EDITORIAL - Drug war: Not about why but how

When you say Parojinog, there is no equivocation as to what the name implies. So when the news broke out of a bloody police raid in Ozamiz that killed that city's mayor, his wife, 13 others, and led to the arrest of the mayor's two children, one the vice mayor, the other a provincial board member, the reaction was less about the raid happening at all but more on the manner it was carried out.

In story after story and reaction after reaction, the thing most people want to know pertains to the circumstances of the raid and not why the raid took place. And it is these circumstances that, on the surface, would tend to suggest seeming police high-handedness, excessive use of force, and even irregularity in the service of warrants, that is now being exploited to assail the legitimacy of the raid, in particular, and the war on illegal drugs, in general.

What should have been counted as a resounding victory in favor of the government is being wrenched away from that narrative because of the seemingly complete disregard of the authorities to keep up with appearances. It is not that people still bleed at the tiniest prick. The harsh realities of a completely different world from the one most people were born into has hardened them enough to accept a little bloodshed here and there.

But there is still a need to go by the book, or at least play the game with a little finesse as to make it appear so. Those in authority must remember that the only reason people are going along with this uncomfortable ride is the realization that the drug problem can no longer be pushed away with kid's gloves nor kissed to sleep with bedtime stories that ignore its presence.

By their silence, people have made it resoundingly clear that they are willing to pretend they do not see or hear. Just spare them the gory and sordid details. If it has to be done, then it has to be done. Just don't be messy about it. But if the authorities become as blatant as a crazed buffalo, the last remaining quiver of human sensibility will eventually kick in with great unremitting unease.

The Parojinog raid is a case in point. There is no "why" underscoring the incident. It is the "how" that is getting all the emphasis. This is what authorities need to understand, and put to practice, if they hope to ultimately win the war. The Parojinog case is rich in lessons to be learned. It also serves as a warning. What the authorities need like a hole in the head is for roles to be reversed, with people shifting sympathies. And all because one side did not play his cards well.