“How do you think the public perception of the Philippine National Police (PNP) has changed in the face of widespread extra-judicial killings (EJKs)?”

“Well, it depends on whose side are you on. If you are for the war on drugs, you might find that police are actually doing something to rid the country of drug influence. PNP, under this light, is socially perceived positively. On the other hand, if you [sic] for human rights, this purge of criminals will make you see an ill-aimed PNP doing whatever it takes, even killing innocent lives and children, to meet the quota (if there is one) and obey Duterte. This might be a reductionist approach, but the line between the former and the latter distinguishes the classes and the educational background too.”

Al Bontogon

4 BS ECE

“The police used to be the first people we think of when it comes to securing the public’s safety. We used to run to them for help whenever needed. Now, we run away from them as much as possible for fear of being victimized by their ridiculous, anti-poor, war against drugs. The watchdogs of society became mad dogs after their brutal and unjust killings. Impunity is at an all time high and the police is doing nothing to fight it. We Filipinos are starting to realize that, I hope.”

Aubreylaine Salazar

3 AB COM

“I couldn’t speak for the entirety of the Filipino public, but from what I’ve been hearing from my close peers and family members, I always get the sense of fear and dread towards the PNP. When I was in high school, I’d always pass by the street where there are policemen nearby to come to my aid if ever someone tries to harm me. It seems that nowadays, it’s the other way around. Now, I get text messages from my dad and aunt that I should be careful when I walk home late at night because policemen may spot me and think that I deal drugs. On the other hand, I have a friend who lives in the more dangerous streets of Manila who worships the PNP for scaring away a group of alleged drug dealers who trouble her and her family especially during nighttime. She told me that the policemen in their barrio are considered heroes. They think that killing off drug suspects is for the benefit of the Filipinos, especially the less privileged. She told me once that I have no idea of the kind of life the drug dealers and users put them through because of my privilege. While I agree with what she said, I doubt that she’d say the same thing if it is her loved one killed for being a suspect. At the end of the day, every person deserves proper due process.”

Mikee Dayrit

3 AB POS

“I think that the perception of the public about PNP will always be divided amidst the EJK that’s been happening recently, though I never actually thought that PNP had a reputation to protect. Most people hate them more, especially for violating the right of people to defend themselves even in the simplest of ways, which is by word, and that when they are already set to execute you, nothing else can be done, especially when you belong in the lower class. But some people actually support PNP the way they support extra-judicial killings, and think that they are the bringer of justice because they only execute or murder those who people make themselves believe are ‘found guilty’ even when no due process was served.”

Frederich Sanchez

3 AB COM

“While it is wrong to generalize that the national police has radically become a mere instrument of Duterte’s autocratic rule over our nation, one cannot help but perceive this to be true with our current condition. One cannot also help but ask whose interest does the PNP really ‘serve and protect?’ Is it the lawful interest of our countrymen or the interest of a president very much pleased with the looming bloodbath of a nation? It won’t take too long for one to realize that if the true priority is the former, we wouldn’t have been hearing anything about a certain 17-, or 15-, or 5-year-old being ‘just a collateral damage’ in this drug war.”

Christian Jay Sabangan

5 AB IS

“Based on my observations, there is a shift from regular apathy to mistrust, confusion, and even cognitive dissonance when talking about the PNP in the light of issue [sic] regarding the EJKs. In this age of uncertainty, people are swayed to believe various angles to this situation through (sometimes questionable or not credible) opinion leaders the people trust, bits of information here and there through the media, or stubborn and ignorant beliefs of the reality of the EJKs. However, many also end up not knowing what to believe in as there also exist a lot of conflicting pieces of information not only about the PNP, but the Philippine government itself and its relation to the EJKs. Personally, the way the PNP has been acting alarms me, but it alarms me more to see that there also exist many people who fully support these killings in the name of ‘change.’”

Gilbert Que

Instructor, History Department

“In the face of widespread EJKs, the Philippine National Police showed how they can circumvent the law. I think from this, the public now sees the PNP not as a law enforcing body, but a body to be feared. In failing to do their duty to protect and not harm, in the presence of police, people feel that their safety is endangered.”

Paulina Badion

3 AB COM Course Representative

“Currently, the Philippine National Police is seen as a threat to public safety, rather than a force that protects its citizens. With numerous collateral damages that target even minors, public trust for the police is [at] an all time low. Safety and due process [are] not seen through the eyes of the law, but rather through the amount of wealth one has.”

Nathan Nepomuceno

4 AB POS

“Well, I believe generally the PNP has had a bad reputation given all the graft and corruption already present within the institution, but EJKs have exasperated [sic] the already bad image of the PNP. With killings more rampant than ever now in the country, we can see how the PNP has made no effort to quell these killings and instead support them as if they were the ones organizing all these EJKs. What shocks me the most is the fact that the very people that [are] supposed to protect us are the ones we fear the most.”

Rob Nazal

3 AB MEC

“In light of recent events, I can’t say that the people can or will completely trust the Philippine National Police anymore, and that’s not something to be happy or proud about. Nakakadismaya. No one wants this narrative to be told, to know that the people who are supposed to aid in keeping our country safe are the same people spitting that ideal right back [on] our faces and taking a couple of lives along the way. Unfortunately, so many people are already part of this narrative and the worst part is that they’re all victims–regardless of what side they’re on.”

Bea Bustamante

3 AB COM

“It has taken a turn for the worse. There’s a dissonance, since the police are supposed to be protecting the people, not be the ones planting drugs on those that they want to kill. I don’t think people trust the PNP anymore because of the EJKs, and it would be hard for them to fix their public image at this point.”

Jules Gapuz

4 AB COM

“It really depends on whose perception we’re looking at. Some associate the PNP with negative images in light of the killings that have taken place. Instead of being a group and an institution the public could trust, the PNP has become a perpetrator of violence and the violation of human rights. Conversely, there are also those who believe that as long as the PNP is ridding the country of drugs (that have destroyed families and lives), they are doing a great service to the country. At the end of the day, those who are a part of the PNP are figures of authority and people who are inevitably looked up to. Yet, one responsibility of public servants is to set an example for their fellow countrymen. The example [that they] seem to be setting, however, isn’t one that sits right with me.”

Mia Gener

4 AB COM