Unsure about winning ‘drug war’? Media give law enforcement free pass

JEERS TO the media’s lack of comprehensive follow-up on the drug war under the Marcos administration. As president-elect, Marcos assured focus on prevention and rehabilitation in continuing his predecessor’s crackdown on drugs. But after a year in office, news coverage has not checked how the president has delivered on this promise, as their reports are mostly limited to listing casualty counts and other drug war data without the necessary analysis.

What’s the Story?

On July 3, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) celebrated its 21^st founding anniversary anniversary. Media covering the event picked up the agency’s accomplishment report, which was predictably heralded in the PDEA event. Malaya, Manila Standard, The Manila Bulletin and Inquirer.net used as their headline the seizure of PHP 21.72 billion worth of illegal drugs under Marcos’ term. 

The Philippine Star’s report projected what General Benjamin Acorda, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the event’s guest of honor, had to say. “PNP unsure if police winning drug war,” its headline read. It cited a statement that Acorda supposedly gave at the event, but did not describe it as part of the program: “It is difficult to define what the exact parameters are to say that we are winning or not.”

It was not clear in the story whether Acorda’s quote was a response to a question posed to him, but the article noted his assurance that the numbers on “accomplishments, anti-narcotics operations and number of arrests” were “good.”

What the Reports Lacked

The near uniformity of the coverage of the milestone event shows compliance of media when covering these public events, clearly unwilling to raise questions or issues with officials’ claims. The media lacked curiosity about the validity of PDEA’s self-assessment. When the agency plays a key role in one of the most controversial government campaigns in recent history, it should be subject to scrutiny and journalists attending its public events should attend with noses ready to pick up the scent of facts and follow up on the news trail on their own. The articles showed up a sad lack of curiosity on the part of the press.  

The listing of PDEA’s accomplishments should have provoked some follow up on the big numbers released by PDEA, including the nearly 22 billion worth of drugs seized under Marcos’ term. This clearly indicated the continuation of the drug trade, an activity that the “war on drugs” and its violence failed to stop. 

Why Is This Important?

The “drug war” has greatly marred the human rights record of the Philippines, with thousands of suspects killed – many of whom were described by law enforcers as allegedly resisting or “nanlaban” (fighting back). The killing of teenager Kian delos Santos, among other cases, provided clear proof of police brutality and misconduct. Out of the thousands of these cases, only three have resulted in the conviction of police officers, underscoring the sorry state of accountability and justice in the Philippines.

Any functional organization must first determine its goals to be able to evaluate whether it is succeeding in its mission or not. The country has already lost too much to the viciousness of the campaign against illegal drugs. The police leadership expressing uncertainty at this point—seven years later, after so many have been killed—is a huge affront to survivors of the carnage and to the memories of those who died. It should, at the very least, compel the police to reexamine their objectives and their methods.

Journalists should continue to probe and to question, their efforts directed toward accountability and ultimately the reform of the country’s policy on drugs and the over-all restoration of human rights as a state obligation to its citizens.