Concerned citizens needed in fight vs ‘many-headed monster’

THE LAST drug lord and last pusher may be killed or put in jail, but the war against illegal drugs (and corruption) would still be far from over.

Why is this so?

President Duterte himself said it: His crusade against drugs is like attacking a monster. Perhaps, a hydra of sorts—a serpent with nine heads, eight of which are mortal and one immortal. Note, however, that in Greek mythology, when one head is cut off, two new ones would grow in its place…  unless the wound is sealed by fire.

Various sectors of society, therefore, need to collaborate and serve their respective functions for the institutions they stand for, as they ought and used to:

• Fathers and mothers (including their substitute guardians) must observe responsible parenting to keep their children away from evil ways.

• Teachers should also do more to provide a stronger foundation of learning and wellbeing for their students.

• Church and community leaders need to keep watch and rally their respective flocks and constituencies against vices, drug addiction, in particular.

Consequently, because of his intense determination to end illegal drugs in record time, Mr. Duterte is now being criticized for engaging in—read: “stirring up” and “tolerating”—bloody encounters. A burning question in the Filipinos’ mind could be: Can we now trust the police to be our defenders and not the perpetrators of the crime?

But in war, it is a matter of killing or being killed. Hence, as the saying goes, “The enemy you spare today will kill you tomorrow.” Time and again, decisive battles are fought between two forces, hopefully for the good to prevail over evil (as with Israelites in the Old Testament, who won several battles despite often being at a seeming disadvantage).

While we also continue to cry out for true justice (i.e., human rights issues), should our hearts not bleed more for the victims of heinous drug-related crimes, like what happened to a young, hapless girl who was murdered after being raped and dumped in an abandoned septic tank?

Mr. Duterte, who may be considered a Hercules of our time, better be not left alone in this war. Concerned citizens should do their part, say, by helping burn that neck from which the monster’s head has been chopped off.

—ARMANDO LIBRANDO ALPAY, c/o judithalpay@yahoo.com