Tambay is not a crime

We strongly condemn the recent ‘crackdown’ on tambays of the Philippine National Police that are reported to have have victimized more than 5,000 in the last few days.

While PNP General Albayalde claims that “there is nothing new” and that “they are just implementing existing city ordinances” with this recent crackdown, news reports reveal that this is nonetheless an obvious violation of the right against illegal or arbitrary arrest as well as the right due process. Included in these arrests are six individuals arbitrarily arrested while waiting for their friend outside their house and port workers in their uniforms who were spending their break time outside their workplace; the plight of these persons have gone viral on social media, but these provide a window into the probable realities of others who have now been subjected to arrest. Based on the claims of Gen. Albayalde, massive [illegal and arbitrary] arrests are already happening in urban poor communities.

This latest revelation is all the more worrisome after all of the bloodshed and dead bodies in the aftermath of anti-drug, police operations. No one will object to the arrest of alleged drug personalities against whom solid evidence has been gathered. However, many times, poor ones —who constitute the majority of those arrested— have reported that the evidence is planted and that they have been subjected to other money-making schemes of police officers in exchange for their release. Such police conduct must be investigated.

We raise the alarm that this recent crackdown by the police following verbal pronouncements of President Duterte are like a deja vu. If not stopped, this will easily follow the path of Oplan Tokhang, where our poorer fellow Filipinos, whose communities can be conveniently targeted, will be vulnerable to abuse and violations of their human rights. President Duterte’s pronouncements —and especially his blabbering and cursing— should not be allowed to become any real-time, go signal for violating people’s rights. Sadly, this appears to have become normal and regular in the conduct of the administration’s affairs —a clear sign that an authoritarian leader is on the rise.

More and more people are sure to condemn and resist this new scheme of the Duterte administration to impose absolute power over the people. Such machinations should awaken every peace and freedom-loving Filipino to take a vigilant stance against this increasingly tyrannical style of rule and creeping dictatorship.

The signs of the times are clear; ongoing martial law in Mindanao, proliferation of fake news, affirmation of the Supreme Court’s earlier decision to oust Chief Justice Sereno, retired military appointed to civilian posts, and, massive and unabated killings and illegal arrests of poor and ordinary citizens, activists, human rights defenders, journalists and even priests and other church workers as well as a climate of impunity accompanying all of these. A dark past of nationwide martial law is indeed looming over our country today.

Rev. Mary Grace Masegman

Co-chairperson

Promotion of Church People’s Response