The Constitution of the Philippines was ratified by a nationwide plebiscite in 1987. It’s not remarkably different from the U.S. Constitution, save the omission of a right to keep and bear arms. More to the point, you’d kind of hope the document would prevent summary execution. If so, you hope in vain. Like this [via dailycaller.com]:
Around 800 people have been killed since Duterte won by a landslide in May. It would seem that he is making good on his campaign promise to kill tens of thousands of criminals.
“The campaign of shoot-to-kill will remain until the last day of my term if I’m still alive by then,” the 71-year-old president said during a press conference in his hometown.
Duterte’s “war on drugs” has resulted in hundreds of police killings and executions, as well as countless extrajudicial murders by unidentified vigilantes, all of which have the full support of the Duterte administration. Police and military personnel have been given Duterte’s “official and personal guarantee” of immunity for drug-related killings.
Many human rights organizations have criticized Duterte for his extreme stance on drug control and his administration’s support for extrajudicial killings.
Ya think? Question (which I hate to ask): is the Philippine war on drugs effective? I’d say no, given my experience with drug addiction and [glancing] knowledge of the black market. But here are the stats:
More than 125,000 suspected drug dealers and users have turned themselves into the police since May. On July 21, around 10,000 suspects surrendered to authorities. These alleged criminals are seeking “safety” in jails over a horrible death in the streets, said Human Rights Watch in a statement.
An estimated 600,000 people are currently involved in some way with the illegal drug trade in the Philippines.
The lesson here: the U.S. Constitution is only worth the paper its printed on as long as the government is forced to abide by its provisions. Insert quote about the “four boxes of liberty” . . .