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Though these incidents are widely reported by the media, the disappointing reality is the passivity of the people to reflect on it. When corpses are recovered, often the question is, "who are they?" Then, the police carry on their usual investigation to establish the identity of the victim though in many cases mutilated and rotten corpses remain far beyond recognition. Whenever a corpse is identified, the police feel that their job is complete and no further attempts are made to find the murderers or the reasons behind their deaths - often violent and gruesome.
Although these occurrences are not new, an implied acceptance and tolerance of such shocking incidents has developed overtime and perhaps the high frequency of such discoveries has made it look more common and ordinary. This reality demonstrates abnormal conditions that have equated human value with rotting animals, which people usually care less about. It is frightening that humans are treated in such an inhumane manner.
In order to understand its recurrence, one only needs to look at how these cases are investigated and dealt with. In developed countries, forensic and on site investigations are routinely used to find clues leading to the identity of the culprits, the circumstances leading to the death, and if the corpses are beyond recognition, deploying other scientific methods of investigations. In the Philippines, on site investigations are poorly conducted even though forensic experts do take up some cases. For instance, poor quality cameras used onsite by some police officers, malfunction, or breakdown making it impossible to secure crime scene photographs. Officers who have had no experience in forensic investigations pretend to have the best knowledge of the same, which leaves no room for investigations to identify and prosecute the perpetrators. It is not surprising then that culprits walk free and commit the crime again.
What is the connection between investigative methods and the alarming recovery of corpses?
The failure to reflect the connection between the two and its enormous implications on people's lives, has indirectly contributed to an implied tolerance and acceptance of this phenomenon. The understanding that these recurring murders with impunity and a complete disregard for human lives are the result of systematic failures of law enforcement agencies is yet to become a subject for discussion. People refuse to participate in such discussions due to fear or simply because they feel that it does not concern them. Public apathy towards justice for the victim stems from the fact that law enforcement agencies are incapable of producing significant results. Likewise, family and relatives of victims have little expectations from legal recourses and remedies.
The inability by the state authorities particularly the police to address this phenomenon has aggravated the condition whereby people have started losing confidence in the existing system. Victim families generally blame police as the first step towards futile legal remedies where conscious efforts are not made to conduct in-depth investigations to find the culprits. They often complain that the focus is inadvertently on identifying the victims and not the perpetrators or the cause and circumstances leading to the crime. This is a weird situation where the police have become a liability to investigating crime and in the process have virtually denied legal redress to the victims and their families.
The situation has sent a strong message that one can be murdered with ease in violent ways and dumped anywhere while the perpetrators can easily get away with crime. In recent cases, criminals have placed messages on corpses that read the victims to be criminals and that they deserved to be killed. In sharp contrast, increasing incidents of corpses that are supposedly criminals have also been found. This also illustrates a continuing practice of extrajudicial killings by local politicians where certain individuals are targeted as undesirable citizens.
The condition within the country today demonstrates how fragile life is and how people struggle to survive amidst insecure environments. One can no longer afford to walk outside their homes at night, particularly in urban areas, without fear of being abducted or murdered and then dumped in public places. Sadly, those responsible to protect the lives of citizens are instead putting them to risk. Although the state is obligated to protect its citizens, its incompetency has made the people lose faith and trust in them. This has left them no choice but to protect themselves.
The failure of the state authorities to perform their duties has turned into an open invitation for more murders. Murderers get away with crime not because they are smart and strong but because the state's institutions systemically fail in their tasks to bring the perpetrators to justice. This is a cause for concern as basic institutions no longer function or fail to protect the lives of the people. Corpses and body parts found in public areas is a stark reminder of the failing standards of state institutions.
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(Danilo Reyes is a staff member of the Asian Human Rights Commission, a regional human rights NGO in Hong Kong, who is responsible for the organization's work on the Philippines. Previously, he worked as a human rights activist and journalist in the Philippines.)
