{"id":1553,"date":"2021-07-22T10:25:05","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T02:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/csspsinag.wordpress.com\/?p=1553"},"modified":"2021-07-22T10:25:05","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T02:25:05","slug":"duterte-and-his-ilk-the-aswangs-among-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/2021\/07\/22\/duterte-and-his-ilk-the-aswangs-among-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Duterte and his ilk \u2014 the ‘aswangs’ among us"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While Alexandra in Trese<\/em> warned that there are monsters among us, and some are humans, we live in a much horrifying society where all monsters are definitely humans that can quench their thirst in broad daylight. These monsters seem to not be bound by the laws; even more horrifying, they are able to weaponize laws in their favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKidnappers and thieves are the least of your worries; beware of the ones who crave your blood and covet your soul…They can\u2019t be bound by handcuffs.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Alexandra Trese in the opening scene of Trese <\/em>(2021)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sa Piling ng mga Aswang, The Aswang Chronicles, Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang, Maria Labo, Patient X, Trese <\/em>and countless other films and series with \u201cAswang\u201d<\/em> in their title have captured the imagination of Filipinos with their stories about shape-shifting ghoul-like creatures or evil spirits in Philippine folklore who thirst for human blood, flesh, and even souls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Alyx Ayn Arumpac\u2019s feature documentary \u201cAswang\u201d<\/em> features the most horrifying aswangs living among us \u2014 Rodrigo Duterte and his ilks. Much like the aswangs which have become fixtures in the horror films of Philippine cinema, state-sponsored killings through the failed and bloody \u201cwar on drugs\u201d have been fixed horrors in Philippine society ever since Duterte rose to power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BAC Councilor and former STAND UP Secretary General Therese Sandoval recount how, from the onset, the Duterte regime prioritized fascist attacks on the vulnerable sectors of Philippine society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe streets have been washed with blood under a de facto Martial Law rule. The regime \u2014 seemingly perched above the laws \u2014 executes Filipinos without seeing the light of courtrooms. Innocent lives are only called collateral damage and executions are justified using resistance against armed officers,\u201d Sandoval said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, she surmised that the Duterte regime was indifferent to the root cause of the country\u2019s drug problem: poverty. Duterte must be held accountable for his crimes against the Filipino people. His blood-thirst tribe increased as uniformed (in)justices hovered the vulnerable communities day and night to achieve their quota of prey. They rendered anyone \u2014 young or old \u2014 as guilty without any reason except that they \u201cfought back\u201d (\u201cnanlaban\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As early as August 2020, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has already recorded 223,608 casualties of anti-drug operations while the #RealNumbersPH project of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) accounted for only 200,632 as of April 30, 2021. From these cold statistics lie the deceiving numbers of how many are killed. A war on numbers is embedded in a war on drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of the latest, PDEA records 6,117 deaths in anti-drug operations from July 1, 2016, to April 30,2021 despite the fact that the PNP has already counted, on their end, 7,884 deaths from July 1, 2016 to August 31, 2020. From these horrendous figures, 5,655 were allegedly killed for \u201cfighting back\u201d or \u201cresisting arrest\u201d \u2014 an accusation countless times disproven by autopsies and security cameras. Furthermore, of all these atrocious numbers, only 53 cases were made accessible for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet the already huge and \u201creal\u201d number of preyed upon \u201cdrug addicts\u201d is still farther from reality than the plausible existence of the mythical aswangs. Several human rights groups and the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda reported that at least 30,000 civilians were murdered in the \u201cwar on drugs\u201d between July 2016 and March 2019. Such numbers still rose by 50 percent in 2020 amid the pandemic and economic crisis. While most people are confined in their homes in covid-induced lockdowns, 155 persons were slaughtered by the \u201caswangs\u201d between April to July 2020 compared to the 103 killed pre-pandemic within December 2019 to March 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, prioritizing the so-called \u201cwar on drugs\u201d especially under a pandemic did not solve the problem. Top PNP figures Guillermo Eleazar and Romeo Caramat, themselves, admitted how big of a failure their haunting was. In their concession, it can be seen that the poor users (and the innocent ones) were preyed upon, while the \u201cbig drug bosses\u201d ran free in and out of the country, and drugs can be bought \u201canytime, anywhere.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the aswang-in-chief Duterte, who confessed his sin for the extrajudicial killings, was also the first one to admit that his phony war was an utter failure and did so countless times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent one was made just last month in his televised weekly rambling to the people: \u201cI said I can solve the problem in six months…Little did I know that I will be fighting my own government. My critics were correct.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If any, Duterte and his uniformed (in)justices only succeeded in terrorizing the Filipino people not only within six months but for six long years. While we may never find out if the mythical aswangs are real, the Filipinos have to be more careful of the aswangs in the shape of a president, a politician, the police, and other sinister forces who crave not only money, but blood, flesh, and souls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Alexandra in Trese<\/em> warned that there are monsters among us, and some are humans, we live in a much horrifying society where all monsters are definitely humans that can quench their thirst in broad daylight. These monsters seem to not be bound by the laws; even more horrifying, they are able to weaponize laws in their favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as we have gleaned from the horror movies and series, the aswangs may be terrifying and powerful, yet they\u2019re not immortal and invincible. In fact, they can be slain by almost anything around us \u2014 from a litany of prayers to a clove of garlic. What more of these subservient dogs who again and again cowered in fear and kowtowed to their foreign masters?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, we can easily put an end to the nightmare the nation has befallen into. A solidarity among the Filipinos with a firm resolve and fervent desire for genuine change is a plunge of bolo \u2014 an easy fatal blow \u2014 into the hearts of the aswangs among us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Featured image courtesy of TIME Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"This<\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While Alexandra in Trese warned that there are monsters among us, and some are humans, we live in a much horrifying society where all monsters are definitely humans that can quench their thirst in broad daylight. These monsters seem to not be bound by the laws; even more horrifying, they are able to weaponize laws […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[126],"class_list":["post-1553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","post_format-post-format-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/picture1-1-1.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1860,"url":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/2021\/08\/28\/duterte-receives-september-1-ultimatum-from-overworked-underpaid-health-workers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1553,"position":0},"title":"Duterte receives September 1 ultimatum from overworked, underpaid health workers","author":"Staff","date":"28 August 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Government critics and health workers also demand that the incompetent Health Secretary Francisco Duque III resign immediately. Filipino Nurses United (FNU) Secretary General Jocelyn Andamo said they will push through with their protest on September 1, Friday, to assert the demands of health workers for their unreleased special risk allowance\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/category\/news\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/filipino-nurses-motorcade-protest-october-8-2020-001-1627559107785-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/filipino-nurses-motorcade-protest-october-8-2020-001-1627559107785-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/filipino-nurses-motorcade-protest-october-8-2020-001-1627559107785-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/filipino-nurses-motorcade-protest-october-8-2020-001-1627559107785-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/filipino-nurses-motorcade-protest-october-8-2020-001-1627559107785-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1826,"url":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/2021\/08\/26\/on-womens-rights-misogyny-and-violence-the-taliban-and-duterte\/","url_meta":{"origin":1553,"position":1},"title":"On women\u2019s rights, misogyny, and violence: The Taliban and Duterte","author":"Staff","date":"26 August 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"History has shown that the imposition of strict Islamic laws on Afghan women heavily constricted their rights and liberties.History has shown that the imposition of strict Islamic laws on Afghan women heavily constricted their rights and As the Taliban swiftly took over Aghanistan, Nilofar, a displaced resident, feared how difficult\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/category\/features\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/dantes_internationalwomensday030817-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/dantes_internationalwomensday030817-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/dantes_internationalwomensday030817-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/dantes_internationalwomensday030817-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2022,"url":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/2021\/09\/09\/pride-on-the-fringe-a-call-for-ending-lgbtq-invisibility\/","url_meta":{"origin":1553,"position":2},"title":"Pride on the fringe: A call for ending LGBTQ+ invisibility","author":"Staff","date":"9 September 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The Philippines still has a long way to go in protecting and advancing LGBTQIA+ rights. The Duterte administration\u2019s negligence, incompetence, and persecution of its own people only conjure a more oppressive and unjust climate for every Filipino, not just the LGBTQIA+ community.\u00a0 How does the Philippine government express its support\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Opinion"","block_context":{"text":"Opinion","link":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/category\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/sinag-web-banner-5-2-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/sinag-web-banner-5-2-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/sinag-web-banner-5-2-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/sinag-web-banner-5-2-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/sinag-web-banner-5-2-1.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sinag.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/sinag-web-banner-5-2-1.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2675,"url":"https:\/\/sinag.press\/news\/2021\/10\/04\/up-sapul-comeback-putting-to-test-everything-is-political\/","url_meta":{"origin":1553,"position":3},"title":"UP SAPUL comeback: Putting to test \u2018Everything is political\u2019","author":"Staff","date":"4 October 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"We have to remember that no single map can represent the entirety of reality. 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Are we doing enough about it?","author":"Staff","date":"25 August 2021","format":"image","excerpt":"The IPCC report just repeated what we already know \u2014 it is \u201cunequivocal\u201d that we humans have caused the climate crisis; we have the responsibility to solve this problem. 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