodrigo Duterte. This organization is called the Philippine Drug War or also known as the War on Drugs. On December 5, 2017, over the past two months, as many as 50 people were killed with suspicion of selling and/or using drugs. Police officers took part in an operation called Double Barrels Reloaded and raided more than 3,000 houses killing a total of 46 people who used or sold drugs. However, recently the government stated that there were fewer than 4,000 deaths but the exact number is unknown. Some attacks were issued by the governments and those victims who died were often found with cardboard signs around their necks which indicated they were drug dealers or users. Mr. Duterte asked the United States and the European Union for criticism on his antidrug campaign. James Walsh, a State Department Official overseeing the American Policy has suggested that he should reduce the number of extrajudicial killings.
Discussion Questions:
1. Is this type of violence beneficial to the community? Why?
2. How does the death of an individual affect the families and surroundings?
3. Is this type of action protecting or destroying human rights?
4. What are some other alternatives besides killing to prevent or lessen the use of drugs?
I think this type of violence is harmful to any community. If the priority is to protect the citizens, killing them is a bad idea. Although drug abuse may be a big problem, there are other ways to prevent it. Imprisonment would even be more humane. When families experience the violent death of a family member, they are scarred by trauma. It is incredibly damaging for a family to go through. This is why this type of action is destroying human rights.
ReplyDeleteThis type of violence is not beneficial to the community because it brings pain to the victim’s families and friends and it isn’t a real solution to the drug situation at all. These killings also incite many protests and rallies among communities, which put protesters lives at risk due to the Philippines strict government. According to a New York Times article, a teenage boy was killed by the Philippine police last year. An informant mistakenly identified the boy as a drug pusher. The teenager’s death created public anger, and his funeral procession became a protest led by the Catholic Church and activists who criticized Duterte's drug war. This drug war is destroying people’s human rights by not giving the accused drug dealers and users a fair trial by due process. I think that the United Nations should step in to protect people's human rights because people deserve the right to a fair trial, since they are innocent until proven guilty. Some other alternatives besides killing to prevent and lessen the use of drugs could be educating people about the health risks of drugs so that they won’t want to use drugs anymore. Another nonviolent idea in solving the issue with people selling drugs would be to impose expensive fines and penalties if caught selling or possessing drugs, but since President Duterte is very strict and sees only one way of doing things, that is killing, this will most likely not happen.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that killing known and proven to be violent drug pushers or users, even on the street, is beneficial to society, but I also don’t think that should be allowed to happen because it is just bringing more violence to the streets and in the case of Manila you don’t know for sure that the person you are killing in the name fighting drug use actually uses drugs. This just creates terror and fear, which does not justify the killings. Also, the people that are getting killed, losing their life, just because maybe they did drugs, are leaving behind spouses, children, parents, and grandparents, which can devastate families. I don’t think the war on drugs in the Philippines is protecting human rights at all because the government is creating more terror than the drug pushers, dealers, or users ever did, and it is the government’s responsibility to build up the safety in communities, not to diminish it. At this point, while it is not close to a perfect solution and still infringes on people’s rights, the Filipino government should arrest and imprison the people who use drugs or distribute them, not just kill them in the streets, so there is less death. While the Filipino government claims there have been less than 4,000 deaths in this drug war, Human Rights Watch reports more than 12,000 deaths. This is because the government’s killing in the name of a war on drugs has encouraged other people to also join the fight, resulting in the other 8,000 deaths from unidentified gunmen.
ReplyDeleteI think that Duterte's war is not beneficial to society. Though I'm sure he has good intentions, Duterte is glorifying terror, like what Robespierre did during the French Revolution when he beheaded a few thousand people. Right now, Duterte claims only to be targeting drug users/dealers, but it would be so easy for him to use that as an excuse to start killing more people. Anyone who is an "threat" to his War on Drugs will be in danger as well. Human rights activists, who only want there to be less killing and violence, already fear for their lives. For this reason, Duterte is destroying his people's human rights. Furthermore, under Article III of the Philippines Constitution, "No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law..." Duterte is blatantly going against his own constitution and murdering people without any fair trial.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this type of violence is not beneficial to the community, the killings that are happening in the Philippines are unjust and unnecessary. The actions of the government promotes murder of its citizens. President Durante could go about Handelig this problem many other ways, but instead he resorts to violence. The violence is affecting the rural areas of the Philippines, where drugs and violence are already a major problem. The killings increases the violence in these poorer areas of the country and lead to even more death of people in the Philippines.
ReplyDeleteI speak from the point of view of someone with a heavily Filipino background, and as someone who, along with his relatives, has seen the broken barrios and streets overrun with criminality, and the infested alleyways of drug-addled hooligans, and has watched as that eventually bled into the political landscape and turned the Philippines into what it is today. I lean towards supporting Duterte and what he is doing. The Philippines is a broken country, and people viewing from the outside inwards cannot understand simply how irreparable the political, economic, and social damage from Aquino’s time in office is as a result of the immense drug trade. Many seem to be mystified by the fact that Duterte has an 80% approval and satisfaction rating in the Philippines. This is because the citizens of the Philippines understand firsthand, just how crucial the elimination of the drug trade is to rehabilitating the country from where it has been for years. What Duterte is doing is for the better of the majority who live in the Philippines. The billions of dollars seized from the drug trade, the numerous corrupt politicians arrested for their involvement, the tyrannical mayors of provinces brought down from power, Duterte’s iron fist has all been for the better of the nation, and that can be observed simply by taking a good look at it. There have been numerous positive changes that seem to be consistently overlooked when his presidency is brought up, and I feel as though it is important to look at those aspects to understand why so many Filipinos greatly support him. I personally think that what Duterte has been doing is a good step in ensuring the safety of the Filipino economy and the secureness of its political landscape, and has been a much needed change for the Philippines, and yet, despite all of that being said, I still completely understand why people are so appalled by it. Trust me, I understand why there’s so much unrest about the issue, and I absolutely am aware of how terrible some of the individual consequences of his war on drugs has been, and there is constant fighting in my head over where I stand on the issue. I am absolutely willing to change my mind, it’s just that for me personally, seeing the benefits for the citizens of the Philippines, which includes my family over there, ultimately sways me to support him.
ReplyDeleteDuterte's war is not benefiting society because he is not giving people free will. People should be allowed to test out drugs, it is their choice. How it affects them and others around them is on the user, not the government. When drugs are becoming a problem to a society, like causing killings, then the government should step in by imprisonment, not killing. These countless killings are tearing apart families and friends. Families watch their loved ones get killed in front of them only because they used drugs. The government should instead teach the dangers of drug use so people know what they are getting into, so it does not have to end in a murder.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the violence happening in the Philippine Drug War is not beneficial to the community because it creates an unsafe environment for others. People living in the city might feel frightened to step out of their homes because they feel they will experience something frightening or scary. However, it does create a more safe community, but it also spreads more fear in the cities too. The deaths of individuals also affects the families greatly, they are hurt and upset that one of their family members has passed. Due to the killings in the Philippine Drug War, kids can become orphaned. This type of action is destroying human rights because they are killing the lives of other people that maybe had so many more things to do. They weren't ready to die, and it was the government of the Philippines that they died. I think it would be best if they didn't kill individuals because it is extreme and overall unacceptable. Drug users or dealers should be brought to jail and given a fair trial, and go from there. They can then go to jail and serve their term somewhere locked up instead of losing their life.
ReplyDeleteThough I do believe that you could argue that in some sorts it is beneficial to the community (helping stop drug deals, etc.), I believe that the negatives greatly outweigh the "positives" in this situation. These killings are affecting everyone in the surrounding communities, and Duterte is receiving a lot of backlash for his actions. People are living in fear. People are being murdered without having a fair trial and it is extremely unjust. His actions aren't helping tame the violence, but rather creating even more violence.
ReplyDeleteDuterte's idea of reducing crime in the Philippines is not beneficial at all; it is extremely unreasonable and seems like the action of a crazed dictator in a dystopian society. His mission to kill all drug dealers/users is too extreme to make a significant impact on the crime rates of the Philippines; rather, it is just hurting families and increased the number of unnecessary deaths. This killing spree seems more targeted to assume power over the people, not about a drug war. Duterte fails to realize that these killings are affecting actual human beings, not just a statistic. These are people, who have families and a personal life; the deaths of these people are only hurting others.
ReplyDeleteThis issue is certainly a very difficult answer as it depends on the side you stand with. The Philippine Drug War is not beneficial to the community, this is due to the deaths of sometimes innocent citizens. The article states there is an estimated 4,000 deaths, this is shocking as this is only data from 2017, and this is not currently. This type of violence is not beneficial because if you take a look at a very violent-period of time, the Holocaust, almost like this drug war were we have citizens being killed, it was not helping or promoting the community at all. People have to live in fear even if they are not using drugs, this is because they have a president, Duterte, he calls forth the vigilantes and he wants them to get involved. These actions of violence call forth Kenneth Roth, who is a political leader not afraid to stand up for human's rights. People are being surrounded by this wave of mass media making it hard to not hear what Dueterte is trying to convey. The death of a family and their surrounding is incredible, their is sorrow and mourn for long. This is not justice but rather injustice. In the video we watched in class it showed the aftermath of the people and how the victims families were having to deal with. "Only the most egregious cases of police abuse are thoroughly investigated" this was investigated by Karen Frances Eng. We also know that the drug usage is a little bit exaggerated because the Philippines has about 1.8 million using recreational drugs, that is less than 2 percent of the population. However the way the people and the government is dealing with this issue is very unethical. I say the government reduces the drug dealings with its country, which they are very well aware of. They should increase and hire more police and they should have a better government, one that includes the peoples thought, with these killings it goes against human rights. With population rising and the killings the Philippines should find a new way to improve their nations image.
ReplyDeleteThis type of violence, overall, is not beneficial to the community. While the killings may limit the amount of drugs on the black market, many people are innocent. Like Nick said, this is not promoting the community. In order to promote a sense of security in places that are heavily affected by the drug war, the government and the people need to work together to find a solution. If the citizens feel that the government is against them, and they fear for their lives because of the innocent killings that have been taking place, there will be no change. Instead of people cooperating with the government, I believe that people will continue their part in the war on drugs but more secretly. Most people participate in the trading and selling of drugs because it is their only source of income and most people in that situation are willing to risk their lives in order to provide for not only themselves but their family too. While these murders may decrease the drug trade, people should not have to die. From the video we watched in class, I was very shocked when the President of the Philippines said that he "would kill" his own people in an effort to stop the drug war. When a person in that position of power says a statement like that, there is no benefit to the community, and the only outcome is fear.
ReplyDeleteThe president's goal is ambitious, to get rid of any sign of drugs in the Philippines. But, the way he approaches this is inhumane and foolish. People are only being killed because of their drug usage, but why they do it or what got them into is not considered at all, there's no humanity and it is absolutely ruthless. Many people are selling drugs as they have to provide to their family , and they would probably not turn to the solution of drugs if they had better educational opportunities. A better thing to do would be to target the root of the problem which is poverty, lack of education, lack of family management and a few other factors. The president's acts do not show any sympathy to any of the families. I think the UNHRC and other NGO's should be involved in solving this problem, by educating people about this, the people who are not as aware of the problem (people living in villages). This could be done through a social media campaign.
ReplyDeleteI could see how Duterte’s methods to get rid of drug use in the Philippines can be beneficial to the community. However it would do more harm to the community since it brings more violence to Manila. People want justice for their families and some are motivated to protest against Duterte’s organization and that leads to a more dangerous community overall. The action of killing anyone associated with drugs definitely destroys human rights since they are killed from only the suspicion of selling or using drugs. There are no trials before they are punished, when there should be. Innocent filipinos live in fear of being killed or having their family killed by these harsh methods. People suspected of drug use/sales should have the right to defend themselves and the punishment should be less cruel.
ReplyDeleteThough I agree Duterte's war on drugs is beneficial for society, I disagree with some—if not most—of his methods to achieve this on a mostly moral standpoint. As Theo pointed out, Duterte’s actions are indeed benefiting the Philippines by being a means to the end of the drug trade that has been hurting them. However, as others have pointed out, the methods by which Duterte accomplishes this is more or less “inhumane.” The death of an individual can cause their family and their community to be outraged and protest against the government. This can be seen as a violation of human rights, as there is no way to ensure that who is killed is indeed a drug dealer or drug user, which is definitely something that need to be implemented in Duterte's war against drugs effort. An alternative method could be some sort of rehab, education, or economic aid plan to those who are using drugs or deals them, though the Philippines may not have the time or resources to do so.
ReplyDeleteThis type of killing is harmful to society because killing the drug users will not get rid of the drugs. People will still want to use them, and killing people will not change that. Killing people will just cause people to resent the government, which could lead to more drug use or rebellion. The government wants to keep people safe by eliminating drugs, but they kill people in response to the drug use, which does not keep people safe at all. People who want to use drugs will either be harmed by the drug or the government. Killing people gives the community the message that the government does not actually care about the lives of the citizens. When one individual is killed, the families will be harmed as well. Children may not have a parent to look after them. Friends and families will experience grief and sadness. Instead of killing people, the government could fine people for drug use or put people in jail, but killing people is too extreme.
ReplyDeleteThis type of violence is not good for the community at all. It is destroying families for suspicion of using or dealing drugs. The individual who is killed is the son/daughter of someone and quite possibly the father/mother of a child. It is also never easy to get over someone’s death, especially if the death is unexpected. This whole situation is destroying human rights, because these people don’t have a trial, and they are automatically assumed to be guilty. Instead of killing someone who is suspected of dealing drugs, the police could take them and search and or interrogate them. After they could put them into the judicial system.
ReplyDeleteI agree with sydney, The people targetted by the drug war are often victims of drug abuse themselves and are just people. The violence experienced is not justified. Each death has many more effects than just drugs being removed. These people need to be helped and aided nonviolently.
ReplyDeleteFrom the standpoint of someone who has done relatively large amounts of research on the drug war, I can easily state that there is no way that this war on drugs can be justified. I can understand the arrest of drug dealers and drug overlords. I can even understand the killing of these people, as there existence has led to the deaths of many. But I cannot understand the killing of drug users. These people are not all criminals, people who are actively attempting to hurt their community with ill intent. These are simply people who have made a mistake in their lives that has resulted in the last resort of drug use. Now their lives are in danger already simply because of drug use, not just with their lives being sought by the government. I understand that the Philippines is a unique issue due to their economic issues, but it does not excuse the murdering of the people. Here in the US, with the Opioid crisis causing drug overdoses to lead to over 66 thousand deaths in 2016, no one is taking action and many people are still dying. The current way this issue is being faced is wrong and must be corrected.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that this kind of violence helps the country at all. By conducting these extrajudicial killings, many people are harmed. I personally believe that if the government continues to do these killings, the nation will end up in a civil war. First, drug dealers and people that have power over this situation will fight to keep their power and money they have earned off this large drug market. The other side will be the families and people affected by the killings backed up by the government. This whole situation going on in the Philippines has been handled completely incorrectly. The government there needs a new leader that can bring a perspective that will sort the situation. Tighter policies need to be set in place that will cause serious issues for those involved with drug trade in any form. These killings that the government is performing is tearing apart families. Innocent lives are suffering due to ineffective solutions set by the government themselves. If they continue to let this corrupt system control the situation, progress with go backwards and more lives will continue to be messed up.
ReplyDeleteThis type of violence within a society can be quite detrimental. Although they may be getting rid of the drug users by killing them, they are doing this in the worst way possible simply because they are not getting rid of the drugs themselves. Killing these drug users will most definitely not stop other people from doing drugs, the most that would happen would probably be the drug users who are alive will be more cautious about what they're doing. When these individuals are killed by the government, it implies that the government does not care about them, and it also causes citizens to become angered and scared. This demolishes human rights as a whole since these people are not given the chance to have a trial and since some are being killed based off an assumption that they have drugs. This whole situation can be easily fixed by fining drug users or putting them in jail, rather than killing them.
ReplyDeleteThe violence created by the country does not help the country at all. Although it shows an example of threat to not do drugs or sell drugs, it can further create another mob of people who want to protest against violence. Not only was there a drug problem, now there is a violence problem as well. Additionally, other drug dealers who do witness these assassinations will only evaluate their actions and will soon adapt to these situations. Families will be enraged with anger and soon the Philippines could fall apart. I believe that Duterte is making the wrong decisions. One alternative option would be by taking the suspected dealers into custody to be questioned. There would be no need to kill people on sight and would reduce the death rates significantly. Even though the government does not really care for the single deaths of each person, it ultimately just abolishes human rights and can be detrimental towards society.
ReplyDeleteI believe that violence is the wrong way to approach this issue. It isn't helping the country, and only making them resent their leader. Killing people can never fully solve the problem because there will always be people who will break the laws, and want to use drugs. Also, a person who is truly addicted will can not be threatened to stop. Rather than killing people who use drugs, they should instead implement rehabilitation systems, and find ways to help the drug users. Using violence is inhumane, and a violation of human rights. Killing people for using drugs is way too extreme a punishment for the action.
ReplyDeleteThis is a tricky situation because there are many perspectives to this issue. Victie are hooked on drugs because they are genuinely addicted. they should be getting help form facility that can foster them and get them to recovery, killing them won't help the issue. there are also people who believe in eradicating the issue, literally. I see both sides. I believe it's more beneficial to the community, and less painful for family members and friends of the vicitms, to send them to rehab or meetings with organizations that can help them.
ReplyDelete