In Tanauan, Batangas, those who are caught committing or alleged to have committed a crime are paraded throughout the city streets in what has been dubbed the Flores de Pusher. Usually, alleged rapists, robbers, and drug pushers and users are the participants of this parade.
We in the Kasangga Mo Ang Langit (KMAL) Team were able to see one of these shame campaigns in action. Now, the question remains: Is this the right way to fight crime? We talked to Mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan, Batangas to get to the bottom of this shame campaign.
Mayor Halili started this experiment in 2014 with robbers who preyed on tuyo vendors.
“It was effective. The stealing stopped and the vendors were happy. It was win-win all around,” he said.
Mayor Halili has these alleged criminals walked around the city before they are handed to the police for charging.
As the scale of his campaign widened, the death threats started to rain down on him.
“My campaign was against drugs. I kept on saying that if I become afraid of those threatening me, I might as well surrender my entire town. This is why I will not back down. If they become better at killing like they did to the judges, PDEA, SWAT, and policemen, then I will become better at fighting them,” he said.
Mayor Halili also belied comments regarding the human rights violations the Walk of Shame is said to be causing.
“If they want to file a case against me, then they should also file a case against all TV stations. When they flash the photos of the alleged criminals on air, they are committing the same alleged offence as I am. When Sen. Revilla and Sen. Jinggoy’s faces were flashed on TV screens, they weren’t even charged yet!
So, Mayor Halili will continue his campaign despite CHR conducting an investigation into his actions.
His style in fighting crime is truly different. He even invites suspected drug pushers to a dialogue to ask them what style they preferred he use in his drive to eliminate the scourge of drugs in his town. Do they want his style or Mayor Osmeña’s style of just shooting at pushers then giving rewards to those who do so. He asks them repeatedly if they have any desire to change their ways.
The fight against crime can take on many forms. What should be given importance is the safety of the majority of the citizenry. Fighting crime is the responsibility of high government officials. We should also look out for abuses of power. In this light, the civilians of Tanauan, Batangas have a big role to play in ensuring that crime is done away in their town.