Drop boxes for drug tip-offs may lead to wrong arrests –human rights commission

Drug tip-off drop boxes and "drug-free home" stickers may result in discrimination and mistaken arrests if the due process of law is not part of their use, the Commission on Human Rights warned.

"The information collected through the 'drop boxes'—[serving] as tips or leads to the police—may expose an individual to mistaken arrest if the information is not verified and court processes are not involved," the CHR said in a statement on Sunday.

"In the same way, residents of a house with no drug-free sticker may be unduly discriminated and/or tagged as drug-users/pushers without due process of law guaranteed by the Constitution," it added.

The CHR added that it will be monitoring the use of these items.

"We recognize the vitality of any community-based program, which aims to highlight that peace and order is a shared responsibility of every Filipino, and that concerned citizens and sectors can proactively help the government in its campaign against crime and illegal drugs," the statement noted.

"But the CHR remains firm that authorities must ensure that these measures are not, in any way, violative of the Constitution and other human rights standards."

The commission cited Article 2 of the United Nations Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, which states that security authorities must not stray from the path of respecting and maintaining human dignity and upholding human rights of all persons.

The CHR said that it supports the government's campaign against illegal drugs, but that it will would continue to push for anti-drug procedures that will not jeopardize an individual's right to privacy, dignity and equal treatment, in accordance to the Philippine Constitution. — Margaret Claire Layug/BM, GMA News