“Extra Judicial Killing”

NO TO EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLING 👎❌

I have supported President Duterte’s stand against criminals. I understand where he is coming from and we most definitely have to start making sure Filipinos feel safe in the Philippines again. After all, for too long those who break the law would go by unpunished and as a result more and more criminals are emboldened to do as they please because they don’t fear the repercussions. There are many aspects of the president’s solution to violence and crime that I can understand and even support. Placing curfews on teenagers, alcohol consumption, and more are smart preventive measures.

However, having said all that, I don’t believe that “shoot to kill” is the best way to achieve the goal of a safer country. When did fighting fire with fire ever actually work in the long run? There has to be a better middle ground. If the president’s mandate of shoot to kill is followed what we would end up with are even more vigilantes walking the streets with a convoluted sense of ‘wild wild west’ justice. This is not the way to make things safe again. In fact, things might get even more dangerous.

I understand wanting to clean the streets for our families, but turning a blind eye to what is happening right now just because we it feel it doesn’t apply to us is wrong. It might seem that way now, but in the end it will come back to haunt us. What happens when one day it’s someone we love being wrongly accused and gunned out without a proper trial? Or worse, what if we, or someone we love, become collateral damage in a random shoot-out? It’s not far-fetched considering the way people are reacting to the president’s mandate.