Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership wishes to add its collective voice to the growing citizens’ consensus that the war on drugs has taken a grave toll in human lives, on democratic ideals, and on the basic sense of right and wrong. This necessary effort, on the part of government, to push back against the scourge of the illegal drug market and related crimes, has also resulted in the tarnishing of the reputation of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The PNP is the main pillar of the country's daily peace and order conditions. At the headquarters of the Manila PNP is written "Go tell the passersby that in this part of the world men know how to die" -- in the performance of duty. The police of the Philippines abided by this elevated commitment to the public good.
It is therefore an outrage that the PNP has been severely weakened as an institution by policemen who have been involved in the recent spike of senseless, violent killings that are condemned by all right-thinking people globally.
This state of affairs has subverted the capability of government to fight crime.
Nevertheless, Kaya Natin believes that this situation can be reversed. It is only necessary for the citizenry to protect and support all efforts of good policemen remain true to their real mission: to demonstrate how the State protects its citizens from crime.
We therefore appeal to policemen to act now -- with unquestionable loyalty to the country -- to refuse to cover up for the crimes of their wayward colleagues; to reach out to organizations and institutions, such as churches and civil society, to help clean their ranks of criminals in uniform; and to find ways to speak out against the erosion of their institution.
We appeal to citizens’ groups to now support policemen who wish to be part of a national effort to restore the integrity of the PNP.
All Filipinos should be invested in the struggle to cleanse the PNP of elements that drive fear in the hearts of the poor, in particular, who are most vulnerable to the impunity these men wield in the anti-drug campaign. This is a struggle we cannot afford to lose.
#EndKillingsNow #KayaNatinPH
