The President says he will make public, and soon, a list of more than 1,000 politicians and policemen involved in the drug trade.
This won’t be the first. Since Mr. Duterte came to power, he has read from at least two lists containing names of judges, local executives and military officials allegedly protecting or directly involved in illegal drugs.
The results of the revelations have been varied. The most common reaction of those named is to deny any involvement whatsoever and invoke their own efforts in the fight against drugs. Police officials present themselves to their superiors, also protesting their innocence.
Some cannot do so because they are dead.
President Duterte says the “very thick” list is now being vetted. That some vetting is going on gives us a measure of comfort. We trust that the President, who was a prosecutor before he forayed into local politics, appreciates the value of hard proof especially in a country that is prone to pronounce people guilty or innocent by perception—nothing else.
If the list, for instance, included truly innocent individuals, imagine the havoc that their inclusion could create in their and their families’ lives. Reputations built over many years of hard work and integrity will crumble in a day. They will become hapless targets of vigilantes and other groups that believe simply getting rid of suspects is the best way to wage the war against drugs.
And even if the accusations turn out to be legitimate, the process should not end with the naming and shaming that accompanies the list. Cases should be filed in courts, all of which should have the capacity to hear and render judgment. The merits should hinge on the evidence, not on the suspect’s wealth or political affiliation. Trial should be swift: protracted processes deny justice to both the accused and the public.
Anytime soon, then, we expect to be regaled again with a late-night or early-morning announcement from an angry President. But while this new list will give us more to talk about, it will also make us rethink what we have done about the other previously named, and what will become of these new names once yet another set of names is released. Certainly a list will never stand on its own.
