‘Collateral damage,’ says Evasco of 2,000 people slain

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

THE government considers some 2,000 people who were killed in the government’s war on drugs as “collateral damage” even as it is bent on pursuing the crackdown “until the last drug personality is killed” despite criticisms by human rights advocates, Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. said over the weekend.

Evasco said there is now a movement in Metro Manila to discredit the Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drugs by human rights groups.

He said human rights advocates are wrong to assert their position in the context of a country where the five pillars of criminal justice system have collapsed. As such, “human rights advocacy is unpopular because people perceive you as someone on the side of the criminals.”

Evasco said this during the launch of the group Kilusang Pagbabago (Movement for Change) in northern Mindanao at the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology in Iligan City over the weekend.

Evasco said the problem on illegal drugs “is almost beyond control” because it involves almost all sectors, including local and barangay government officials.

“Mao kini karon nga mangisog gyud si President Duterte in his fight against illegal drugs tungod kay dunay uban diha nga protectors,” he said.

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) has reported that from July 1 to Sept. 8, 1,445 persons were killed in various police operations; 15,672 were arrested; 704,074 “surrendered”; and 859,299 houses were “visited” by the police in line with the “Tokhang” campaign.  Since last month, the figures have increased to over 3,000.

Evasco said the problem has been aggravated by the involvement of police officers, prosecutors, judges and jailers as protectors.

“Kung kini na-corrupt na, we cannot find any justice. Then ang jail diha gi-manufacturate ang drugs, we cannot find any justice. And the fifth pillar is the community wherein drug and other criminal syndicates await an inmate to come out kay ipa-apil kanila, wala na gyuy mahitabo sa atong nasud,” he said.

He said Duterte is determined in his campaign and “will not stop until the last drug personality is killed.”

But at the same time, Evasco said the government is also working to improve the community-based rehabilitation program for drug addicts with the help of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Health (DOH).

“We are targeting 10 percent of the those who are considered under the influence of illegal drugs to be placed in the center-based organizations,” he said.