Duterte: Drug war in PH ‘failed’
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Wed, 03 Apr 2019 08:11:45 +0000
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has admitted that his administration’s drug war “failed” and was actually “worsening.”
In a speech during the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan campaign rally in Malabon City on Tuesday evening, Duterte, whose promise of eradicating illegal drugs in the country in three to six months virtually catapulted him to the presidency in 2016, said the illegal drug situation was “swallowing” the country.
He said that he could not rid the country of illegal drugs even if he ordered the killing of drug suspects.
“You can read it everyday, even in the crawler of the TV networks. There are billions [of pesos] worth of drugs. Before, it was only thousands. Drugs, I cannot control, son of a b—h, even if I ordered the deaths of these idiots,” Duterte said.
“Drugs has always been there. It even intensified,” he added.
Duterte also admitted that the drug war was a failure because it was a “worldwide problem.”
He also said that if government officials and troops would “allow” drugs to enter the cities, it would continue to be a problem.
“It’s a worldwide problem, now there are drugs even in China, Taiwan and there are a lot others. So, this city, if the mayor and the policemen, we’re all dead. Because if the mayor or the chief of police do not want it, there will be no drugs,” the President said.
Duterte also said that some policemen were protecting drugs, which is another hurdle towards meeting his goal.
He said he would release a document showing “how the policemen are playing with drugs, the officials and why it is never-ending.”
“Why are policemen assigned in anti-drugs back then are still in anti-drugs? The Filipino people are being played,” Duterte said.
He also slammed the claim that police officers were being paid to kill drug suspects.
“It is being probed by Congress, I told them, why are they tagging me with… I give them P5 million to kill… Son of a b—h, why will I pay P5 million? That is your job. You’re crazy,” he said.
“So, I will tell the true story. I am not joining. I do not know why the stupid… said that I am paying him for that. He does not know everything’s there. The generals are there. He thought, I was the only one. But, no worries, I will release [the document],” he said.
In 2017, Amnesty International reported that policemen were offered up to P15,000 per drug kill, which Duterte denied.
In late March, Duterte said that the drug situation in the country “worsened” and that law enforcers were close to giving up.
“If these things do not end, we will achieve nothing. And so we have to finish this. We have no other choice. The 53 years experience, none. So my take, my sense is if you don’t want that to happen, we will really have to kill them all. I have no other choice,” he said in a speech in Cagayan de Oro on March 24.
“If you tinker with drugs and if you continue to feed our children with drugs and trafficking… Things have worsened. My policemen are at the brink of surrendering. Everyday — don’t believe that it’s one billion. The next day there will be another one point three billion. That’s just an excuse. That’s a bait. Believe us so we can focus on it,” he added.
In February, Duterte said that there would be a harsher drug war in the three remaining years of his term. RALPH VILLANUEVA
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