[Caveat: This is my opinion and personal position, and I do
not claim to be right (because I am left J
). Everyone is entitled to her own thoughts. “I do not agree with what you say,
but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” (Voltaire) Cyber bullies
be damned! Those who bully others just don’t have a better argument.]
Quite
a number of close friends and relatives are in the craze, actively campaigning
and spending their own money to campaign for Duterte. I have always been wary
since day 1, but I continue to respect the position taken by these friends and
relatives, and will never let electoral politics get in the way of my
relationships with them.
I do
not refute the reality that in Davao City, where Duterte has been mayor for
several years, is more peaceful than other major cities in the country. Being a
non-smoker, I love Davao’s rule on banning smoking in public places, and the
political will to ensure its implementation. I acknowledge the fact that criminality
is at a minimum, and I could easily report a tax-driver overcharging the fare
and be assured of an immediate action. Yet I shudder at the thought that
Duterte maintains a “death squad” at his beck and call.
Duterte and the Davao Death Squad
The
existence of the “Davao death squad” has always been a public knowledge, talked
about in whispers and behind doors, yet widely known to be true. Even as
Duterte double-talked on its existence, the operations of this “death squad”
persisted with impunity under his administration. There were times when he
denied the existence of this vigilante group, and there were times when he
admitted it. Duterte made a denial before the UN Special Rapporteur on
extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Philip Alston during his visit
in 2007. Even with this denial, the investigation of Alston showed the clear
existence of the death squad as he met with survivors and families of victims.
According
to Alston:
“A
death squad operates in Davao City, with men routinely killing street children
and others in broad daylight…….It is a commonplace that a death squad known as
the “Davao Death Squad” (DDS) operates
in Davao City. However, it has become a polite euphemism to refer vaguely to
“vigilante groups” when accounting for the shocking predictability with which
criminals, gang members, and street children are extrajudicially executed. One
fact points very strongly to the officially-sanctioned character of these
killings: No one involved covers his face. The men who warn mothers that their
children will be the next to die unless they make themselves scarce turn up on
doorsteps undisguised. The men who gun down or, and this is becoming more
common, knife children in the streets almost never cover their faces. In fact,
for these killers to wear “bonnets” is so nearly unheard of that the witnesses
I interviewed did not think to mention the fact until I asked. None of those
with whom I spoke had witnessed such persons covering their faces, and one
knowledgeable advocate informed me that they do so in no more than two cases
out of one hundred.
The
human cost is very high. Since 1998, when civil society organizations began
keeping careful records, over 500 people have been killed by the death squad.
Up until 2006, these victims were generally shot; since then, stabbings have
become more common. I spoke with witnesses and family members of 8 victims and
1 survivor, and I reviewed the case files of an additional 6 victims and 3
survivors. These interviews gave some insights into how these killings take
place and the enormous emotional damage they inflict on family and friends. The
executions generally respond to suspicions of petty crimes, are preceded by
warnings or notifications that clarify their significance, and are carried out
publicly and with methodical indifference.”[1]
The
Commission on Human Rights (CHR) conducted its own investigation. In a
statement released in 2012, the CHR said that “It is axiomatic in human rights
law that where there are human rights violations, there must be accountability.
This case of the so-called Davao Death
Squad (DDS) is about more than 200 killings, 206 to be exact, committed in
Davao City in the period from 2005 to 2009, and about the search for
accountability for those many lives arbitrarily taken. These figures are just
what came from the records of the Commission on Human Rights. Figures from
other agencies showed more.”[2] “Reliable
information indicates that, in 2008, such killings were almost a daily
occurrence in Davao City, jumping from a reported 116 in 2007 to 269 in 2008. The
killings have clear patterns – similarly described perpetrators, victims and
methods – and are rarely the subject of successful police investigations.”[3] In an interview with ABS-CBN a year ago,
Duterte admitted his links to the Davao Death Squad and even vowed to kill
100,000 criminals when he is elected president.[4]
All
these information about the existence of a death squad, their wanton operations
with clear impunity and Duterte’s admission of his connection to this group and
his rhetorical declaration of perpetuating the killings, is very chilling. This
is an anathema to anyone who respects the rule of law and who recognizes that
each one is entitled to his rights and fundamental freedoms, without
discrimination.
Duterte’s “friendship” with Quiboloy
I
know that we should not judge a person based on the kind of friends that he
keeps. But Duterte’s admitted special friendship with Apollo Quiboloy sends an
extremely cold chill down my spine. Quiboloy is the head of the religious sect
“Jesus Christ: A Name Above Every Name” and claims to be the anointed Son of
God. With due respect to his followers, my opinion is not in any way intended
to disrespect your religion.
On
August 25, 2005, Spouses Aurelio and Erlinda Rillion of Baguio City were
arrested and jailed after Quiboloy filed libel cases against them for calling
his religious group a “cult”. The Spouses Rillion were not guilty of libel. But
they were guilty of fighting so hard for Quiboloy to release their only
daughter who was then a minor, from his power and custody. The Spouses Rillion
claimed that Quiboloy bamboozled and brain washed their only daughter – a
beautiful child – into giving “religious” services at his mansion in Davao
City. The Rillions never saw their daughter since then. Aurelio passed away
without ever seeing her daughter. Erlinda continues to hope for her daughter to
return. (You can find numerous resources about this on the web.)
On
April 29, 2008, armed men riddled with bullets the house of Lumad leader
Dominador Diarog after he refused to sell to Quiboloy his 2-hectare land
adjacent to the latter’s prayer mountain in Tamayong, Calinan, Davao City.
Diarog was killed and his wife and four children, three of whom were still
minors, were injured. Diarog died and his family will suffer the trauma of this
incident, because of their assertion of their right to their property, which
was the primary source of their livelihood. (You can find resources about this
incident on the web)
I
personally heard from Lumads of Calinan, Davao City, their personal stories and
experiences about how their lands were taken away from them, their kin killed,
tortured or threatened, and how many were forced to give up their lands for a
song for fear of Quiboloy and his men. I have heard from some of the Lumads
that the Davao death squad is sheltered in Quiboloy’s mansion. Repeatedly,
Lumads around the mansion recounted that every time they heard the sounds of
motor bikes whirring out of the mansion’s gates, the next time they hear about
is about a person killed by the death squad.
Having
a public official with clear connections and special friendship to, and
connivance with Quiboloy is a horrifying phenomena. I need not elaborate.
Duterte
admitted that he received extravagant gifts and millions of pesos from
Quiboloy. He admitted using Quiboloy’s private jet and helicopter for his
campaign. He never raised a finger to deliver justice to the death of Lumad
leader Diarog. Neither did he protect the helpless Lumads who were allegedly
forcibly disposed of their lands to build this prayer mountain and mansion of
Quiboloy.
I
have been repeatedly asked why I am not joining the bandwagon for Duterte. I
have my reasons, and these reasons come from the depth of my soul. I may agree with the visions of Duterte for
the country, but I will never agree to his means of achieving these.
[1] Report of the Special
Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, A/HRC/8/3/Add.2,
16 April 2008.)
[2] Statement of the CHR Chairperson, 14 August 2012, http://www.chr.gov.ph/MAIN%20PAGES/speeches/lapr_spch14Aug2012_DDS.htm
[4] Duterte admits links to Davao Death Squad, 25 May
2015, http://news.abs-cbn.com/halalan2016/nation/regions/05/25/15/duterte-admits-links-davao-death-squad-says-hell-kill-100000-criminals.
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