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Examining the Duterte Drug War's Impact

The document discusses the controversial 'War on Drugs' campaign during the Duterte administration, highlighting its polarizing effects on society and questioning its long-term impact on justice and human rights. It examines the campaign through the lenses of justice, ethical frameworks, and accountability, emphasizing the moral implications of extra-judicial killings. Ultimately, it raises concerns about sacrificing due process and the rule of law for the sake of public safety and crime reduction.

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Earl Capao
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10 views3 pages

Examining the Duterte Drug War's Impact

The document discusses the controversial 'War on Drugs' campaign during the Duterte administration, highlighting its polarizing effects on society and questioning its long-term impact on justice and human rights. It examines the campaign through the lenses of justice, ethical frameworks, and accountability, emphasizing the moral implications of extra-judicial killings. Ultimately, it raises concerns about sacrificing due process and the rule of law for the sake of public safety and crime reduction.

Uploaded by

Earl Capao
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

OPENING

Good morning, esteemed colleagues and honored guests.


Today, we gather to confront one of the most consequential and polarizing
issues in our nation’s recent history: the "War on Drugs" campaign
undertaken during the Duterte administration. This initiative, launched in
2016, was hailed by some as a bold and decisive effort to combat crime,
dismantle drug cartels, and restore order to a society plagued by drug
abuse. For these supporters, the campaign was seen as a necessary
response to what they perceived as an escalating public health crisis and a
moral imperative to protect future generations from the scourge of illegal
drugs.

Public safety is not merely the absence of violence but the presence of
justice, fairness, and human dignity. The methods employed to achieve
these outcomes matter just as much as the outcomes themselves. If justice
is compromised in the name of security, we risk undermining the very
values that make our society worth protecting. Therefore, as we examine
the "War on Drugs", particularly on extra-Judicial killing issues. we must
ask: did it contribute to long-term societal well-being, or did it show division
and fear that may have lasting consequences for the rule of law and human
rights in our country?

To do so, we will examine the campaign through three critical lenses:

1. *Justice – Did the campaign achieve its stated goals, and at what cost?

2. Ethical framework– "should we condemn the extra judicial killing based


on the lens of universality because they violate fundamental human rights,
or should we continue it based on the outcome, such as reduced crime
rates.
3. *Accountability – What roles did the government play, and how can we
ensure that safeguards against abuse are upheld in the future?
CLOSING
From the pro-EJK side, we have heard that the campaign was necessary, a
drastic but essential response to a national crisis. The government’s
actions, we are told, provided safety and order in communities. But we
must confront a fundamental question: Can we truly call a society just when
it sacrifices due process, fairness, and the sanctity of human life for the
sake of expediency?

Yes, the War on Drugs led to some reductions in crime, but what of the
thousands of lives lost, many of them innocent, caught in the crossfire of a
campaign that allowed suspicion to be equated with guilt?
Senator Gidraga has argued that the benefits of this campaign outweighed
the costs, but we must not ignore the grave moral and legal implications of
such a stance. If we begin to justify unlawful killings as necessary in the
pursuit of public safety, we risk losing sight of the very principles that make
us a nation governed by the rule of law.
Senator Bayon-on warns that bypassing constitutional protections,
endorsing violence over justice, and fostering impunity undermine the legal
system, erode public trust, and set a dangerous precedent for future
generations.

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