FALSE EQUIVALENCY

Lifeless body of Kian Delos Santos being carried by police.

Pictures of people who have been raped or killed by alleged drug addicts with captions asking why there was no rally held for them by the same people who held rallies for Kian Lloyd Delos Santos, the 17-year old killed by policemen under questionable and suspicious circumstances, are being circulated on social media. The question of why anti-Duterte lawmakers, like Trillanes and Hontiveros, have not visited these victims’ wake is also being asked.

The problem with this argument is that while the case of these crime victims is the same as that of Kian – all of them were brutally killed – the similarity ends there. The former were killed or victimized by criminals who may have been drug-crazed, but Kian was killed by the police. Let us pause and absorb this well: killed by the police (with emphasis). The police are supposed to be the guardians and protectors of the people; they are supposed to enforce the rule of law; preserve peace and order; stop and prevent crimes; apprehend and neutralize criminals. The police are supposed to keep and make us feel safe in their presence, not sow terror on the citizenry by killing innocent civilians or disregarding the rule of law.

Obviously, we do not expect the same protection or safety from criminals, whether high on drugs or not. We know their object is to inflict harm and are up to no good. So, when these deranged beings go killing spree or commit heinous crimes, we as a society are shocked by the depravity of their crimes but we accept as a sad fact of life that there are such evil men ever lurking in society. And we look upon the authorities – the police – to protect us from these kinds of people.

But what do we do when the police themselves become the very evil against which we seek protection? When the police become the very evil that threaten our lives and limbs, we find ourselves in graver danger because unlike criminals the police freely roam our streets under the badge of authority. They can go about their nefarious ways, armed by the state, unhampered by anyone. Who will we call for help or protection when the very people who are supposed to provide it are the very cause of our distress?

But now that this matter has been brought to light, let us call for justice for every victim of crime, especially victims of heinous crimes. Let us demand from the government and the police to protect us against criminals; let us demand from government that those responsible be prosecuted.

If we cannot see these very clear distinctions, we are truly lost and are driven only by our political persuasions. Victims of common crimes deserve our utmost sympathy and the criminals our most vehement condemnation.  But when the police, whom we have armed and whose salaries we foot through the taxes we pay so that they can make our streets safe and protect us against bad elements of society, become the very threats to our safety and well-being, the line must be drawn and we must become vigilant and resist such evil if we are to survive.  And when there is no one to whom we can turn to for help, we have only ourselves to protect us.