Philippine Drug War: Rodrigo Duterte s Cabinet

Philippine Drug War: Rodrigo Duterte s Cabinet Thomas Jefferson Model United Nations Conference TechMUN 2017 High School Crisis Chair: Sachin Jain and Dan Qi Director: Giancarlo Valdetaro TechMUN Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology April 21-22, 2017

Letters from your director and chairs, Giancarlo s Letter Hello everybody! My name is Giancarlo Valdetaro, and I'm a (second semester) senior at TJ. I've been doing MUN ever since I was a seventh grader, and I'm glad to have TechMUN be the conference that rounds off my time with MUN before college. Aside from MUN, I'm the Vice President of Student Government Association at TJ, Co- President of our orchestra (in which I'm the Principal Bassist), the bassist in the Pit Orchestra for this year's musical production of Les Mis, and Co-Captain of the Varsity Tennis Team. In my everyday life, I enjoy watching as much Premier League soccer and professional tennis as I can get my eyes on, participating in political marches in D.C., going and finding good restaurants to go to with my girlfriend, and tracking the weather across the nation (actively envying any location that's getting snow). With our current worldwide political climate, I'm incredibly excited to meet you all and see how you react as the staff of the man who many view as the Filipino prototype of our own President, Donald Trump. As Crisis Director, I'm not only looking forward to the many creative ways in which I'm sure you're going to both deal with the drug crisis in the Philippines and keep 2

President Duterte in check, but I'm also intrigued to see how you react when not only what you planned doesn't exactly go your way, but also when seemingly unrelated events can unexpectedly affect the basic situation you're in, as I believe this is an indicator of not only how good a delegate you are, but how good of a problem-solver you are in general. If you have any questions, feel free to reach us at drugwartechmun2017@gmail.com. Looking forward to meeting you in April! Sachin s Letter Welcome to TECHMUN 2017! My name is Sachin Jain and I m going to be one of your chairs for the Philippine Drug War: Rodrigo Duterte's Cabinet 2016. I m eager to work with each of you in what will definitely be the best committees at TECHMUN. For a little bit about myself, I m currently a Junior at TJ and have been a part of TJMUN since I was a freshman. However, MUN is just one of my hobbies. I m also a part of TJ s Forensics Speech Team and StartupTJ club. In my free time, I m most likely watching YouTube, building websites, or sleeping. In terms of what I want to see during committee, you ll find that I m pretty relaxed with parliamentary procedure and I m definitely willing to help out if you have any questions concerning how crisis is run. All in all, I look forward to some productive debate during committee and wish you luck in your preparations. 3

TechMUN 2017 Dan s Letter Welcome delegates! My name is Dan Qi and I am very excited to be able to participate in my 3 TECHMUN and to co-chair the rd Philippine Drug War: Rodrigo Duterte s Cabinet 2016. I am currently a senior at TJ and have been doing Model UN for all 4 years of my high school career. Through my years of doing Model UN, I think Model UN is one of the best ways for individuals to develop key public speaking and diplomatic skills. Outside of Model UN, I am the president of Chinese Honor Society helping to organize cultural activities and the treasurer of Teenage Republicans, which by the way is quite small. On my weekends, you can find me playing volleyball and catching up on tv shows. When we meet in April, I look forward to two days of innovative, passionate, and productive debate during committee. Start researching and good luck delegates! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at drugwartechmun2017@gmail.com Best Wishes, Giancarlo, Sachin, and Dan 4

Note from Dias: Because the committee will begin from Duterte s inauguration, this topic will include information only up to that point. This DOES NOT mean that your own research should only limited to this point, as researching what has happened since his inauguration will prepare you well for any events that occur during committee. Topic A: International Backlash History/Background The Philippines has had a long and arduous history with shifting government and political systems almost every half century. Coming out of the Marcos era and martial law with the People Power Revolution, this Southeast Asian archipelago has now entered an era of the Fifth Republic with a public government system where the head of government and chief of state is the president. The former administration of Benigno Aquino III left many unattested issues and is accused of putting the lives of thousands of Filipino citizens at risk (Hale). However, today on June 30, 2016, Rodrigo Figure 1. Image showing the 18 regions in the Philippines Duterte has been inaugurated as the sixteenth President of the Philippines, having won the popular vote with 39.01% of the Filipino population (Berehulak). International criticism of the Filipino government, Duterte s previous political actions, and those 5

actions which Duterte proposed during the campaign puts Duterte s cabinet in a unique position to reshape the international opinion on the Philippines. Relations with global superpowers such as the United States and China have potential for improvement, given what this cabinet will prioritize and how they plan to run the Phillipines (Iyengar). Current Situation The criticism that the Filipino government garners covers a wide range of issues, but the most pressing ones are the extrajudicial killings, attacks on indigenous peoples, and journalist killings, each of which are detailed in the following summaries. Extrajudicial Killings While the mayor of Davao City, one of the most developed cities in the Philippines, Duterte was well known for his support of extrajudicial killings against those he deemed to be considered criminals, earning him the title The Punisher. Amnesty International estimated that over fourteen hundred alleged criminal were killed by these death squads ("Philippines: The Police's Murderous War on the Poor."). Although Duterte initially rejected responsibility for these bands of assassins, he later affirmed his involvement with the death squads on a local TV show when stating Am I the death squad? True. That is true. Duterte has justified these actions by noting the steadily decreasing crime rate in Davao City, which in fact had dropped a considerable amount. Later, before running for president, Duterte claimed that if he were to be elected, that he would likely kill upwards of 100,000 criminals (Berehulak). Such statements have triggered more and more international criticism that shall only increase with Duterte s recent election. 6

Attacks on Indigenous Peoples Figure 2. Image showing the protests against the unlawful killing of the indigenous people In addition to unlawful killings in the cities, the indigenous peoples of the southern Philippine region, called the Lumad, have been dealing with military aggression from the Aquino regime since 2015. According to Human Rights Watch, hundreds of Lumad have been forced to take shelter in camps in Davao City because these militants forced them from their native lands (Kine). Various local news organizations have come out with statements from these natives who claim that members of various tribal groups are being tortured and killed by what has been reported as the left-wing New People s Army. Furthermore, Karapatan, a human rights organization focused on exposing military abuses, determined that these militants are government-backed. Duterte is now tasked with dealing with the global backlash of this situation as the newly elected president (Obordo). 7

Journalist Killings Since the Aquino administration, there has been a steady increase in the number of journalist killings within the Philippines and rarely any information is released by the government regarding these deaths (Rushford). According to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, only 14 of the 172 cases regarding murdered journalists since the People Power Revolution have resulted in a solidified conviction. Although Aquino made statements condemning these events and promised to bring an end to these killings, thirty more journalists had been reportedly killed during his presidency (Berehulak). Duterte s long history of killing people he believe are criminals have many nations fearful of his plan of action regarding this issue. Conclusion While there has been no clear indication of how the United Nations and the rest of the world will react to Duterte s recent election, current international relations are always subject to change. There have been a few attempts by the UN to draft resolutions to assist the Philippine government control their issues, but most of them have been ineffective. There has also been verbal criticism internationally, with the most notable incident being President Obama criticizing the Filipino leader, whom used profane language in his public response. To properly reform the Philippine government and ensure a smooth transition of power for Duterte, his cabinet will be required to act swiftly and effectively and curb international backlash for these policies and outbursts. 8

Questions to Consider What steps should Duterte s cabinet take to reduce these human rights violations? What kind of international response could potentially limit the power of the Philippines and Duterte himself? Which nations should the Philippines ally with and what is the feasibility of these relationships? Which nations stand to gain the most from instability in the Philippines? 9

Note from Dias: Because the Philippine Drug War began in earnest after the inauguration of Rodrigo Duterte, this topic will include information up to present date. HOWEVER, the committee will still begin at the point of Duterte s inauguration. Topic B: Preventing Production & Distribution of Drugs History/Background When Rodrigo Duterte won the 2016 Philippine president election, he wasted no time to inform his nation that he would work to kill tens of thousands of criminals for being drug addicts. He encouraged a cleaning-up of the Philippines and allegedly condoned the use of the Davao Death Squad to kill street children, drug users, and small-time criminals (Favila). All these actions take place under the goal of curbing the large drug use problem in the Philippines. While organizations disagree, the Philippine Dangerous Drugs Board estimated roughly 1.8 million drug users, and over 800 hundred of those being shabu or meth users. In 2012, according to the United Nations World Drug Report, the Philippines had the highest drug abuse rate for Shabu in East Asia. Thus, Figure 3. Image showing the current Drug War situation in the Philippines the increase of drug users from 2008 and 2012 has been used by the Philippines government to justify its war on drugs (Nachtwey). 10

Current Situation Since claims that Senator Leila de Lima had an affair with her driver, the recent months following the beginning of the drug war have been riddled with scandals and the Philippine National Police (PNP) has been estimated to have killed over 10,000 suspects of various levels of criminal activity ("Philippines Police Behave like 'criminal Underworld' in Drugs War - Amnesty."). The bombing in Davao City on September 2 prompted Duterte to call for a state of emergency and the PNP was called in to reportedly suppress all forms of lawless violence ("In Philippine Drug War, Death Rituals Substitute for Justice."). As a general timelines of events, here are the main occurrences during the drug war that may hold significance: Figure 4. Image showing the number of police and extrajudicial killings 11

August 18, 2016: Agnes Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur, called Duterte out on his encouraging of citizens killing drug addicts. Duterte then threatened to pull the Philippines out of the UN. August 25, 2016: Duterte released a drug matrix that linked various government officials to the New Bilibid Prison drug trafficking sandal. September 2, 2016: The aforementioned bombing in Davao City October 18, 2016: The kidnapping of South Korean businessman, Jee Ick-Joo October 28, 2016: Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom and others were killed by the PNP during a shootout during an anti-illegal drug operation December 8, 2016: The Philippine Senate issues a report that the Davao Death Squad does not exist January 31, 2017: The Amnesty International's report of various drug-related killings in 20 cities with recommendations to the ICC examines violations of human rights in the Philippines While this list does not contain all the events that have occurred throughout the Philippine Drug War, they are a clear indication of how Duterte and his cabinet have responded to various crises and the potential for international intervention in the future. But more importantly, the Duterte administration has not tackled the real problem of preventing the distribution and production of drugs in the Philippines. Distribution of Drugs Over the course of President Duterte s war on drugs, there has been little done to curb the flow of illegal drugs coming into the Philippines. According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), between Janurary 2015 and August 2016, of the 77 foreign nationals arrested for meth related drug charges, roughly two-thirds were 12

Chinese and Taiwanese residents. Moreover, the individuals that produce meth known as cooks and chemists are even flown into the Philippines from China by the drug cartels to work in meth labs. Even the the spokesperson for the PDEA, Derrick Carreon, stated, It s safe to say that the majority of the meth we have comes from China (Chalmers). While many government agencies and local police forces believe that China is one of the main contributors towards the flow of drugs into the Philippines, President Duterte firmly believes that China is not exporting meth in to the Figure 5. Image showing the different drug trafficking routes in which drugs enter the Philippines Philippines. Furthermore, President Duterte is now seeking a warmer relationship with the Chinese while at the same time becoming more separated from the United States which is one of the primary partners in funding and training the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. Conclusion As Duterte s war on drugs in the Philippines wages on, both Duterte and his cabinet will be forced to make decisions regarding international reactions to their practices along with the inflow of drugs into the Philippines from countries like China. Additionally, given Duterte s hopes to end this war within 2017, the cabinet must also consider the effectivity and reasonability of waging this war on drugs for any longer. 13

Given information received by Duterte regarding political corruption and ties to the drug traffickers, this committee will be tasked to address these events head on to ensure the prosperity of the Philippines. Questions to Consider What steps must be taken to confront the potential international actions that could be taken against President Duterte and the Philippines? What actions must Duterte s cabinet take to ensure that the role of the executive branch is not undermined from within? What actions should be taken to ensure that the Drug War is won in both the short and the long term? What fiscal actions could be taken by Duterte s cabinet to impact the Drug War? 14

Drug War Dossier Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Jun Evasco Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. Secretary of Agrarian Reform Rafael V. Mariano Secretary of Agriculture Emmanuel Manny Piñol Secretary of Budget and Management Benjamin Diokno Secretary of Education Leonor Briones Secretary of Energy Alfonso Cusi Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources Regina Gina Lopez Secretary of Finance Carlos Sonny Dominguez III Secretary of Foreign Affairs Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr. Secretary of Health Paulyn Jean Rosell Ubial Secretary of Information and Communications Technology Rodolfo Salalima Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Ismael Sueño Secretary of Justice Vitaliano Aguirre II Secretary of Labor and Employment Silvestre Bebot Bello III Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana Secretary of Public Works and Highways Mark Villar Secretary of Science and Technology Fortunato de la Peña Secretary of Social Welfare and Development Judy Taguiwalo Secretary of Tourism Wanda Corazon Teo Secretary of Trade and Industry Ramon Lopez Secretary of Transportation and Communications Arthur Tugade Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Diño Special Assistant to the President/Presidential Management Staff Chief Christopher Bong Go 15

Works Cited: Topic A Berehulak, Daniel. "'They Are Slaughtering Us Like Animals'." The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 Dec. 2016. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. Hale, Erin. "Why Rodrigo Duterte May Not Be As Popular In The Philippines As He Thinks." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 16 Dec. 2016. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. Iyengar, Rishi. "The Killing Time: Inside Rodrigo Duterte's Drug War." Time. Time, 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. Kine, Phelim. "Tentacles of Philippine Police Killings Spread." Human Rights Watch. N.p., 18 Jan. 2017. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. Obordo, Rachel. "'He's Vulgar but Honest': Filipinos on Duterte's First 100 Days in Office." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 08 Oct. 2016. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. "Philippines: The Police's Murderous War on the Poor." Philippines: The Police's Murderous War on the Poor. Amnesty International, 31 Jan. 2017. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. Rushford, Greg. "What Rodrigo Duterte Is Giving Up." Foreign Policy. N.p., 17 Oct. 2016. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. 16

Works Cited: Topic B Chalmers, John. "Duterte's War: Meth Gangs of China Stoke Philippines Drug Crisis." Reuters. Reuters, 16 Dec. 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2017. Favila, Aaron. "The Philippines' Deadly Drug War." CBS News. CBS Interactive, 03 Nov. 2016. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. Nachtwey, James. "Philippines: Rodrigo Duterte's Drug War Photos." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. "Philippines Police Behave like 'criminal Underworld' in Drugs War - Amnesty." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 01 Feb. 2017. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. "In Philippine Drug War, Death Rituals Substitute for Justice." National Geographic. National Geographic, 17 Feb. 2017. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. Sullivan, Michael. "In Philippine Drug War, Death Toll Rises And So Do Concerns About Tactics." NPR. NPR, 28 Nov. 2016. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. Thomas Maresca, Special for USA TODAY. "Duterte's Controversial Drug War: 6 Months, 6,000 Deaths in the Philippines." USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, 09 Jan. 2017. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. Weiss, Brennan. "Children and Duterte's Drug War: Lessons from the past." Philippines Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, 17 Feb. 2017. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. 17