A phony war on drugs

In the Star Wars universe, the Clone Wars was a staged conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Separatists designed not to bring genuine resolution or victory but to facilitate Supreme Chancellor Palpatine’s rise to power and the eventual establishment of the Empire.

The Clone Wars was designed to create a sense of fear and instability across the galaxy, allowing Palpatine (Darth Sidius) to justify his executive powers under the guise of defending the Republic. This paved the way for the erosion of democracy and the rise of authoritarian rule.

The real purpose of the war was to weaken both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic, while simultaneously justifying the creation of a massive clone army loyal to Palpatine. This clone army would later serve as the tool for executing Order 66, the extermination of the Jedi.

The Wesley Barayuga case presents to us one of the strongest arguments that the narco lists were a fabrication, and that the real goal of the previous administration’s “War on Drugs” was not to end the drug problem in the country.

One of the most significant revelations in the Quad Committee investigation into POGOs and illegal drugs was the inclusion of Gen. Wesley Barayuga’s name in the PNP drug list after his murder on 30 July 2020.

During the questioning of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo, Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop inquired whether Wesley Barayuga was included in the Duterte administration’s drug list before his death. Lazo confirmed that Barayuga’s name was not in the original drug lists but was only added to the third list on 20 August 2020, or after his death.

This raised suspicions that Barayuga’s name was added posthumously to justify his killing, casting doubt on claims that he was involved in the drug trade, and solidifying the narrative that he was liquidated because of his campaign against corruption in the grant of STL franchises.

The inclusion of former CA Justice Vicente “Ching” Veloso’s name in the drug list also showed us the lack of transparency on the evidence considered to merit inclusion in the list. Justice Ching filed a petition for a writ of habeas data to force the government to produce the evidence that implicated him in illegal drugs. The government refused, claiming the evidence was a matter of national security and for public safety.

The court in ruling in favor of Justice Veloso said, “We have carefully scrutinized the documents submitted by the respondents and found no basis to hold them and the information contained therein to be matters of national security.”

The fabrication of evidence, selective targeting, political weaponization, lack of due process, and extrajudicial killings are indicators the previous administration’s war on drugs was, much like the Clone Wars, a phony war. It was a staged war maintained to instill fear and exert political control more than about delivering justice and rehabilitating drug dependents. It was a tool for consolidating power and controlling dissent rather than a genuine effort to combat the illegal drug trade.

These were all revealed to us courtesy of the Quad Committee. As the hearings progress, we are being shown a clearer picture of the system of abuse, corruption, and political manipulation maintained by the officials who managed the war on drugs.

We can only hope the Quad Committee can come up with resolutions to provide an opportunity for the victims to seek justice, reform institutions such as the PNP, and ensure that abuses are not repeated in the future.