Thinking Out Loud: Again, Murder
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Again, Murder
Last night, as I was commuting home, I saw a crowd on R. Castillo Street in Agdao. Three patrol cars and a 911 ambulance stood by. The driver of the jeepney I was on stopped and asked about the commotion.
We learned that a boy, said to have been a notorious drug addict, had been shot dead allegedly by the Davao Death Squad or DDS. While my fellow passengers gave varying versions of “tsk tsk tsk” and “gipatay na pud sa DDS,” a strange feeling crept inside me. As the jeepney pulled away, everyone inside fell into an uneasy hush.
In the June 4, 2006, telecast of his program Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte sent a threatening message to drug addicts and pickpockets who, he said, would be added to the long list of wanted criminals. Though he said it in a way that he could not be accused of directly ordering the murders, the message was subliminal and emphatic.
For me, the biggest question about the summary killings is the efficiency of the authorities. Is government so inutile that it cannot keep the peace, that it cannot solve a single case of summary execution in the city, and that it can only tell the victims’ families “We told you to convince them to change, see?”
And our leaders – do they view our youths as so hopeless that they deserve these unjustifiable deaths, just because they are delinquents? Is there no more room left for change unless these young people are killed? When will the killings stop?
We cannot eliminate crime, so let’s just liquidate criminals – is this the policy of government now?
“Notorious Englishers”
On the lighter side, I received a text message this morning about our notoriety for mangling the English language. Here are some examples of the said notoriety:
* The sky’s the langit!
* Been there, been that.
* Give him the benefit of the daw!
* Let’s burn the bridge when we get there.
* What’s your next class before this?
* Hi, I’m Jane. What’s yours?
* Well, well, well. Look do we have here.
* I’m so iterated! (Uy, galit siya!)
* It’s not my problem anymore! It’s your problem anymore!
Aside from recognizing that we really have to study correct English, we should also master our own language. How will we be able to speak correct English if, in our own language, we ask: “Tama ba ‘yong gisabi ko?” instead of “Tama ba ‘yong sinabi ko?”
We still have to learn so many things about English. But we really should start learning our own language.
(Ms. Soco is a student of Mass Communications and International Studies at the Ateneo de Davao, where she also served as president of Samahan, the student government. She was the 2003 Mutya ng Dabaw.)
Japanese-Filipino kids welcome new law on citizenship
June 13th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
I presently reside in detroit,michigan.Im from davao,I’m
sick and tired of hearing the continued obviously state-
sponsored killings of pushers and other delinquents.I
found Joan Soco’s column interesting.Do you mind giving
Joan my e-mail ad?
June 13th, 2006 at 10:14 pm
fight!!! we need more people to speak up against these summary killings!
June 14th, 2006 at 6:48 am
[...] In Davao City, there is no need for the death penalty, indeed. In the past week alone, I have had three friends and relatives tell me that they saw dead bodies on the streets, said to have been killed by the city’s vigilantes. Liza, a cousin, texted me last night that she saw a man apparently shot dead, sprawled on the street. This was two days after Daisy, my partner, told me that she had witnessed a similar incident. The same thing is happening in such cities as Cebu. [...]