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Bloody Christmas in the Philippines

Many people approve of the war on drugs, but not many are happy with the slayings
Bloody Christmas in the Philippines

A photo exhibit of victims of summary executions in the Philippines greet churchgoers who attend early morning Christmas Masses at the Redemptorist Church in Baclaran district, Manila. Organizers of the exhibit aim to create public awareness on the consequence of the government's war against illegal drugs. (Photo by Vincent Go)

Published: December 22, 2016 06:10 AM GMT
Updated: December 22, 2016 06:14 AM GMT

Christmas is a festive season into which love and generosity are woven as timeless virtues. 

Or so we think.

This Christmas is bloody. It compels us to pause and rethink the memories we are to create this season. If the season were about joy and life, how do we square it with all the killings that now happen around us? How do we square it with a government that wants to reinstate the death penalty? How do we square it with the president's admission that he himself has killed people?   

 

The numbers

The numbers keep changing. But recent reports show that more than 6,000 deaths linked to the war on drugs have been reported, 2,124 of which took place during police operations. According to the Philippine National Police, there are at least 4,049 unexplained killings.

To be sure, the public willingly approves of the government's crackdown on illegal drugs as a whole. Such acceptance is not surprising given that more than 900,000 around the country have surrendered and more than 41,000 have been arrested. These numbers are making an impact on the public for whom criminality and substance abuse are tangible concerns. Given these figures, the National Police chief claims that people feel safer now.  

The numbers do not immediately include innocent individuals killed in the line of fire. These accidental deaths are readily dismissed as "collateral damage."

And yet at the same time, a survey shows that 94 percent of Filipinos believe that it is "very" or "somewhat important" that drug suspects are caught alive. Only one percent said it is not important at all.   

 

No public uproar

While many people approve of the war on drugs, not many are happy with the killings. And yet no public uproar is palpable.

Worse, people who fight for life and due process have been recast as enemies of peace and progress. We sometimes call them human rights activists.

Furthermore, the move to revive the death penalty is gaining traction. No less than Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez of the House of Representatives has committed to prioritize it at the start of 2017. He does not care whether it is by hanging convicts or shooting them by firing squad — as long as Satan is killed, referring to criminals, of course.  

There is no public uproar because people have accepted the promise of security as a fact. They have accepted the war on drugs as a necessary evil to root out social evil. In so doing, they have given consent to collateral damage in the name of social order. At least 85 percent of Filipinos are satisfied with the war on drugs, according to a survey.

No wonder then that when Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte affirmed his commitment to executing drug criminals, his Filipino audience in Singapore cheered him on.

But there's another reality. People are afraid. Almost eight out of 10 Filipinos are afraid that they or someone they know will be killed by this war. Hence their silence.      

 

A time of killing

Christmas this year comes at a time of killing. Here's the sad part: cries of injustice are drowned out by yuletide chaos.

It is as if no innocent life has yet been sacrificed. It is as if the law is fairly administered. It is as if this administration is above reproach. It is as if this violent approach has succeeded elsewhere.    

Christmas is coming. And it continues to offer joy. Why not? Beneath the incarnational narrative is a message of hope by Immanuel, the one who declares that God is with us and He is ready to forgive. But even that lesson is now too soft for a people afraid and yet thirsty for blood.

Jayeel Serrano Cornelio, PhD is the director of the Development Studies Program at Ateneo de Manila University. His book on Filipino Catholic youth was recently published. Follow him on Twitter @jayeel_cornelio.

 

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