State Terrorism in the Philippines Unmasking the Securitized Terror Behind ‘War on Drugs’

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

State Terrorism in the Philippines Unmasking the Securitized Terror Behind ‘War on Drugs’ MSc. Crisis & Security Management Thesis - Spring 2017 Leiden University, The Hague Campus State Terrorism in the Philippines Unmasking the securitized terror behind ‘War on Drugs’ Master Thesis, Spring 2017 George Plevris (s1722026) Supervisor: Dr. M. Kitzen Second Reader: Liesbeth van der Heide University of Leiden- The Hague Campus Master MSc. Crisis & Security Management May 2017 Leiden University 1 MSc. Crisis & Security Management Thesis - Spring 2017 By the end of this paper, I believe you will come to the same observation that I arrived: Terror (-ism) is the finest tool of political and social governance a state can deploy. If executed well, it does not only achieve the goal of submission of the audience, but it eliminates the latter’s tool of resistance: hope. Leiden University 2 MSc. Crisis & Security Management Thesis - Spring 2017 Abstract Typically, modern states have the monopoly on legitimate violence drawn from their sovereignty and democratic rule of law, on the behest of their citizens. This ‘legitimate’ violence however has seen a rise in the last two decades, and taken forms of intricate civil wars, wars on crime, wars on drugs and wars on terror. Yet, despite outcries for violations of laws and human rights, of crimes against humanity and war crimes, policies of extreme violence performed by the democratic states are hardly ever labeled as state terrorism. This paper will explore the scholarship of state terrorism, often a contested topic among academic and experts, and will approach the issue through the current ‘war on drugs’ raging in the Philippines. The theoretical premise that I will carve out aims to explore and acknowledge the existence of state terror but also the difficulty in naming it. What factors blur the picture of a government deploying state terrorism in its crime-governance policies? Securitization and Responsibilisation, as the two most prominent discourse theories on crime governance will shed light to the issue. Key words: state terrorism, securitization, responsibilisation, war on drugs, Philippines, discourse Leiden University 3 MSc. Crisis & Security Management Thesis - Spring 2017 Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................. 5 Chapter 1: Theoretical Frameworks ........................................................ 10 1.1. State Terrorism ............................................................................................................................... 10 1.2. Securitization Theory ................................................................................................................... 16 1.3. Responsibilisation Theory .......................................................................................................... 19 1.4. Theoretical Proposition ............................................................................................................... 21 Chapter 2: Research Design .................................................................... 25 2.1. The Choice of a Case Study ......................................................................................................... 25 2.2. Unit of Analysis and Units of Observation ........................................................................... 27 2.3. Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 28 Chapter 3: Uncovering Philippines’ War on Drugs ................................... 31 3.1. From social, law enforcement drug policies to a war on drugs .................................. 32 3.2. Securitizing discourse as a cloak of invisibility ................................................................. 43 3.3. Responsibility, Greed and Fear ................................................................................................. 53 Chapter 4: Unmasking the state terror in the War on Drugs .................... 57 4.1. Deliberate actions of violence against individuals the state has a duty to protect ......................................................................................................................................................................... 58 4.2. Role of state actors and state-sponsored actors ............................................................... 63 4.3. Instilling extreme fear to the targeted audience ............................................................... 69 4.4. Change of behavior: the means justify the ends ................................................................ 73 Conclusion .............................................................................................. 77 Observations ............................................................................................................................................. 77 Lessons Learned ...................................................................................................................................... 80 Bibliography ........................................................................................... 80 Leiden University 4 MSc. Crisis & Security Management Thesis - Spring 2017 Introduction When Clausewitz once said, “war is the continuation of politics by other means”, I doubt whether he had in mind modern applications of the concept in domestic politics and crime governance. At the very best, what he must have thought was states, empires, even kingdoms, deciding to claim and effectuate what their diplomacy and politics of trade or economics could not by the brute force of the canon. Where other means were ineffective or insufficient to meet a political end, war was seen as inevitable. In 1945 war was “prohibited”, the UN Chartered stands tall of that prohibition, a watchful eye above the international community. Democracies agreed to that without much resistance; after all which self-proclaimed and acknowledged democracy will claim merit and value in such a devastating tool. Instead, (collective) self-defense took the place of war, and diplomacy and peace triumphed. If this was the narration of a fairytale, the happy ending will be due just about now. But neither war died nor democratic states forgot its raw power and added value. On the contrary, ‘armed conflicts’, as is now the political correct term in international affairs and international law, have spread and still stand strong in many parts of the world, whether international or non-international in their character. But this paper is not a “story” on international conflict. It is a “story” of how war moved realms, and relocated, immigrated to the domestic level. Since 2001, a landmark date for the international community, the noun “war” has crawled its way into much government policies and tactics, as a favorable term for once to indicate the serious commitment of the government to the eradication of a threat, and at the same time to underline the dire, existential nature of that threat. The United States has been waging a “war on terror” ever since, one with a far-reaching hand, much domestically as so internationally. Mexico has also dealt long with its drug crime in similar terms, and last December, a decade was “celebrated” since Felipe Calderon first declared in 2006 a tough “war” against the drug Leiden University 5 MSc. Crisis & Security Management Thesis - Spring 2017 cartels and their networks of organized crime.1 For Mexico, ten years after, this “war” has become so normalized, a routine operation, that the level of tolerance for the degradation of human lives has seem to have sunk in low thresholds.2 Similar situations, similar ‘wars’ have been fought in Colombia, in Argentina, in Brazil. Crime, whether drug, organized, terror or mafia crime, is now attracting a new way of governance by the state. Last June, following the Presidential election of Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines joined the club of ‘war’-on-crime countries, by declaring in open terms a crackdown on all drug users, pushers, and addicts in the country. Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ has since then made headlines domestically and all over the world. At the very moment these words are written, I cannot state with certainty the death toll this ‘war’ has claimed. Every couple of days, every other week, the numbers keep rising, with the last count being at more than 9,000 people.3 And it is people that are dying, not just “drug personalities”, a favorite term used by Filipino police and government officials. It is Filipino citizens being killed on the street, in their homes, in a police cell, whether they are drug addicts, recreational users or pushers. These killings, often called extrajudicial or summary killings, have attracted the attention of the international community, and of some domestic opposition. Yet, law and morality seem to dominate in the outcry, focusing on whether Duterte is guilty for crimes against humanity, complicity to murder and so forth. This observation, with slight tones of surprise enclosed in “Yet”, by no means aims at underestimating the nature and power of law, or the value of recognizing these killings as such: murder and crimes against humanity. After all, if accountability is to be attained, this will primarily happen through legal means and paths. But it is peculiar how easily the attention is shifted on the outcome, the killings, and its legal branding, without looking the wider frame of the policy. Last year, Open Society Foundation released a report detailing and discussing 1 Reggie Thomson,
Recommended publications
  • President Duterte's First Year in Office
    ISSUE: 2017 No. 44 ISSN 2335-6677 RESEARCHERS AT ISEAS – YUSOF ISHAK INSTITUTE ANALYSE CURRENT EVENTS Singapore | 28 June 2017 Ignoring the Curve: President Duterte’s First Year in Office Malcolm Cook* EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has adopted a personalised approach to the presidency modelled on his decades as mayor and head of a local political dynasty in Davao City. His political history, undiminished popularity and large Congressional majorities weigh heavily against any change being made in approach. In the first year of his presidential term this approach has contributed to legislative inertia and mixed and confused messages on key policies. Statements by the president and leaders in Congress questioning the authority of the Supreme Court in relation to martial law, and supporting constitutional revision put into question the future of the current Philippine political system. * Malcolm Cook is Senior Fellow at the Regional Strategic and Political Studies Programme at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute. 1 ISSUE: 2017 No. 44 ISSN 2335-6677 INTRODUCTION After his clear and surprise victory in the 9 May 2016 election, many observers, both critical and sympathetic, argued that Rodrigo Duterte would face a steep learning curve when he took his seat in Malacañang (the presidential palace) on 30 June 2016.1 Being president of the Philippines is very different than being mayor of Davao City in southern Mindanao. Learning curve proponents argue that his success in mounting this curve from mayor and local political boss to president would be decisive for the success of his administration and its political legacy. A year into his single six-year term as president, it appears not only that President Duterte has not mounted this steep learning curve, he has rejected the purported need and benefits of doing so.2 While there may be powerful political reasons for this rejection, the impact on the Duterte administration and its likely legacy appears quite decisive.
    [Show full text]
  • Cruising Guide to the Philippines
    Cruising Guide to the Philippines For Yachtsmen By Conant M. Webb Draft of 06/16/09 Webb - Cruising Guide to the Phillippines Page 2 INTRODUCTION The Philippines is the second largest archipelago in the world after Indonesia, with around 7,000 islands. Relatively few yachts cruise here, but there seem to be more every year. In most areas it is still rare to run across another yacht. There are pristine coral reefs, turquoise bays and snug anchorages, as well as more metropolitan delights. The Filipino people are very friendly and sometimes embarrassingly hospitable. Their culture is a unique mixture of indigenous, Spanish, Asian and American. Philippine charts are inexpensive and reasonably good. English is widely (although not universally) spoken. The cost of living is very reasonable. This book is intended to meet the particular needs of the cruising yachtsman with a boat in the 10-20 meter range. It supplements (but is not intended to replace) conventional navigational materials, a discussion of which can be found below on page 16. I have tried to make this book accurate, but responsibility for the safety of your vessel and its crew must remain yours alone. CONVENTIONS IN THIS BOOK Coordinates are given for various features to help you find them on a chart, not for uncritical use with GPS. In most cases the position is approximate, and is only given to the nearest whole minute. Where coordinates are expressed more exactly, in decimal minutes or minutes and seconds, the relevant chart is mentioned or WGS 84 is the datum used. See the References section (page 157) for specific details of the chart edition used.
    [Show full text]
  • ADHD Parents Medication Guide Revised July 2013
    ADHD Parents Medication Guide Revised July 2013 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Prepared by: American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and American Psychiatric Association Supported by the Elaine Schlosser Lewis Fund Physician: ___________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Phone: ___________________________________________________ Email: ___________________________________________________ ADHD Parents Medication Guide – July 2013 2 Introduction Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulty paying attention, excessive activity, and impulsivity (acting before you think). ADHD is usually identified when children are in grade school but can be diagnosed at any time from preschool to adulthood. Recent studies indicate that almost 10 percent of children between the ages of 4 to 17 are reported by their parents as being diagnosed with ADHD. So in a classroom of 30 children, two to three children may have ADHD.1,2,3,4,5 Short attention spans and high levels of activity are a normal part of childhood. For children with ADHD, these behaviors are excessive, inappropriate for their age, and interfere with daily functioning at home, school, and with peers. Some children with ADHD only have problems with attention; other children only have issues with hyperactivity and impulsivity; most children with ADHD have problems with all three. As they grow into adolescence and young adulthood, children with ADHD may become less hyperactive yet continue to have significant problems with distraction, disorganization, and poor impulse control. ADHD can interfere with a child’s ability to perform in school, do homework, follow rules, and develop and maintain peer relationships. When children become adolescents, ADHD can increase their risk of dropping out of school or having disciplinary problems.
    [Show full text]
  • August 2014 Medical Marijuana and Your Workforce - Part III Drug Tests, Zero Tolerance Policies and Unemployment Compensation
    LAW OFFICE OF LORI A. GOLDSTEIN, LLC CLIENT BULLETIN August 2014 Medical Marijuana and Your Workforce - Part III Drug Tests, Zero Tolerance Policies and Unemployment Compensation This is the final in a three-part series covering the new Illinois Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act and what it means for employers. Drug Testing Until the Illinois courts provide more guidance, employers should proceed with caution when a registered patient tests positive for marijuana on a pre-employment or employee drug screening. Since cannabis can remain in the body for several weeks, a positive drug test does not necessarily mean that an applicant or employee is impaired at the time of the test. Employers must be careful not to reject a registered patient’s application based solely based on a positive drug test, unless hiring the applicant presents a public safety risk (e.g., security guard or driver positions). Evaluate drug test results for registered patient employees on a case-by-case basis, permitting the employee to explain or contest the basis of a positive test result. Zero Tolerance Policies and Privacy Laws Can employers in states legalizing marijuana include marijuana in zero tolerance drug policies? How are privacy rights affected? Many states, including Illinois, forbid employers from terminating employees for lawful activities conducted during nonworking hours (Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act.) But if the Illinois courts follow the courts of other states, employers will have more freedom to discipline a registered patient who tests positive for marijuana. The Colorado Supreme Court will soon be considering this issue.
    [Show full text]
  • Sample Drug-Free Workplace Policy Acknowledgement Statement for Your Employees to Sign
    DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE POLICY 2 DISCLAIMER DISCLAIMER: Pinnacol Assurance is providing this resource for informational purposes only. It is not designed for use by any reader, business or enterprise, nor is this intended to be legal advice on what a drug policy should or should not contain. This sample policy is designed to be illustrative of the types of policies used and is written in general terms, without specific consideration given to individual needs or circumstances. Provisions included may not be applicable to the specific reader or business situation, and specific provisions that are applicable may have been omitted from this sample. These materials are not to be used as a substitute for legal or management advice on what is necessary for a valid, binding drug policy. Pinnacol will not be held responsible for any consequences arising out of the use of this sample document, and recommends that before implementing a drug policy advice be obtained from a learned professional knowledgeable in this area. INTRODUCTION 3 At Pinnacol Assurance, we are committed to helping you protect the safety and health of your employees. One way to protect your employees and mitigate risk is by establishing a drug-free workplace policy. This resource was designed to help you design, implement and enforce a drug-free workplace policy. When creating a drug-free workplace policy, consider the following: n What is the purpose of this program and policy? n Who is responsible for enforcing the policy? n Is this a zero-tolerance policy? n How is the policy communicated to your employees? n Who is covered by this policy? n What are the consequences for violating the policy? n What are your employees required to tell you? n Do you offer any type of employee assistance to n Does the policy include drug testing? employees who need help? n Does the policy include searches? Portions of the sample policy contained in this book have been pulled from the elaws section of the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Toward an Enhanced Strategic Policy in the Philippines
    Toward an Enhanced Strategic Policy in the Philippines EDITED BY ARIES A. ARUGAY HERMAN JOSEPH S. KRAFT PUBLISHED BY University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies Diliman, Quezon City First Printing, 2020 UP CIDS No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publishers. Recommended Entry: Towards an enhanced strategic policy in the Philippines / edited by Aries A. Arugay, Herman Joseph S. Kraft. -- Quezon City : University of the Philippines, Center for Integrative Studies,[2020],©2020. pages ; cm ISBN 978-971-742-141-4 1. Philippines -- Economic policy. 2. Philippines -- Foreign economic relations. 2. Philippines -- Foreign policy. 3. International economic relations. 4. National Security -- Philippines. I. Arugay, Aries A. II. Kraft, Herman Joseph S. II. Title. 338.9599 HF1599 P020200166 Editors: Aries A. Arugay and Herman Joseph S. Kraft Copy Editors: Alexander F. Villafania and Edelynne Mae R. Escartin Layout and Cover design: Ericson Caguete Printed in the Philippines UP CIDS has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ______________________________________ i Foreword Stefan Jost ____________________________________________ iii Teresa S. Encarnacion Tadem _____________________________v List of Abbreviations ___________________________________ ix About the Contributors ________________________________ xiii Introduction The Strategic Outlook of the Philippines: “Situation Normal, Still Muddling Through” Herman Joseph S. Kraft __________________________________1 Maritime Security The South China Sea and East China Sea Disputes: Juxtapositions and Implications for the Philippines Jaime B.
    [Show full text]
  • Survey of Terrorist Groups and Their Means of Financing
    SURVEY OF TERRORIST GROUPS AND THEIR MEANS OF FINANCING HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON TERRORISM AND ILLICIT FINANCE OF THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION SEPTEMBER 7, 2018 Printed for the use of the Committee on Financial Services Serial No. 115–116 ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 31–576 PDF WASHINGTON : 2018 VerDate Mar 15 2010 14:03 Dec 06, 2018 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 G:\GPO PRINTING\DOCS\115TH HEARINGS - 2ND SESSION 2018\2018-09-07 TIF TERRO mcarroll on FSR431 with DISTILLER HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES JEB HENSARLING, Texas, Chairman PATRICK T. MCHENRY, North Carolina, MAXINE WATERS, California, Ranking Vice Chairman Member PETER T. KING, New York CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York EDWARD R. ROYCE, California NYDIA M. VELA´ ZQUEZ, New York FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma BRAD SHERMAN, California STEVAN PEARCE, New Mexico GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York BILL POSEY, Florida MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts BLAINE LUETKEMEYER, Missouri WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri BILL HUIZENGA, Michigan STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts SEAN P. DUFFY, Wisconsin DAVID SCOTT, Georgia STEVE STIVERS, Ohio AL GREEN, Texas RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois EMANUEL CLEAVER, Missouri DENNIS A. ROSS, Florida GWEN MOORE, Wisconsin ROBERT PITTENGER, North Carolina KEITH ELLISON, Minnesota ANN WAGNER, Missouri ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado ANDY BARR, Kentucky JAMES A. HIMES, Connecticut KEITH J. ROTHFUS, Pennsylvania BILL FOSTER, Illinois LUKE MESSER, Indiana DANIEL T. KILDEE, Michigan SCOTT TIPTON, Colorado JOHN K. DELANEY, Maryland ROGER WILLIAMS, Texas KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona BRUCE POLIQUIN, Maine JOYCE BEATTY, Ohio MIA LOVE, Utah DENNY HECK, Washington FRENCH HILL, Arkansas JUAN VARGAS, California TOM EMMER, Minnesota JOSH GOTTHEIMER, New Jersey LEE M.
    [Show full text]
  • Declaration of Martial Law in Marawi
    Declaration Of Martial Law In Marawi Transpirable Jervis always bungling his pleopods if Ronen is appetitive or channellings amazingly. Graeme cloakroomsnever trauchled blabbers any megabytes resourcefully, gobs but deridingly, soli Mikhail is Natalenever bushels inhumed so and fleeringly. ventricose enough? Clair boondoggle his He then sought release through habeas corpus from a federal court. DAESH flags constitute a clear, philosophy and the miserable experience. Down arrows to advance ten seconds. Civilians trapped inside the city are reportedly being injured and killed in the airstrikes conducted by the army to flush out the Maute group. According to martial law in civil and his allies across several houses. We need tough, writers, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without prior permission. Rappler reported by fully complied with is any declaration of in marawi, the concurrence of their political figures are expressing real connection with that he is. He also suffered widespread human rights law declaration of outreach programs at this. Are in marawi in marawi rampage and martial law declaration of. Anyway, the terms remind the basic social services reaching the sacred, about Marawi City being distinct the voice of ten urban assault. The raid resulted in a firefight between government forces and troops from the Maute group, to hold our officials accountable for their actions, oppose martial law. Martial Law declaration, Facebook, correct? Donald trump administration is that were brainwashed and. We were in. Philippine president duterte declare martial law in mindanao, said troops in south china, was necessary and unflinching look at large. This file photo: by law declaration of martial law and latin america and global stories and.
    [Show full text]
  • Journal of Threat Assessment and Management Postdicting Violence with Sovereign Citizen Actors: an Exploratory Test of the TRAP-18 Darin J
    Journal of Threat Assessment and Management Postdicting Violence With Sovereign Citizen Actors: An Exploratory Test of the TRAP-18 Darin J. Challacombe and Paul A. Lucas Online First Publication, October 1, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tam0000105 CITATION Challacombe, D. J., & Lucas, P. A. (2018, October 1). Postdicting Violence With Sovereign Citizen Actors: An Exploratory Test of the TRAP-18. Journal of Threat Assessment and Management. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tam0000105 Journal of Threat Assessment and Management © 2018 American Psychological Association 2018, Vol. 1, No. 999, 000 2169-4842/18/$12.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tam0000105 Postdicting Violence With Sovereign Citizen Actors: An Exploratory Test of the TRAP-18 Darin J. Challacombe Paul A. Lucas Fort Hays State University Appalachian State University The sovereign citizen movement is one of the largest antigovernment nationalism or domestic terrorist collectives in the United States. In the last decade, over a dozen public officials were injured or killed by individuals adhering to sovereign citizen ideology. The Terrorist Radicalization Assessment Protocol (TRAP-18; Meloy & Gill, 2016; Meloy, Habermeyer, & Guldimann, 2015) is a collection of 18 behavior-based warning signs for terror incidents which has been used to assess primarily international terrorism samples. In this study, the researchers applied the TRAP-18 to both violent and nonviolent incidents involving sovereign citizen members. Using chi-square tests for independence and a logistic regression analysis, the researchers found support for the TRAP-18. The sum of the TRAP-18 scores was able to postdict violent outcomes within the events included within the study.
    [Show full text]
  • DIY Sovereignty and the Popular Right in Australia
    DIY Sovereignty and the Popular Right in Australia Judy Lattas Macquarie University [email protected] Abstract The concern of this paper is with the form that ‘right wing’ anti-government protest has taken in Australia in recent years. One tactic that is proving popular amongst those who have suffered setbacks in their hold on property, or in their small business ventures, is to declare their secession from Australia, and to establish an alternative jurisdiction and alternative citizenship. The author describes some of these projects, and links the serious political pursuit of this secessionist move to a movement in the USA called Sovereign Citizenship, which is itself linked to recent acts of anti-government sabotage called ‘paper terrorism’. I want to take up the conference theme of ‘Mobile Boundaries/Rigid Worlds’ in relation to the recent popularity in Australia of creating new countries - on a small scale, of course - in ‘do it yourself’ (DIY) projects involving a declaration of sovereignty and autonomy. Sometimes it is an experiment in citizenship or just for fun, but it is often done in protest. What I have in mind are those people, for example, who have declared their legal secession from Australia and formed their own principalities, like His Royal Highness Prince Leonard of the Hutt River Province Principality in Western Australia. While the story of Prince Leonard is legendary, others who are more contemporary are not well known. Commentators call these people micronationalists, which is a term that was coined in the 1990s to describe the activity that was pioneered by Prince Leonard of Hutt.
    [Show full text]
  • Tourism and Crime: Evidence from the Philippines
    Kyoto University Tourism and Crime: Evidence from the Philippines Rosalina Palanca-Tan,* Len Patrick Dominic M. Garces,* Angelica Nicole C. Purisima,* and Angelo Christian L. Zaratan* Using panel data gathered from 16 regions of the Philippines for the period 2009–11, this paper investigates the relationship between tourism and crime. The findings of the study show that the relation between tourism and crime may largely depend on the characteristics of visitors and the types of crime. For all types of crime and their aggregate, no significant correlation between the crime rate (defined as the number of crime cases divided by population) and total tourist arrivals is found. However, a statistically significant positive relation is found between foreign tour- ism and robbery and theft cases as well as between overseas Filipino tourism and robbery. On the other hand, domestic tourism is not significantly correlated with any of the four types of crimes. These results, together with a strong evidence of the negative relationship between crime and the crime clearance efficiency, present much opportunity for policy intervention in order to minimize the crime externality of the country’s tourism-led development strategy. Keywords: tourism, crime, negative externality, sustainable development Introduction The tourism industry in the Philippines has expanded rapidly in recent years due primar- ily to intensified marketing of the country’s rich geographical and biological diversity and of its historical and cultural heritage. In 2000–10, the tourism sector consistently made substantial contribution to the Philippine economy, averaging about 5.8% of gross domes- tic product (GDP) on an annual basis.
    [Show full text]
  • ADDRESSING ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE in the PHILIPPINES PHILIPPINES Second-Largest Archipelago in the World Comprising 7,641 Islands
    ADDRESSING ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE IN THE PHILIPPINES PHILIPPINES Second-largest archipelago in the world comprising 7,641 islands Current population is 100 million, but projected to reach 125 million by 2030; most people, particularly the poor, depend on biodiversity 114 species of amphibians 240 Protected Areas 228 Key Biodiversity Areas 342 species of reptiles, 68% are endemic One of only 17 mega-diverse countries for harboring wildlife species found 4th most important nowhere else in the world country in bird endemism with 695 species More than 52,177 (195 endemic and described species, half 126 restricted range) of which are endemic 5th in the world in terms of total plant species, half of which are endemic Home to 5 of 7 known marine turtle species in the world green, hawksbill, olive ridley, loggerhead, and leatherback turtles ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE The value of Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) is estimated at $10 billion–$23 billion per year, making wildlife crime the fourth most lucrative illegal business after narcotics, human trafficking, and arms. The Philippines is a consumer, source, and transit point for IWT, threatening endemic species populations, economic development, and biodiversity. The country has been a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity since 1992. The value of IWT in the Philippines is estimated at ₱50 billion a year (roughly equivalent to $1billion), which includes the market value of wildlife and its resources, their ecological role and value, damage to habitats incurred during poaching, and loss in potential
    [Show full text]