THE truths revealed during the recent Senate hearings on the war on illegal drugs have shown that from 2016 to 2022, the State itself became an apparent enemy of the people and exercised power in a way that was an alleged crime in itself.

The gross violations of the rule of law came when the State made itself the police, judge and executioner and bypassed the judicial system as it attempted — but failed — to eradicate the selling and trafficking of illegal drugs. The extrajudicial killing of at least 6,000 innocent Filipinos by police brought loss and suffering to their families. The purported state policy of 'accuse and kill' encouraged the police and hired guns to kill with impunity and without moral or legal responsibility. That had a disastrous impact on the psyche of the Filipino people, from which they are still recovering.