EDITORIAL - Come out and talk

Even the person identified as the architect of Oplan Tokhang has admitted that police abuses were committed in carrying out the bloody crackdown on the illegal drug scourge during the previous administration. Relatives of many of the thousands of drug suspects who were killed in the so-called war on drugs are still hoping for justice.

If those with intimate knowledge of the brutal campaign want to talk about what happened, this is a good time to do so. President Marcos is standing firm on his policy, which he has made clear since the start of his administration, that he is pursuing a different tack in confronting the illegal drug problem. The other day, he reiterated it before the Philippine National Police: “Indeed, police operations are now conducted as humane, as truthful and as bloodless as possible.”

At the same time, anyone can infer from the pronouncements of administration officials that the government will not block the International Criminal Court in its effort to determine whether murder as a crime against humanity was committed in the drug war launched by Rodrigo Duterte when he was president and before that, mayor of Davao City.

Congressmen, for their part, are looking into reports that dirty money from Chinese-run Philippine offshore gaming operator firms, which proliferated in the previous administration, were used to finance an alleged reward system that encouraged extrajudicial killings or EJK in the war on drugs. The congressmen said several police officers, some retired and others still in the active service, have offered to serve as witnesses in the House probe.

In the early months of the Marcos administration, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla had urged law enforcers to come out and testify about abuses committed in the war on drugs, promising protection to those who decide to talk. There were no takers. Remulla issued the call as Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra lamented the difficulty of finding witnesses and even complainants in possible EJKs in the war on drugs.

At the time, however, administration officials were saying that the Philippines did not recognize ICC jurisdiction. Also, the 2022 alliance between the Marcos and Duterte groups appeared to be intact. This time, both sides have acknowledged that the UniTeam has broken up, with the government’s indirect cooperation with the ICC reportedly among the reasons.

These developments open opportunities for the truth to be known in the drug killings. If there are police officers who are ready to talk, it’s time for them to come out. Whether they are genuinely bothered by their conscience or simply want something in return, what matters is that they tell the truth, and help deliver justice.