THE Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) has called on the people to join the “Black Friday” protest against police impunity it set in front of the National Police general headquarters at Camp Rafael Crame in Quezon City on Friday morning.
“The National Police has gone on a killing rampage that has exposed the rottenness and corruption of the institution. The killing of a kidnap victim inside Camp Crame, the massacre of civilians in communities, police violence against protesters and the cover-up of crimes—all these point to impunity on the part of law enforcers,” Bayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes Jr. said.
“The so-called war on drugs is doomed to fail, not just because of its flawed approach to the problem, but also because the implementors are corrupt and themselves involved in various criminal activities. In the case of the Camp Crame kidnap-murder incident, top police officials in the anti-illegal drugs task force are believed to be involved,” he added.
“We call on the people to express their indignation over the killings and other police abuses in the so-called war on drugs. We call for a speedy probe and for full accountability in all these gruesome deaths. General Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa should relieve all officers implicated in the Camp Crame murder. We call on the President to stop his blanket endorsement of the killings in his drug war.” That many of the victims come from poor communities point to the socioeconomic basis of the proliferation of illegal drugs.
Unless this is addressed, the drug problem will persist and the abuses will mount,” Reyes added.
He said concerned Filipinos, wearing black and toting placards to express their outrage, should descend upon Camp Crame not only to protest but to demand that sanity return to the police force.