The hijacked bus: Reflective of an institutional breakdownROMEO RANOCO/Reuters
The bus hijacking in Manila in which eight Hong Kong tourists, including three Canadian citizens, were killed by a former police officer seeking reinstatement is a testament to the weak rule of law in the Philippines. The failure of the police to negotiate a settlement with the hijacker is a reflection of an institutional breakdown that's devastating this Southeast Asian state. Human-rights organizations have consistently highlighted police brutality, corruption, extrajudicial killings and the country's dysfunctional state security apparatus.
These claims have been gaining ground. Last week, a graphic video captured on a cellphone was broadcast on national television showing plainclothes officers torturing a man in a Manila police station. In late 2009, the country witnessed the massacre of 57 people who had challenged a local warlord at the ballot box, only to find more questions concerning then-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's murky relationship with the accused. In 2007, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions said the Philippine military was "in a state of almost total denial" and that units within its ranks were responsible for systematically murdering hundreds of political activists and journalists.
The country as a whole also has its fair share of infamous accolades. Transparency International ranks the Philippines as 139th on the Corruption Perceptions Index. The Committee to Protect Journalists said last year that the Philippines should be considered the most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Top this off with the government's ongoing struggle with terrorists and kidnappers, and the Philippines remains one of the most institutionally weakest countries in Southeast Asia.
It comes as no surprise, then, that the Manila police were ill-equipped and ill-trained in dealing with this week's hostage crisis. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon welcomed the "commitment" of the Philippine government to investigate the affair and reiterated the embassy's support for Canadian nationals seeking consular services. The question is: What makes Mr. Cannon assume that the Philippine government can effectively investigate and remedy the situation?
After all, ineffective policing contributed to the bloodshed that ensued. The authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have indicated they're not holding their breath over a promised local investigation. China has sent a fact-finding team to Manila, and some legislators in Hong Kong are demanding a boycott of the Philippines.
While it's too early to know whether Beijing's response can genuinely contribute to the investigation or whether Hong Kong's aggressive rhetoric will have any effect, the reality is that the Philippines is a country desperate for the rule of law. The country's policing will remain defective so long as the system that sustains it continues down its current path.
Anyone who has been to the Philippines will attest to the country's beautiful and warm-hearted people, magnificent landscape and incredible economic potential. The hostage affair is a consequence of the tragedy of the Philippines: a great society experiencing exceptional struggles. If our Foreign Affairs Minister is sincere in offering embassy assistance to those affected by such acts of violence, he should also offer support to help build the capacity of legal institutions in the Philippines.
Robert Hanlon is a former editor at the Asian Human Rights Commission researching corruption, human rights and corporate social responsibility in Asia.