Monday, June 28, 2021

LAWMAKERS BUCK DU30 BIDTO ARM CIVILIANS VS CRIME. Inquirer Newsletter June 29, 2021

DESTRUCTION OF BEYOND ECONOMICAL REPAIR FIREARMS / JUNE 28, 2021 Philippine National Police Chief PGen. Guillermo T. Eleazar, leads the ceremonial destruction of 5,000 assorted Beyond Economical Repair (BER) Firearms in Camp Crame,Quezon City, June 28, 2021. The BER Firearms are those confiscated, captured, surrendered and deposited-turned PNP property firearms. The Demilitarization Process involved cutting individual steel pieces into sections using circular saw. INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

Business

PayMaya operator secures P8B to fund digital bank dream

The privately held technology company behind the PayMaya mobile wallet successfully raised $167 million, or over P8 billion, to fund its expansion and an upcoming digital bank. —Story by Miguel R. Camus

News

PNP orders review of dismissed drug cases

Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, chief of the Philippine National Police, wants an accounting and review of all dismissed drug cases since 2016 when President Duterte’s war on drugs started. —Story by Jeannette I. Andrade

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LAWMAKERS BUCK DU30 BIDTO ARM CIVILIANS VS CRIME

Lawmakers and human rights advocates on Monday opposed President Duterte's bid to arm civilians to help in the government’s anticrime campaign, warning that this could lead to the emergence of more vigilante groups and a rise in criminality in the country.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros called on officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to “think twice” over their support of the President’s plan, noting how gun-bearing police officers had been linked to the killing of innocent civilians.

“As an institution, the PNP should not be outsourcing its main duty of maintaining peace and order in our communities. Instead of arming civilians, the PNP should intensify the assistance it extends to the countryside,” she said.

Mr. Duterte said on Friday that the PNP’s civilian volunteers could get guns so they could defend themselves while making a citizen’s arrest. “If you have this coalition, you have a list of people who are there and who can arm themselves. I will order the police. If you are qualified, get a gun and help us enforce the laws,” he said during the oath-taking of the National Coalition of Lingkod Bayan Advocacy Support Groups and Force Multipliers. “The criminal must die, you must live,” the President said, pointing out that he did not want civilians making the arrest to end up dead because they did not have the means to defend themselves.

This is not the first time Mr. Duterte floated the idea to arm civilians as part of his broader crackdown against crime. In 2017, he aired a similar appeal during a speech in Bohol province after Abu Sayyaf terrorists were seen on the island.

Not yet policy

On Monday, Malacanang said the President's latest call was not yet final, but if ever this would become policy, the volunteers would be trained on the use of guns.

“There is not a policy yet. I’m sure it will be subjected to full staff work. Meanwhile, there is the reality that while the volunteers help out, there is a threat to their lives,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing.

Editorial

Probe cyberattacks

A Swedish digital forensic group called Qurium Media Foundation (QMF) reported last week that a series of cyberattacks against alternative news organizations bulatlat.com and altermidya.org and the human rights group Karapatan were traced to computer networks of the DOST and the Philippine Army.

Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net