The DILG and DOJ Admit the Duterte Drug War is an Abysmal Failure

The war on drugs, wherever it has taken place, has always been a failure. Now we have concrete evidence that this is the case in the Philippines. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1632340/pnp-record-1-conviction-per-5-drug-cases-filed

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have ordered a review of the qualifications of police investigators in the country, citing the dismal conviction rate of crime suspects arrested.

In a press conference on Thursday at the Philippine National Policeheadquarters in Camp Crame, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. and Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla cited the need for capable police investigators as one of the requisites for criminal cases lodged in court to lead into conviction, and improve the criminal justice system in the country.

According to Remulla, the current conviction rate for criminal cases filed in courts stood at “less than 25 percent.”

“This means that we are not really getting a passing grade. This is not a standard that we can live with for the next few years, so we have to change it drastically,” the justice secretary said.

“When the conviction rate is very low, the certainty of punishment goes down. Then the criminals have a heyday, [because they have an] easy time with the law,” Remulla added.

Citing data from 2016 to July 2022, Abalos said that only 21 percent or 62,061 of the 291,393 drug-related cases led to conviction. The majority of these cases at 223,579 or 77 percent remained pending before different courts, while the rest were dismissed or led to acquittal.

He attributed this dismal performance to the lack of training in the judicial process of investigators-on-case, particularly on the police’s failure to follow the chain of custody of evidence under the law due to lack of witnesses.

Drugs are bad m'kay? But look at those stats!! During Duterte's term only 21 percent of drug cases led to a conviction. 77 percent remain pending and the rest have been acquitted due to chain of custody issues. That is abysmal. There is no other word to describe it. The new DILG Secretary wants to reassess training for police investigators. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/07/21/2197010/dilg-push-reassessment-training-police-investigators

The Department of the Interior and Local Government said Thursday that it would advocate for a reassessment of the training and qualification for police investigators, especially those participating in the government's anti-drug efforts. 

At a joint press briefing Thursday morning between the Justice and Interior Departments, DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos questioned the training of the country's cops, pointing out as an example that only 123 of the 22,774 police investigators in the country are graduates of law. 

Citing data from 2016 to July 2022, Abalos said that only 62,000 or just 21% of the some 291,000 drug cases filed by the Philippine National Police have landed convictions. Abalos pointed to lack of training in the judicial process. 

"Whatever they have, we will supplement it...There should be a reassessment of those who were chosen. What were their qualifications? What seminar did they undergo?" Abalos said in mixed Filipino and English. 

"What is important is not the quantity of the cases filed but their quality. So we will discuss this with our people and we will have to review it. How do we get our investigators? Is there a volunteer system or an examination they have to take?"

Abalos lamented what he said was the high volume of cases being dismissed on technicalities under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. 

In particular, he pointed to Section 21 of the law, which requires anti-drug personnel to immediately conduct an inventory of seized drugs, while all anti-drug operations should be carried out in the presence of members of the media, officials of the barangay, or a representative of the Department of Justice.

"It's a waste to do all that work only to have cases dismissed on technicalities."

Is this only coming to light now?  Did no one in the Duterte administration fail to recognize these kind of failures? It's hard to believe. Look at this number "123 of the 22,774 police investigators in the country are graduates of law." That means less than 1% of all police investigators are law graduates!

How can anyone look at these numbers and claim that the Philippines justice system is not only functional but world class?? You would have to be stupid to say such a thing.

Drugs are a scourge and need to be eradicated  but you cannot just go in guns blazing and that has been the modus operandi for the past six years. If the majority of these cases do not stand the scrutiny of the law then there is a real problem. Perhaps this new administration can fix it. But I won't hold my breath.