By Manny Piñol
The passage of the Freedom of Information Act, lifting of the Bank Secrecy Law, revival of the Special Courts for crime and the reimposition of the Death Penalty are the major components of the Anti-Crime, Anti-Drugs and Anti-Corruption strategy which Presidential frontrunner Rodrigo Duterte and vice presidential bet Alan Peter Cayetano said would make the Philippines a safer country.
“We don’t want to promise what we cannot do but in as far as drugs and crime are concerned, Rody Duterte has laid down a comprehensive anti-crime strategy which will yield results within six months should we win,” Cayetano told Northern Mindanao’s business leaders during a forum in Cagayan de Oro City Sunday.
Cayetano assured the businessmen that the Philippines will be a safer country in the first six months of their term promising that that they will wage a relentless round-the-clock campaign against drugs and criminality.
Cayetano said the anti-crime and anti-drugs campaign will start with the increase of the salaries of policemen and the armed forces to at least P75,000 per month.
He said that law enforcers and anti-crime units will be provided with modern crime fighting equipment, including closed circuit cameras in key areas of the metropolitan areas, and strategies to make them more effective.
Cayetano also said that to strengthen the campaign against crime and drugs and also corruption in government, the Duterte-Cayetano leadership will ensure the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act which is pending in Congress.
“We will work with Congress for the lifting of the Bank Secrecy Law when it comes to Public Officials and suspected leaders of criminal syndicates and pass the Anti-Dummy Law,” Cayetano told the businessmen gathered at the Luxe Limketkai Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City.
To provide teeth to the anti-crime and anti-drugs campaign, Cayetano said Duterte wants to reinstitute special criminal courts to handle the speedy resolution of crime cases.
Cayetano said the most important component of the campaign against crime and drugs is the proposed reimposition of the Death Penalty for drug trafficking and other heinous crimes.
“Some people may disagree with me and President Duterte on the issue of the Death Penalty but we really have to do this to provide a deterrent to crime,” Cayetano said.
Cayetano cited the loophole in the anti-crime and anti-drugs campaign where convicted hardened criminals and drug lords continue to manufacture “shabu” inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.
“Let me assure the Filipino that there will be no extrajudicial measures to be employed in the campaign against crime and drugs,” Cayetano, who is a lawyer like Duterte, said.
He, however, echoed an earlier statement made by Duterte that the campaign against crime and drugs is expected to be bloody because of the crime and drug lords are well-financed and heavily armed.
“We expect the crime bosses and the drug lords to resist and fight back and under such circumstances, our well-paid and well-equipped anti-crime operatives will be ready for them,” he said.
“President Duterte and I know how vital is peace and security to businessmen like you for how could you do your business when in the back of your minds, you fear that your children will be kidnapped or that you will be robbed by heavily armed men,” Cayetano stressed.
“President Duterte has declared that he will not make promises that he could not keep but the 24/7 campaign against crime and drugs is a commitment that he will fulfill and changes will be felt in six months after he assumes the Presidency,” Cayetano said.
(Photos show a screen grab of the anti-crime and anti-drugs strategy of the Duterte-Cayetano tandem and crime scenes downloaded from Philippine Star and today online.)
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