It was a memorable vow, repeated throughout the previous administration: those tasked to carry out the bloody crackdown on illegal drugs need not concern themselves with the niceties of the law and human rights. In case of legal problems related to his war on drugs, Rodrigo Duterte vowed, only he would go to jail.
Today, under a new administration with a markedly different approach to the drug problem, aides of public officials should take note of developments in the ongoing congressional probes, and the planned reopening of investigations by law enforcement and prosecution agencies into the anti-drug operations in the previous administration.
All of the Philippine National Police chiefs under Duterte, along with several other ranking PNP officers both active and retired, face investigation for offenses that could put them behind bars for life. Their families are included in their disgrace. Among them is a woman believed to be part of Duterte’s inner circle, having allegedly participated in operations that the International Criminal Court believes can warrant indictments for murder as a crime against humanity.
Duterte himself remains beyond the reach of probers whether in Congress or in the agencies of criminal justice. He is prepping for another run as mayor of his turf Davao City. Despite his family’s falling-out with the current ruling clan, it’s uncertain if the Marcos administration will hand him over to the ICC in case the court issues an arrest warrant and courses it through the Interpol.
Even if the government decides to do so, Duterte can evade arrest and be accorded asylum in a country whose leadership is sympathetic to him. In the meantime, his former aides and the police officers who carried out his orders – allegedly incentivized by hefty cash rewards and career advancement – will be put through the wringer, like retired police colonel Royina Garma, who became the general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. Accused of permanently silencing a PCSO official who planned to blow the whistle on corruption under her watch, Garma has since started talking about the alleged reward system for killing drug suspects.
The minions who waged the war on drugs are likely to end up behind bars. When the manure hits the fan, those in the lower rungs are on their own. This should serve as a lesson for those in government when their bosses tell them that it’s OK to ignore the law. Those who wantonly break the law will have no compunction about breaking their word.