A Diminishment of Legitimacy

By Gina Apostol

It is important for the President to stick to constitutional protections for all — if not for basic humanity, which seems to be in short supply, then for the good of his own policies, his broader goals. There are many good things happening under President Duterte — a lot of interesting alternate ways of thought. This drug war is not one of them. Duterte’s supporters should help him: they should help stem this tide and actively lobby him. I think the problem is, if President Duterte does not disavow and resolve and actively stop these killings, no matter the truths of who or why poor people are dying, these crimes will ultimately severely diminish his legitimacy. This is not good for the country: to have another presidency made ineffective by citizen outrage. These are crimes, these are murders and assassinations, no matter who commits them (policemen, vigilantes, crooks). To harness the potency of change, the murders need to stop. A society based on justice can enact change.