Infographics

Illegal drugs, criminality, and corruption are only some of the social ills of our society and of many societies around the world. And they must concern everyone. They have destroyed many lives and have deeply damaged the moral fiber of our society. And they will continue to wreak havoc on our individual and national lives if we acted as if they did not exist. And ergo, we as a people must act with resolve to address the root cause/s of such problems and to stop such menace from disrupting, to say the least, our very way of life.

What we have been seeing the last few months happening every day in our country is absolutely alarming. The parade of shoot-outs every day makes decent person coils in shame of what has become of us as a people. Every single life lost is one too many. LIFE IS PRECIOUS! Why all of a sudden, every single day. news reports are peppered with multiple deaths of alleged drug pushers and users? The spate of killings in the country makes it appear that it is so easy to take someone else’s life. It is absolutely clear to a keen observer that those who have been killed so far were from the poor segment of Philippine society. Same thing with those who were apprehended and those who voluntarily surrendered. These are the people who did not have the wherewithal to defend and protect themselves. They absolutely have no chance of winning in any court of law. Is a sachet of illegal drug reason enough to take away someone’s life? While it is tragic to see people lose their lives to drugs, it is just as tragic to witness how these vulnerable and powerless people are treated by law-enforcers with impunity. Have we tried to find the root cause of why people go into drugs, especially the poor? Could it be because of poverty?


In the spate of Killings, arrests, and surrenders that happened so far, it is clear that the people involved were from the low-income bracket of society. No report has come out yet involving those from the middle class up, from the private, gated, guarded and exclusive villages. I wonder why! And when alleged protectors of drug lords or a drug lord himself are named, they are accorded all the courtesy and protection from the powers-that-be or even merit an audience with the president! This is sad, no, in fact, it is tragic for it only shows without mistake that there are double-talk and double standard in our judicial system.