Thread: Philippines: Drug Deaths Surge Despite COVID-19, Rights Group Says

Community lockdowns intended to stem the spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines have failed to slow the drug war of President Rodrigo Duterte, a Human Rights Watch researcher said Wednesday.


If anything, killings related to the anti-drug campaign increased “dramatically” soon after Duterte ordered general quarantines for many densely populated regions, said Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher for HRW.


“Police killed 50 percent more people between April and July 2020 than they did in the previous four-month period,” Conde said in a statement on HRW’s website.


The New York-based human rights organization said it analyzed the government’s statistics and found that 155 people had been killed during “ostensible drug enforcement raids” in the past four months, despite quarantines restricting movement.


By contrast, “police killed 103 persons from December 2019 to March 2020,” it said.


The national police did not respond to BenarNews’ request for comment on Wednesday, but earlier this week the newly appointed chief of the country’s police force, Gen. Camilo Cascolan, denied that extra-judicial killings (EJK) existed in the country.


“First, if you have that notion, come to me, we will investigate. Number two, there is no such thing as EJK,” he said, according to the state-run Philippine News Agency.


The national police last year admitted that about 6,600 suspected drug dealers and addicts had been killed in President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war. Officials said many were killed in clashes with officers after allegedly refusing to surrender.


In June 2019, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that more than 8,600 people had been killed.


Despite those deaths, only one case – the murder of teenager Kian Lloyd delos Santos in Metro Manila – has resulted in the conviction of his killers, three police officers.


Rights defenders killed


In addition, activists have noted a spike during the pandemic in killings of human rights defenders, most of whom were accused by state security forces of links to the communist rebel movement. Since March 13, at least nine activists have been killed, according to Cristina Palabay, secretary general of the human rights alliance Karapatan.


Two of the more notable deaths came just one week apart.


On Aug. 10, Randall Echanis, a consultant with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines representing rebels in peace talks, was found stabbed to death in his rented home in Metro Manila.


On Aug. 17, Zara Alvarez, who worked as a Karapatan paralegal and community health advocate, was gunned down as she walked home in Bacolod City on the central island of Negros.


Since taking office in June 2016, Duterte has become the subject of an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the drug deaths. In addition, U.N. experts and member-states have called on the Philippine government to allow an independent international investigation into alleged human rights abuses in the country.


The president has remained defiant and refused to allow foreign investigators, even threatening some with physical violence. He also withdrew the Philippines from the ICC.


HRW said it expected the Philippines “to continue to deny the allegations rather than offer a constructive response” when the U.N. Human Rights Council meets next month to deal with allegations of rights abuses in the country.


“But as the government’s own statistics show, the atrocities in the ‘drug war’ have worsened, even as the country suffers the worst in the region from the pandemic,” it said.


The Philippines has reported more than 245,000 cases and nearly 4,000 deaths since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to disease experts at U.S. based-Johns Hopkins University. Globally, more than 27.6 million cases and more than 898,000 deaths have been recorded.

Philippines: Drug Deaths Surge Despite COVID-19, Rights Group Says

3rd world problems need 3rd world solutions. Keep at it Duterte. Fuck human rights do gooders

Originally Posted by misskit

On Aug. 17, Zara Alvarez, who worked as a Karapatan paralegal and community health advocate, was gunned down as she walked home in Bacolod City on the central island of Negros.

Toppers place ?

Originally Posted by Backspin

3rd world problems need 3rd world solutions. Keep at it Duterte. Fuck human rights do gooders

3rd world problem ? Drugs ?

I reckon the 3rd world problem they have in the PI, is Duterte himself.

Condoning killing innocents ? Easy to overlook because they are brown ?

In conclusion: Fuck You, young man !

Easy solutions are for facists

Originally Posted by helge

Toppers place ?

3rd world problem ? Drugs ?

I reckon the 3rd world problem they have in the PI, is Duterte himself.

Condoning killing innocents ? Easy to overlook because they are brown ?

In conclusion: Fuck You, young man !

Easy solutions are for facists

Yeah I believe in full drug legalization and regulation.

This is terrible. I'm just being an asshole.

OK
You got me there then

The members of the triad group included Chinese drug lords, namely Wu Tuan, aka tatay Co, Jameson Ching, Peter Lim, aka tiger balm, and Herbert Colangco, with the three under the protection of Marcelo Garbo Jr, one of the Philippine National Police generals named by Duterte

teh chins

Originally Posted by helge

3rd world problem ? Drugs ?

I reckon the 3rd world problem they have in the PI, is Duterte himself.

Condoning killing innocents ? Easy to overlook because they are brown ?

In conclusion: Fuck You, young man !

Easy solutions are for facists

Skidmark really doesn't know what he is saying most of the time, though I wouldn't throw the 'racist' label at him as he hasn't shown that before.

But yes . . . drugs a third-world problem? Gratuitous murder by the government?

Originally Posted by Backspin

Fuck human rights do gooders

You just know he'd be squealing like a stuck pig if ever he was on the receiving end of 'third world justice' and whining for the Canadian government to help him, the normies and boomers. Probably on the same level of agony for him as buying two pairs of pants that don't fit and the cost of housing

I know that it's mostly ice dealers and users who are getting killed, but I wonder how many are just marijuana users ?

Originally Posted by Latindancer

I know that it's mostly ice dealers and users who are getting killed, but I wonder how many are just marijuana users ?

Or political opponents, business rivals etc...

Originally Posted by Latindancer

I know that it's mostly ice dealers and users who are getting killed, but I wonder how many are just marijuana users ?

Marijuana users are the worst of the lot.
Evil evil people.
That drug is instantly fatal.
Well that’s what most governments say.
They couldn’t be protecting the liquor industry surely.

Originally Posted by Backspin

3rd world problems need 3rd world solutions. Keep at it Duterte. Fuck human rights do gooders

Says the guy that sold his bitcoin to buy heroin. First world problems eh?

^^ Worse still, most pot smokers are known to turn into left wing voters !

Originally Posted by Latindancer

Worse still, most pot smokers are known to turn into left wing voters !

It opens up the mind.

Originally Posted by lom

Worse still, most pot smokers are known to turn into left wing voters !

Originally Posted by lom

It opens up the mind.

MASA

Make America Smoke Again

Originally Posted by docmartin

Marijuana users are the worst of the lot.

did he really say that.....

Originally Posted by baldrick

The members of the triad group included Chinese drug lords, namely Wu Tuan, aka tatay Co, Jameson Ching, Peter Lim, aka tiger balm, and Herbert Colangco, with the three under the protection of Marcelo Garbo Jr, one of the Philippine National Police generals named by Duterte

named in 2006

Originally Posted by Chico

did he really say that.....

Yes, because in Australia we have big problems with violent idiots under the influence of the demon weed.
Oh hang on - no we don’t.
It’s alcohol that’s the problem. And it’s socially obligatory to drink.

Originally Posted by docmartin

Yes, because in Australia we have big problems with violent idiots under the influence of the demon weed.
Oh hang on - no we don’t.
It’s alcohol that’s the problem. And it’s socially obligatory to drink.

Ye its the alcohol that causes the problem,especially if used with weed.

Anyone who uses just weed,knows it doesn't make you violent.

Originally Posted by Chico

Ye its the alcohol that causes the problem, especially if used with weed

Anyone who uses just weed,knows it doesn't make you violent.

Huh ? Never heard of that. Alcohol plus meth isn't good, but with weed ???

Originally Posted by docmartin

Yes, because in Australia we have big problems with violent idiots under the influence of the demon weed.
Oh hang on - no we don’t.
It’s alcohol that’s the problem. And it’s socially obligatory to drink.

You post states Demon weed,which is it Weed or Meths.?

It's a tongue-in-cheek reference to the hypocritical demonisation of a reasonably benign drug and the mad hyper-commercialisation of a drug known to be more dangerous than weed (alcohol).

Originally Posted by Chico

Meths

Clearly . . . 'meths'

Methylated spirits (methanol) plus milk or orange juice or boot polish is not a recommended drink.
Quite the opposite, unless getting literally blind is the objective.

Originally Posted by docmartin

It's a tongue-in-cheek reference to the hypocritical demonisation of a reasonably benign drug and the mad hyper-commercialisation of a drug known to be more dangerous than weed (alcohol).

Alcohol is worse than opiates , weed or even cocain.

Originally Posted by docmartin

It's a tongue-in-cheek reference to the hypocritical demonisation of a reasonably benign drug and the mad hyper-commercialisation of a drug known to be more dangerous than weed (alcohol).

I think that was clear to all . . . but one