Peace and order are salient in our society. To ensure the safety of the people, the presence of those who implement rules and laws is crucial—the police. Within the community, their roles are to implement the law, prevent and control crime, and ensure public safety. But what if the very individuals tasked with ensuring safety and security are the ones perpetrating crimes and acts of violence
On this day, September 21, the world observes the International Day of Peace with a call to action that recognizes individual and collective responsibility to foster peace. Indeed, each and every individual is responsible for promoting peace. However, those who are tasked with maintaining law and order bear a greater obligation and liability to establish a peaceful atmosphere. Unfortunately, in recent times, the police have been triggering unrest and disturbing peace, rather than carrying out their role as peacemakers.
In recent years, police killings of innocent people and, worse, of minors have increased. The deaths of Kian Delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz, and Reynaldo de Guzman, up to the recent deaths of Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar and John Frances Ompad, made this evident. Delos Santos, Arnaiz, and de Guzman were all murdered by the cops and were also accused and framed for being involved in drug dealing. Recently, Baltazar was killed by the police because of mistaken identity, while de Guzman was needlessly killed in front of their house as he was accidentally shot by the police when his brother was being tailed by an ununiformed cop who was said to be carrying a checkpoint.
These incidents expose the cops’ lack of respect for life, failure in due process, and abuse of power. While the government has a legitimate interest in dealing with security risks, it must do so in accordance with the law and with regard for human rights. A need to combat crimes should not resort to extrajudicial killings. The increase in killings, whether innocent or not, as well as extrajudicial killings, will not have a peaceful outcome. The careless action by the authorities just results in a lack of public trust in law enforcement, which makes it hard to combat crimes in the long run. Moreover, this will just result in chaos and injustice, not peace and order.
As we observe the International Day of Peace, we sincerely desire for every police officer to deeply reflect on the essence of the Philippine National Police’s mission: to enforce the law, prevent and control crimes, maintain peace and order, and ensure public safety.
Maybe then we can truly honor this day with authenticity.