Hontiveros: Culture of violence among armed officers a result of drug war

By: Charie Abarca - 10 months ago

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday said the questionable practices of Navotas policemen that caused the death of teenager Jemboy Baltazar were a result of the war on drugs starting from ex-president Rodrigo Duterte’s term.

“I will answer that yes, this is the result of the bloody war on drugs,” said Hontiveros in Filipino.

According to the lawmaker, the Senate hearings have revealed the irregularities observed by the Navotas cops during the operation that killed Baltazar.

Among these irregularities include the fact that the police officers made no attempts to retrieve Baltazar’s body in the water. They also “rained bullets” on the unarmed teen.

“At itong paglaganap ng kultura ng karahasan. Yan lahat ay mga masasamang bunga ng war on drugs, na may na-internalize [o] may na-institutionalize na kultura at practice ng karahasan,” she added.

(And this spread of the culture of violence. All of these are bad results of the war on drugs, which have internalized and institutionalized the culture and practice of violence.)

Hontiveros likewise pointed out the terrible parallels in the deaths of teens Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz, Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman, and Baltazar.

To note, Baltazar was only one of the two teens that were killed in a span of one month during police operations intended for different targets. The other teenager, 15-year-old John Frances Ompad – was hit and killed by the police who were chasing after his brother.

“After those wrongful killings, the police narratives or storylines will be used, not to investigate, float the truth, give justice to the victims, but to justify what was done to them. When will this end?” Hontiveros asked.

She also stressed that the recent and unjust killing of Baltazar proves that President Bongbong Marcos’ administration has yet to put an end to the bloody war on drugs and its consequences.

“What happened to Jemboy is a sign that there is still no such decision. There has been no such action, even under the current administration. So that’s a challenge for them,” said Hontiveros.

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