Crime tsunami looms

There appears to be a desperate effort to downplay the rising crime wave through a constant stream of numbers showing peace and order are improving.

Public perception, which is derived from what is happening on the street level, suggests otherwise: that it is better to stay home, as the streets are crawling with the dregs of society.

The dwindling income of most entertainment establishments in city night spots also attests to the growing fear of the populace.

Just the other day, a ride-hailing service driver was robbed and killed by his passengers, a nightmare that was believed to have ended in the previous regime.

Raymond Cabrera, the victim, was killed in a cold-blooded manner that defies the logic of individuals who are in their right senses.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte had always connected drug use with a propensity for criminal activities, saying euphemistically that narcotics shrink the brain, making junkies incapable of human reasoning.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority (PDEA) reported a record haul of 4.3 tons of shabu during operations in the first six months, which surpassed the confiscated illegal substances for the whole of last year.

Among the drugs seized during the period was shabu found floating in the waters off Zambales, Pangasinan, the Ilocos Region, and Cagayan, which was believed to have originated from foreign syndicates. In total, the confiscated drugs had a street value of around P26 billion.

These were the drugs seized — that which escaped the dragnet were almost always bigger shipments.

Drug syndicates use many methods, one of which is throwing the products overboard to be picked up later, which has lately been the practice instead of using fishing vessels or packaging them as food products.

Thus, it is incredible that members of the House of Representatives engage in chest-beating instead of addressing the worsening crime wave.

Discredited leaders of the House Quad Committee (Quadcomm) refiled a bill classifying extrajudicial killings (EJK) as a heinous crime and seeking justice for the victims of the war on drugs.

The measure was first filed during the 19th Congress as an offshoot of the Quadcomm’s investigation into killings that happened in the war on drugs campaign.

The proposed measure defines EJK as “the taking of life without the sanction of a lawful judicial process.”

EJKs are already covered under existing criminal laws, as they are essentially murder, which is classified as a heinous crime under the Republic Act 7659 and RA 11928. Murder, when committed with treachery, premeditation, or by armed groups, carries penalties like reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment without parole.

Murder charges can be filed against the perpetrators, supported by testimonial, documentary, or forensic evidence.

Creating a new crime category could complicate prosecution by requiring specific evidence of “extrajudicial” intent, which is harder to prove than murder.

The bill defines EJK as a deliberate killing without judicial authority, but proving state involvement or intent may be challenging, especially when perpetrators are unidentified or the evidence is tampered with.

To cut to the chase, Congress has failed to address the fundamental challenges confronting the population, engaging instead in partisan objectives to perpetuate itself in power.