Dela Rosa: Less bloody operation in relaunched campaign vs drugs
THE PHILIPPINES police chief announced the relaunch on Monday of police anti-narcotics operations he hoped would be less bloody, “or even bloodless,” entering a new phase in a war on drugs that has caused international alarm.
Addressing hundreds of officers, Philippine National Police ( PNP) Chief Director- General Ronald M. dela Rosa said the PNP was reforming and called on “men of burning desire” to join a new task force, the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Group.
The PNP has been lambasted by human rights groups that allege extrajudicial killings are systematic in President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s anti- drugs campaign, in which more than 8,000 people have been killed since he took office last June.
Activists believe police are behind thousands of unsolved killings of drug users, either pulling the trigger themselves or in collaboration with hit men.
The PNP strenuously denies that and says its officers killed 2,555 people during raids and sting operations, all in self-defense.
A furious Mr. Duterte suspended the PNP from his crackdown on Jan. 30 after it was found that rogue drugs squad police kidnapped and murdered a South Korean businessman.
He called last week for some police to return to the campaign because drugs were back on the streets and he had insufficient manpower.
Mr. Dela Rosa gave no details about the new task force, but said it was the PNP’s duty to cleanse itself of bad elements and spare the country of the scourge of drugs.
“I hope that this will be less bloody, if not bloodless,” Mr. Dela Rosa said. “Men of burning desire, you can report to the drug enforcement group. You can volunteer to join the war, with a burning desire to help in this campaign to help this country.”
The US State Department said in its annual human rights report on Friday there were serious concerns about police impunity and a growing number of vigilante and extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.
The report follows on the heels of similarly-concluded reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Mr. Duterte’s spokesman said in response the Philippines was committed to human rights, but also said it was important not to link reports of abuses to the anti-drugs campaign, which was a “noble crusade.”
‘STRONG LEADER’
For his part, the leader of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has added his voice in support of the drugs war on Mr. Duterte’s watch, saying it is a “necessary evil” in order to rid the country of drug-related crimes and make the business environment safer for foreign investors.
“The President is not lying when he says there’s a real drug problem in the country....When you have proliferation of drugs, then you have so much crime,” said FICCI President Rex Daryanani in an interview on Wednesday.
“As the Indian Chamber of Commerce, we will always support the duly elected president regardless of who it is. We would really rather work on finding concrete ways to help them succeed,” he also said, adding further:
“If we do not solve this drug war problem, that’s what’s going to put off investors and businessmen.”
“How do you expect people doing business in the Philippines.... If they don’t feel safe, how then do you expect foreign direct investments to increase?”
Mr. Daryanani also said the police must continue its anti-drug operations and not “remove the foot from the gas pedal.”
“So while yes, it’s very rocky at the moment, I think it’s a necessary evil,” he added.
“Filipinos always wanted a strong leader. You now have that leader. But he’s human.”
“I think as a nation, we have to stop complaining and actually move forward with concrete suggestions and ideas and help our government succeed.” — with