EDITORIAL – Harsh reality

Two young men robbed a convenience store in downtown Davao City on Monday night. Armed with pistols, the two brazenly entered the store, one of them climbing into the counter to get money while the other one stood by the security guard to make sure the latter did not make a move. Meanwhile, the store’s customers had quickly evacuated out of fear. The heist was over in a matter of seconds, with no one inside the store getting hurt. As the store’s CCTV camera shows, the two left immediately, fully expecting to enjoy the spoils of their nefarious activity. Alas for them, the commotion made by the exiting customers had attracted the attention of a police patrol which just happened to be in the area. As the two robbers left, they were met by armed police officers. When the smoke cleared, the two lay dead on the ground.
Such a story happens all too commonly in the city, where police action on crime is swift and often deadly. In fact, these incidents barely get noticed here, especially when taken in the context of the bigger issue of summary killings victimizing suspected criminals. For almost two decades now such personalities have been falling like flies here, and the killings have been so numerous that Dabawenyos have practically been desensitized to them. So when two robbers get shot dead – in the head, no less, as seen in the news photos – by the police, it is taken as just another incident.
We are not about to question the police action against the two robbers. After all, it was a call made in the middle of a crime that was being committed. They were also obviously thinking of the people who were living and working in the heavily populated area: if the robbers had been able to make a run for it, they would have harmed more people. We just wish that we didn’t live in a world where life can be viewed as cheap and expendable. In a perfect world even criminals are given their day in court, but until we achieve that dream, we are bound to be exposed to such harsh realities on a regular basis.