By Manny Piñol
Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte warned last night that the Philippines is losing its war against illegal drugs because even law enforcement officers are already involved in the drug trade.
Duterte, whose relentless and sometimes bloody campaign against illegal drugs in his city earned rebuke from Rights Groups, said unless the drugs problem is addressed the young Filipinos today could end up a “damaged generation.”
“The country’s drugs situation has reached a tipping point and if we could not stop the drug trade, the Philippines could become a narco state,” he said.
The Presidential prospect who is about to conclude his nation-wide Federalism advocacy which brought him to many regions in the country said the drugs problem was brought up in almost all of the areas he visited.
“There were areas where I received reports that not only were law enforcement officers involved in the the drugs trade but also local political leaders,” he said.
He also added that while there are local government areas in the country who have launched serious campaign against the drugs problem, their efforts are confined within their political boundaries.
“Their problem is the fact that drugs continue to come in from neighbouring areas where these are manufactured,” he said.
“There has to be synchronised national effort to really confront the drugs problem. That’s the only way to neutralise the drugs menace,’ Duterte said.
A recent report made by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency confirmed the assessment of the Davao City Mayor on the serious drugs problem in the country.
In an article published by the Philippine Star, the PDEA reported that more than 8,000 barangays in the country are plagued with the drug menace.
PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac Jr. said that based on its consolidated data gathered from operational reports and other law enforcement agencies, the PDEA said around 20.51 percent or 8,629 villages out of the 42,065 barangays nationwide have drug-related cases.
“Metro Manila has the highest rate of being drug-affected with 92.10 percent of the region’s barangays affected, followed by Region 4A (Southern Tagalog) at 33.78 percent,” the newspaper report said.
“Methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, and marijuana remain the most abused illegal drugs in the Philippines. Based on 2014 arrest data, 88.78 percent involved the seizure of shabu, while 8.86 percent covered the confiscation of marijuana. Dangerous drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, ephedrine, ‘fly-high’ and others constitute the 2.36 percent of the drug-related arrests,” Cacdac said.
Duterte said government must exert all efforts to protect the Filipino children from dangerous drugs.
“Once your child is hooked on drugs, you lose him forever,’ Duterte once warned saying that drugs like “shabu” damage the brains of children.
The Davao City Mayor calls for the reimposition of the death penalty for heinous crimes, including drug dealing in the country.
(Photo caption: Mayor Duterte shows a soft heart for children in this photo with cancer-stricken kids in the House of Hope which he supports. www.durianburg.com)
More Stories
Cotabato Eyes Huge ‘Halal’ Meat Demand
‘DV Savellano’ Model Bamboo Goat House
Practical Farming: Turn Used Plastic Containers Into Life-Time Laying Nests!