Press Release
January 19, 2021

GORDON CONDEMNS PEACE AND ORDER PERIL BROUGHT BY BRAZEN KILLINGS

With the country already shocked and enraged with the dastardly killing by a policeman at the end of 2020 and by several killings in the New Year, Senator Richard J. Gordon on Monday called for an end to the brazen killings as he strongly condemned the peril they bring to the country's peace and order.

Gordon, who has always stood up in outrage against these killings and proposed measures against them, pointed out that the killings, perpetrated by riding-in-tandem shooters or other criminals with impunity, no regard for sex, race, position, are engendering hopelessness and fear in the people.

For the past years, gunmen have been targeting addicts, suspected criminals, then they moved on to doctors, priests, lawyers, judges, politicians, journalists, farmers, indigenous people, LGBT community members, government officials, senior citizens, and young people.

"What a sordid way to start the year. We ended 2020 with a killing that shocked and enraged the nation. Today, we're starting the year with more killings. One killing is one too many. Alas, there are too many. They have no qualms shooting people in front of their family. They are not even afraid to shoot them in front of their children," the senator said in a privilege speech on Monday.

In renewing his call for an end to these killings with impunity, Gordon said that because of these, the people are already desensitized to the horror of violence and hopelessness in getting justice could drive them into taking matters into their own hands.

"Ang mga tao, natatakot magsalita - 'Wala akong laban. Maliit lang ako.' Nawawalan sila ng pag-asa. Namamanhid na ang tao. Kapag manhid na ang tao, lalakas ang loob ng pulis at ng mga kriminal, magkakaroon pa ng mas maraming abuses at pagpatay. Pwede ding mag-alsa ang mga tao at maging vigilante. For how much longer, will our citizens be abused and put in peril?" he said.

"Whenever men take the law into their own hands, the loser is the law. And when the law loses, freedom languishes." he also stressed, paraphrasing a quote by Robert Kennedy.

As a solution to the resulting breakdown of peace and order, Gordon called for the operationalization of disciplinary mechanisms, such as the People's Law Enforcement Board (PLEB). He also called for the passage of his proposed bills, which includes Senate Bill No. 1828, or the Police Courts of 2020 and SBN 1055 or the Separate Heinous Crimes Facility, among others.

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