Higher echelons of drug trade next
Malacañang said that the decision to make the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) the sole agency to enforce the drug war is because of the degradation of the drug trade’s street networks.
President Duterte signed a memorandum that removes the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the Philippine Postal Office (PhilPost), and other concerned agencies, from the drug war.
Bishop’s advice For its part, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged the government to just reform its war on drugs.
“If the government wants the ratings to go upward again, all it needs to do is to stop the killings and focus instead on the healing (rehabilitation) of people with substance use disorder,” Vice President Bishop Pablo David said in a statement.
He said authorities could also help boost the public image of the President by going after illegal drug lords, suppliers and manufacturers instead of drug pushers.
New policy Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said that PDEA will bring policy focus, expert performance standards, high-level coordination of oversight, and centralized intelligence collection to the President’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.
“So ang nangyari po, na-degrade ‘yung street distribution networks nung mga drug lords (What happened was the street distribution networks of the drug lords have been degraded) so we now target higher echelons of the syndicates as well as their protectors in government,” Abella said.
He also added that PDEA will also lead in establishing a broad anti-drug coalition – working with agencies, local government units, civil society, the Church, business, the academe, and media to push prevention and rehabilitation initiatives.
“In other words, there is now an elevation of the campaign against illegal drugs and so, PDEA has now widened its scope,” Abella said.
Less bloody PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said the war on drugs will be less bloody now.
Aquino made specific instructions to PDEA operatives not to violate the law during the anti-illegal drug operations.
Earlier, the Duterte administration was criticized for the supposed penchant of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to commit extra-judicial killings in relation to their drug operations.
He also welcomed the members of the media to join their operations for transparency purposes.
“Yes, during my interview a while ago I’m asking all the media to join me in all my operations, you’re all welcome and lahat ng operations ko isama natin ang media, may body cams kami and everything,” Aquino said when asked if the drug war would be less bloody under PDEA.
Since July 1, 2016, only 28 drug personalities died during PDEA’s operations.
Killing still an option As PDEA agents vowed to adhere to the rule of law, they stressed that they would not chicken out from using force to defend themselves when conducting illegal drug operations.
PDEA spokesman Derrick Carreon made the assurance to quash fears that the agency would resort to summary executions against surrendering drug suspects.
“Ang pangyayari po kasi during operations cannot be predicted, but of course we follow the marching orders of the President, who said that the drug problem has to be stopped by all means that the law allows. The fight will be relentless, and it will be sustained,” Carreon said in an interview.
110-M drug lab chemicals destroyed Yesterday, Aquino led the PDEA in destroying seized controlled precursors and essential chemicals (CPECs) and laboratory equipment used for the production of “shabu” worth 110.671,263 at a treatment plant in Valenzuela City.
Aquino said a total of 228 liters of liquid chemicals composed of xylene chemicals, hydrochloric acid, chloroform, pytridine, benzaldehyde and ethanol worth 1204,082.25 and 3,814,070.79 grams of solid chemicals composed of caustic soda/sodium hydroxide, palladium, iodine, calcium chloride, red phosphorous, sodium acetate, barium sulfate, sodium sulfate, copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate and caffeine worth 19,446,436.75, were destroyed through chemical treatment.
The destruction activity was held at at the Green Planet Management Incorporated in Barangay Punturin, a Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-accredited treatment facility.
Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers of the 2nd District of Surigao del Norte who was the guest of honor was represented by Atty. Nilo Geonzon led the destruction ceremony of the chemicals and non-drug evidence that were recently ordered by the court destroyed. (With a report from Kate Louise B. Javier)