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31 & counting...When will summary executions stop?

by Nico Baua, ABS-CBN News | 06/26/2009 1:13 PM

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MANILA - Last Wednesday, I did a special report for TV Patrol on the alarming number of salvage victims or summary executions in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. The morning after, two more victims were found in Quezon City. I guess what forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun told me was right: it will not stop.

Summary executions oftentimes happen at night as the bodies are often discovered by dawn. Victims often show signs of torture, are often undressed and are almost always gagged with packaging tape, wires or rope. They are often killed by strangulation, stabbing or a shot to the head. The pièce de résistance is a cardboard with a stern warning, “Holdapper ako, huwag niyo ako tularan.”

These are just the usual elements. Suspects tend to be creative at times. One victim was put in a make-shift box, like a coffin made of scrap wood, and it had a spray-painted warning at the side. The box was left in Quiapo Bridge, yes, the bridge. You cannot imagine how much traffic that caused. Others are put in garbage bags. A number of them are found floating in Manila bay, Pasig river and various creeks around the metro.

Victims are almost always male.  A number of them have criminal records. Some of them are ex-convicts based on their tattoos. Most, if not all, belong to poor families who cannot afford lawyers, or even a decent burial for their deceased. No matter how violent and painful the deaths are, they don’t have the time to fight for justice as they have to face the problem of feeding their families ang looking for jobs.

I counted the number of reported summary executions in NCR and in provinces just outside the city from January to June this year. It totaled up to 31. Eleven in Calabarzon and twenty in the National Capital Region (NCR). Let me emphasize that this is a conservative count, since not all the deaths are reported to the media. I wouldn’t be surprised if an official count would be much higher. Worse, a lot of these cases are usolved. Some victims are still even unidentified.

Not newsworthy unless...

Here’s a good gauge: go to Google and type “Salvage Victims”. You will get an endless stream of news items. In fact, it’s gotten so bad that salvages aren’t so newsworthy anymore unless the execution was unique, there was drama, or the bodycount was high.

Dr. Fortun thinks this all boils down to sloppy police work. “Mahina ang imbestigasyon sa Pilipinas. Kapag hindi nahuli at nakalusot ang gumawa, uulit yan nang uulit at hindi titigil. Nare-reinforce ang human behavior. Parang konsepto ng serial killer.” 

She thinks other factors influence the investigation. “Kapag nakita nila na naka posas, o may tattoo. Ano ang reaction ng pulis? Parang may judgement ka-agad na, ay, oo nga, masamang tao ito. Na-stereotype na ang biktima. Parang doon pa lang sa investigation na-dismiss na ang kaso.”

The greater problem, she adds, is how this has affected society. “Na-desensitize na ang tao. Hindi na sila apektado, parang normal na lang ang mga salvage victim. And how do authorities respond to it? You get away with murder in the Philippines easily.  What does that say about the justice system? Kung ganyan lang, eh di magpatayan na lang.

Police culture

Dean Ariel Manlusoc of the Philippine College of Criminology thinks police culture is also responsible for the killings. “Marami kasing karapatan ang mga akusado natin, kapag nakikita ng mga pulis na nakakalaya sila matapos mahuli, nafrufrustrate ang police.  Parang pakiramdam nila hindi sila naging epetikbong pulis. Kaya tuloy naghahanap sila ng paraan na wala sa libro.” In the end it becomes a judgement call. “Kahit naman bagong pulis mapapa-isip, masgugustuhin niyang patahimikin ang masamang tao o hayaang dumami ang biktima.”

According to National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Chief Gen. Roberto Rosales, it’s unfair to put the blame on the Philippine National Police (PNP). “Bakit hindi nila naisip na pwedeng gawin ito ng iba? Kaya nga may tinatawag na gun for hire. They just put the placard and that’s it.” He also thinks there is a lack of support from the private sector in investigating the crimes. “Tuwing tinatanong namin sila, kahit nakita nila, ayaw nila magsalita, they look the other way. Ayaw din nilang ma-abala.”

Killings under Lim

According to most police officers I asked, the occurrence of bodies turning up with cardboard signs attached to them started, or at least became popular during the time of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. Some of the bodies were found even in the densest parts of the city. Some were even hung from a post. The suspects were never found. Rumors linked the deaths to Lim who was the former Western Police District Police Chief, but no evidence was found.

The widely publicized killings didn’t affect Lim when he reclaimed the mayoralty seat by a wide margin in 2007 against Lito Atienza’s son. Being a newbie reporter in the Manila beat then, I asked Lim “Sir may kinalaman po ba kayo sa mga salvage victims dito sa Maynila.” To which he responded, “Sino may sabi niyan!? Sino may sabi niyan?!.”

At that point, I thought I was going to pee in my pants. He pointed me to then Manila Police Chief Gen. Danilo Abarzosa, “Tanungin mo si General kung may pina-gawa akong ganyan. Sige tanungin mo.” To which I followed and the Chief answered, “Niko, walang pinagawang ganyan si Mayor.” The Mayor smiled and said, “O sabi niya sa’yo wala diba?” And that was the end of that.

How killings will stop

I never got to convince any member of the authorities to be allowed to be interviewed on-cam on how executions work. Apparently, it serves a number of purposes for diferent intentions. It can be a way of sending a message that the police chief is serious against crime, as the placard says. It's also a way to permanently stop repeat offenders of bailable crimes, or criminals whom they believe are guilty of certain crimes but don’t hold any evidence. It’s also a purging sytem for people who know too much, or people who did not remit drug earnings, gambling returns, etc.

Disposal of the body is another issue altogether. One source explains that the place where the body was found was most likely done by the authorities of that area. Another says it’s different. They throw the body in another area to avoid suspicion. This, however, becomes problematic because the authorities of the area where the body was found will complain against the authorities who were responsible for the execution, an all-new meaning to the term “cleaning your own backyard.”

Unfortunately, this practice, which was commonly seen in Manila, is being copied in different areas, notably in Davao City. The Commission on Human Rights has formed a task force, that includes the PNP, to focus on the Davao Death Squad. They are hopeful that this will lead to more action against summary executions in general.

Unfortunately, too, both Dean Manlusoc and Dr. Fortun don’t think the killings will stop, until there is a complete change in the PNP and the judiciary.

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Clearly Politics

Spkr. Prospero “Boy” Nograles is dead serious in exposing the Davao Death Squad (DDS) which was widely thought to be the private army of his political rival. Nograles action is in stark contrast with his stand about the findings of UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions committed under the administration of his political benefactor, Mrs. Arroyo.
He even goes beyond encouraging and praising CHR Chairman Leila de Lima for her courageous and unrelenting effort to unmask the Davao Death Squad and end the group’s atrocities in Davao to cautioning the CHR to be on the constant lookout for fall guys and false witnesses being utilized to lead them away from the real culprits.
Nograles is doing everything for CHR for it not to fall into tricks he believed comes from his political enemy who is behind the Davao killings, which he said are well-funded, well-connected and are capable of doing anything just to save their positions.
Clearly, Nograles with the blessing of Malacañang is now doing a clearing operation for the coming 2010 general election and DDS is his first in his hit list of the kind operation.

Submitted by Toink on Sat, 07/11/2009 - 15:40.

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Don't label me I am original!

I don't believe that the PNP

I don't believe that the PNP and judiciary is to be blamed
for these incidence. This is a moral issue. The church obviously
failed to address the moral and spiritual needs of the society.
So where has the church been? Busy in politics perhaps.

Submitted by bandong on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 22:16.

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Prayle...wolves in a sheep's clothing

Terrible

This is terrible! Our authorities must act on this. This is not the solution not even a help in eradicating the crimes. I pity those victims they died without a chance to fight for their life since most of them were tied before the execution. Yes, the victims has many criminal records, but they have the right to live. Why not help them to improve their lives, start a program to help this kind of individuals instead of condemning them and treating them as an outcast.

To summary executioner, if you really want to help this country why not target those Drug Lords who is exploiting pity criminals?

Submitted by xavierlee on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 16:28.

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Be vigilant, learn & express...