“Perceptions of the College Students on Extrajudicial Killings

in the Philippines”

A Concept Paper

Presented to the
English Major Students of
Basilan State College

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements in

English 112 Creative Writing

Presented to:

Prof. Wilmina U. Laja

Presented by:

BaSC

February 2017
 Chapter I
Introduction

With a high rising numbers of deaths in the Philippines, most are unaware of the

reasons behind it. That leads to having telltale and rumors while some individuals in

different levels of hierarchy gave also their opinions. However, the youth is at the least

rank to be heard that’s why the researcher aims to let the students give their

perceptions regarding Extrajudicial Killings, since it is one of the controversial issues of

the country.

Background of the Study

Death is natural phenomena that happen to everybody that is normally caused

by severe sickness, murder, accidents and sometimes by law if there is death penalty

but if it was intentionally done by another human being in the government or those

whom the citizens believed to protect them such as the army and the police that

become extrajudicial. Extrajudicial killing is also known as extrajudicial execution is the

killing of a person by governmental authorities without the sanction of any judicial

proceeding or legal process.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrajudicial_killing)

Another website gave its definition by saying Extrajudicial killing is the killing of a

person by governmental authorities without the sanction of any judicial proceeding or

any legal process. It also stated there that Extrajudicial Punishments are unlawful by

nature, because they break the process of legal jurisdiction in which they occur. Usually

Extra Judicial Killing targets the leading politicians, religious figures, trade unions
leaders and sometimes socially popular figures. Extra Judicial killings are carried out by

the state government or other state authorities like the armed forces and police.

(http://ca.judiciary.gov.ph/index.php?action=mnuactual_contents&ap=j5050&p=y)

In the United States Torture Victim Protection Act Section 3 contains a definition

of extrajudicial killing that states “a deliberate killing not authorized by a previous

judgement pronounced by a regular constituted court affording all the judicial

guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples. Such term,

however, does not include any such killing that, under international law, is lawfully

carried out under the authority of a foreign nation”.

On the other hand Parreno

̃ 2011 said that, "Extrajudicial killings" is defined by

law as killings due to the political affiliation of the victims; having a specific method of

attack; and where there are reports of involvement or acquiescence of state agents in

the commission of the killings. As the term is used in international instruments,

extrajudicial killings are killings committed without due process of law, i. e. without

legal safeguards or judicial proceedings.

Enforced disappearance on the other hand is defined as deprivation of liberty for

political reasons committed by or with the authorization, support or acquiescence of the

State. These are disappearances or abductions attended by an arrest, abduction, or

detention of a person by a government official or organized groups or private

individuals acting with the direct or indirect acquiescence of the government. It involves

the refusal of the State to disclose the fate or whereabouts of the person concerned or
a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty which places such persons outside of

the protection of law.

In this jurisdiction, extrajudicial killings are almost synonymous to political

killings. It would appear that all extrajudicial killings are impelled by some form of

political motive or agenda. Further, the usual victims of extrajudicial killings and

enforced disappearances are political activists, journalists, or media persons."

According to Reyes and Del Castillo 2016, there should be a clear-cut definition

for ‘extrajudicial killings’ since homicides and murders are ‘extrajudicial killings’ too. The

name is a misnomer since every killing, outside of the death penalty, is extrajudicial. In

their defense, the crime should be called a ‘political killing’ instead and the motive must

be determined during investigation with a categorical definition would pinpoint who are

to be held liable and who are the victims.

There are many definitions given that some still have confusion in their minds.

In connection with that, the researcher wanted to know what the students have in their

minds and state their view about the issue.

Statement of the Problem

This concept paper focuses on the perceptions of the college students about the

extrajudicial killings in the Philippines and it seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What are the perceptions of the students regarding extrajudicial killings in the

Philippines?
 2. What measures that the government can undertake on how to stop extra judicial

killings?

3. How does students assessed extrajudicial killings in the Philippines?

3.1 Morality

Objectives of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to determine the perception of college students

on extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.

1. To identify the perception of the students towards extrajudicial killings.

2. To determine policies and the measures that the government will undertake

on the issue regarding extrajudicial killings.

3. To determine the assessment of the students concerning extrajudicial

killings regarding the morality.

Significance of the Study

Students. The result of this concept paper can be used to inform them

about the current status of extrajudicial killing in the Philippines.

Future Researchers. The result of this concept paper will serve as a raw

material or background for future reference.

 Society. The result of this concept paper can help the society to have

better understanding on the situation of the families who have their kin became

the victim of extrajudicial killing.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study will focus on how college students perceive the issue of

extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. It will be limited to the third year college

students enrolled in Basilan State College S.Y. 2017-2018, it is located in

Barangay Sumagdang Isabela City, Basilan.

 Chapter II
Review of Related Literature

Related Literature

History of Extrajudicial Killing

Extrajudicial killing basically started from the very beginning of civilization. When

the lust for power arose the killing began in the form of assassination. People like Julies

Caesar became victim of extrajudicial killing. During the civil war there is a term used as

‘lynching’. Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob a, often by

hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish a alleged

transgressor, or to intimidate, control or otherwise manipulate a population of people of

people, however large or small .Today lynching is defined in the united state by some

code of law “any act of violence inflicted by a mob upon the body of another person

which result in the death of the person". In different countries and in different

generation extrajudicial killing have existed since. And extrajudicial killings have

continued till today in the 21st century in different forms.

(https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/constitutional-law/extra-judicial-

punishments-and-killings-constitutional-law-essay.php)

In Philippines they include assassinations; deaths due to strafing or

indiscriminate firing; massacre; summary execution is done if the victim becomes

passive before the moment of death (i.e., abduction leading to death); assassination

means forthwith or instant killing while massacre is akin to genocide or mass

extermination; thus, killings occurred in many regions or places throughout the

Philippines in different times - 136 killings in Southern Tagalog region were recorded by

human rights group Karapatan from 2001 to May 19, 2006.

A forced disappearance (desaparecidos), on the other hand, as form

of extrajudicial punishment is perpetrated by government officers, when any of its

public officers abducts an individual, to vanish from public view, resulting to murder or

plain sequestration. The victim is first kidnapped, then illegally detained

in concentration camps, often tortured, and finally executed and the corpse hidden.

In Spanish and Portuguese, "disappeared people" are called desaparecidos, a

term which specifically refers to the mostly South American victims of state

terrorism during the 1970s and the 1980s, in particular concerning Operation Condor.

In the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced

Disappearance, "Enforced disappearance" is defined in Article 2 of the United Nations

Convention Against Torture as "the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of

deprivation of liberty by agents of the State or by persons or groups of persons acting

with the authorization, support or acquiescence of the State, followed by a refusal to

acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of

the disappeared person, which place such a person outside the protection of the law."

There are countless extrajudicial killings happened in the Philippines. For

example is in Marcos Regime, Human rights groups placed the number of victims of

extrajudicial killings under martial law at 1500 and over 800 abductions; Karapatan (a

local human rights group's) records show 759 involuntarily disappeared (their bodies

never found). There was also the Maguindanao massacre in the Philippines on
November 23, 2009, 57 people were killed while en route to file an electoral certificate

of candidacy for Esmael Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan town, in upcoming

gubernatorial elections for Maguindanao province.

And in the most recent was the war on drugs campaign of President Rodrigo

Duterte where he had released the order “shoot to kill”. On July 2, 2016,

the Communist Party of the Philippines stated that it "reiterates its standing order for

the NPA to carry out operations to disarm and arrest the chieftains of the biggest drug

syndicates, as well as other criminal syndicates involved in human rights violations and

destruction of the environment. On July 3, the Philippine National Police said they had

killed 30 alleged drug dealers since Duterte was sworn in as president on June 30. As

of January 2017, 7000 were reported killed.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrajudicial_killings_and_forced_disappearances_i

n_the_Philippines)

From an opinion section of Philstar newspaper, Katigbak said these “Fiat justitia

ruat caelum”, a Latin legal phrase when translated the phrase goes like this, “Let justice

be done though the heavens fall” which means there should be fair justice and it must

always prevail especially when there are lives at stake. We are not called as a

democratic country for nothing. We have democracy and that simply states we have

human rights and that includes the Philippines.

 Chapter III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research methodology, research design, research

instrument, population and sample frame, data gathering, and synthesis and statistical

treatment used in the study.

Research Design

The study will investigate how third year students assess extrajudicial killing

based on their knowledge. For the study, the researchers will employ the descriptive

method analysis. To define the descriptive type of research, Creswell (1994) stated

that the descriptive method of research is to gather information about the present

existing condition. The emphasis is on describing rather than on judging or interpreting.

The aim of descriptive research is to verify formulated hypotheses that refer to the

present situation in order to elucidate it. Through this method, the researchers will be

able to gather information about the perception of extrajudicial students regarding the

extrajudicial killing.

Research Locale

The researcher will conduct the study at Basilan State College located in

barangay Sumagdang, Isabela City, Basilan.

Respondents of the Study

The total population of Basilan State College is students, according to the

registrar’s data. Our sample formula is the Sloven’s Formula. A total of 100 respondents

will be asked to participate.. To achieve pertinent information, certain inclusion criteria

were imposed. The participants qualified for sample selection must be third year
students of the Basilan State College under the college of Education, Nursing and

Criminology. The study also aimed to determine whether they agree or disagree with

the issue of extrajudicial killing that is happening in the country.

Simple random sampling will be used for the sample selection. This sampling

method will be conducted where each member of a population has an equal opportunity

to become part of the sample. As all members of the population have an equal chance

of becoming a research participant, this is said to be the most efficient sampling

procedure. In order to conduct this sampling strategy, the researcher will defined the

population first, will list down all the members of the population and then select

members to make the sample.

Research Instruments

The instrument that will be used in this research is survey questionnaire. The

survey is shaped by the researchers using suitable questions. It must be validated first

by the professor to ensure the validity of each item contain. Item analysis will be done

by the researchers.

Data Gathering Procedure

After gathering all the completed questionnaires from the respondents, total

responses for each item were obtained and tabulated. In order to use the Likerts scale

for interpretation, weighted mean to represent each question was computed. Weighted

mean is the average wherein every quantity to be averages has a corresponding

weight. These weights represent the significance of each quantity to the average. To

compute for the weighted mean, each value must be multiplied by its weight. Products
should then be added to obtain the total value. The total weight should also be

computed by adding all the weights. The total value is then divided by the total weight.

Statistical Treatment of Data

In treating the data, the researcher will use the formulae that in this study are:

1. Percentage

This was used as a descriptive manner to show the relationship

between two magnitudes. The formula for this is;

% = f x 100

Where:

% = the percentage

f = frequency

N = Total number of respondents

2. Weighted Mean

This is a statistical tool that refers to the over all average responses

or perceptions of the respondents.

WM = ∑ fx /N

Where:

WM = Weighted Mean
 F= frequency

X=scale

∑ fx = Sum of the product of the frequency and the unit.

N = Total number of respondents

Interpretation was based on the Likert’s Scale Method

Mean Value Scale Verbal Interpretation

4.50 – 5.00 5 STRONGLY AGREE

3.50 - 4.49 4 AGREE

2.50 – 3.49 3 NEUTRAL

1.50 – 2.49 2 DISAGREE

1.0 – 1.49 1 STRONGLY DISAGREE

3. Composite Weighted Mean

This is the average of the weighted means. The formula for

composite weighted mean is:

CWM = ∑WM

Where:

CWM = Composite Weighted Mean ∑= Summation sign

WM = Weighted Mean

N = Total number of category in each factor

 Bibliography

A. Articles

1. Katigbak, Tony. August 2016, Opinion Section, Philippine Star Newspaper

2. Al A. Parreno
̃ 2011, Report on Philippine Extrajudicial Killings from 2001-

August 2010

B. Internet

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrajudicial_killing
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrajudicial_killings_and_forced_disappearances_i
n_the_Philippines
3. http://www.academia.edu/25341552/72_THE_CONCEPT_OF_EXTRA-
JUDICIAL_KILLING_AN_ANALYSIS
4. http://ca.judiciary.gov.ph/index.php?action=mnuactual_contents&ap=j5050&p=
y
5. https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/constitutional-law/extra-judicial-
punishments-and-killings-constitutional-law-essay.php