Christian Education 203

1. Identify an aspect of our political situation in the country that contradicts the values of the
Kingdom of God.

Political Situation Definition Values Contradicted

Extrajudicial Slaughtering a person by government authorities Contradicts the values of

Killings (EJK) without any legal processes. prestige and power where
The act of a law enforcer to knock on a suspected those in higher political
Oplan Tokhang drug trafficker or drug addict's home to persuade positions exploit their
them to surrender and stop their illegal activities. command against the weak.

2. Make an analysis of this situation and show how it opposes the biblical idea of the Kingdom of
God.

Extrajudicial killing (EJK) within the perspective of human rights is unethical as there is no prior
warning or reason within doing it. Although the Philippines is remarkable in its democratic rule within
Asia, we plague the country with poor governance and failing systems through bribery and manipulative
campaigns. The administration’s lack of control then brings forth reports of these EJKs and even
propagates it as time moves on. The view on EJK for those who support it is that they see it as a “practical
resort” to solve cases of drugs, rape, and criminality. Thus, the presence of EJK has led people to ignore
the legality of killing causing an ill-functioning justice system to command over us.

Most Filipinos believe that EJK is the key to erase the drug dilemma plaguing the country. However,
they should also see the negative aspect of it. The act of killing spontaneously is a cruel act, in this scenario
it removes suspected individuals of their right for betterment (”ginhawa”). In relation to the Kingdom of
God’s value of selflessness, we would then oppose it as we would not be abiding to the right process
concerning the life of others. This opposes the Kingdom of God because it erases the possibility of well-
being for the depressed, oppressed, poor, and exploited (DOPE). Those who are in power have more
concern about themselves than of those below them.

We are in an age where the nation lacks dignity and even selflessness. Our human rights are being
stepped on. The Kingdom of God continues to stray away from us. We cannot see God reign amongst us
as we continue to oppose His plan of having peace and love within and with others. It then begs the
question of how many innocent lives should the administration take before it convinces people that
something is entirely wrong.
Christian Education 203

3. Possible Action Plan

There is no direct solution to stopping EJK in the Philippines. However, here are possible
countermeasures of which the local or national administration can implement to slowly but surely
alleviate the issue:
Official Condemnation – The administration or the highest authority of the country should
demonstrate that they totally oppose extrajudicial killing and make it clear that it won’t be tolerated.
Through this, they would clearly establish that it is totally opposed in the country and members of society
would be more willing to report and emphasize on EJK cases.
Chain-of-command control – Those in charge of security or police forces should be strict to the officers
under their command. Officers who are found responsible for having their subordinates tolerate EJK will
be held criminally responsible. If we stop EJK at its lowest level, we won’t propagate the idea of it.
Restraints on Use of Force – Governments should ensure that their officers will only use force if
absolutely necessary. Unnecessary force is one of the driving forces of EJK, restraining it can lessen such
cases.
Actions against “death squads” – Private armies and forces should be prohibited and disbanded.
Those who facilitate EJK should be brought to justice.
Protection against death threats – Governments should ensure that anyone in danger of extrajudicial
killing must be effectively protected. Cases in which the depressed, oppressed, poor, and exploited are
targeted cannot be entirely avoided however. The only thing we can propose is that victims who are
singled out must not be killed spontaneously, but should undergo the right process for justice to be served.
Investigation and Prosecution – Governments should ensure that all cases of EJK are promptly
investigated. Methods and findings of the investigation must be made public along with the adequate
autopsy of the victim. Complainants, witnesses, lawyers, judges, and others involved in the investigation
should be protected from intimidation and reprisal. Finally, governments should ensure that those
responsible of the EJK should be brought to justice. Perpetrators should not be allowed to benefit from
any legal measures exempting them.
International Responsibility – Governments should use all available channels to intervene countries
where EJK is being reported. They should ensure that the country’s military forces do not facilitate EJK.
No one should be forcibly returned to a country where he/she is at risk of being a victim of EJK.

References
Amnesty International. (n.d.). Amnesty International. Retrieved October 6, 2019, from 14 Point Program for the Preventation of
Extrajudicial Executions: https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/192000/pol350021993en.pdf

Rolyn, L., & Shaira, G. (2016, August 15). Analysis on Extrajudicial Killings. Retrieved October 6, 2019, from Academia:
https://www.academia.edu/31450849/ANALYSIS_ON_EXTRAJUDICIAL_KILLINGS

Wiktionary. (n.d.). Wiktionary. Retrieved October 6, 2019, from Tokhang: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tokhang