Duterte warns OFWs on drugs

Gov’t won’t seek pardon for Filipinos linked to illegal substance

President Duterte warned Filipinos overseas not to get involved in illegal drugs or other crimes while abroad, saying he would not assist them if they are caught.

Speaking at the national assembly of barangay leaders in Pasay City Monday night, the President cautioned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) against breaking the laws of the host countries since some nations impose death penalty for certain offenses.

“Kayong mga Pilipino sa labas, ‘wag ninyong gawain ‘yan kasi papatayin din kayo doon [You Filipinos abroad, do not do it because you will end up killed there],” he said while discussing his relentless war on illegal drugs.

“Do not commit the… committing crimes, your crimes in other countries. I cannot help you and I won’t help you. ‘Yan tandaan ninyo ‘yan [Remember that],” he added.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, however, explained the President’s position is meant that he would not seek pardon for Filipinos im-

plicated in illegal drugs overseas.

Panelo assured that the government would still provide legal assistance to OFWs, but the President would go to the extent of seeking pardon for the Filipino offender.

President Duterte issued the warning Monday as he revealed that the country is “in danger” in the wake of the involvement of the Medellin drug cartel of Colombia in local cocaine trafficking operations.

The President recognized the threat posed by the foreign drug syndicate following the recent discovery of several cocaine packages in the country's waters.

“We are facing a serious problem. Pumasok na ang cartel Medellin, Colombia, kaya nga marami na naman makikita cocaine [The Medellin cartel of Colombia has entered the country so we’re seeing a lot of cocaine],” Duterte said during the national assembly of barangay leaders in Pasay City Monday night.

“We are in danger because on the right side ang Mexico, pati ang Medellin, pati ang Colombia pumapasok cocaine,” he added

Duterte, who had earlier vowed a harsher war on illegal drugs, previously raised concern that the Sinaloa cartel of Mexico and the bamboo triad of Asia have expanded illegal drug operations in the country. He claimed that illegal drugs were cooked in trawlers floating at sea and eventually thrown overboard to be recovered by drug dealers with the help of GPS.

Recently, authorities recovered blocks of cocaines in the coastlines of some provinces, triggering speculations the country has become a transshipment point of this type of illegal drugs. The illegal packages were reportedly found in Surigao del Sur, Aurora, Davao Oriental, and Dinagat Islands.

The President, in his speech, admitted the government has difficulty guarding the country’s vast shoreline due to insufficient resources. But he assured the public that the government would take action to prevent groups from smuggling illegal drugs into the country.

“Dito, ngayon makikita mo kung lumulutang, shabu, cocaine. At mahirap ang Pilipinas because tayo ang pinaka-mahabang shoreline. Kasi island for island ‘yan ganun. Hindi naman straight ‘yan. Dito, dito, dito. Very porous [You now see there are floating shabu and cocaine. It is hard for the Philippines because we have the longest shoreline because of the many islands. It’s not strait. It’s very porous],” he said.

Seven thousand islands ang Pilipinas. Hindi kagaya ng America na isang stretch lang. Dalawang submarino lang magganunan. Dito island for island wala tayo. Kulang tayo.

So I cannot afford na may isang patrol dito, for island for island. Ganun kahirap. So I have to do something about it. I’m just warning [The Philippines has 7,000 islands, unlike America which is just one stretch. It takes only two submarines o guard. Here, we don’t have any for island for island. We don’t have enough. So I cannot afford to have one patrol here, for island for island. It’s that difficult so I have to do something. I’m just warning],” he said.

The President, in his remarks Monday, threatened anew to eliminate drug traffickers regardless of their nationality. He maintained that his last three years in office would be a “dangerous” period for those involved in the narcotics trade.

“I promised you that at this time of our national life, it is the time during my time that it would be very, very dangerous for anybody to do drugs,” he said.

“Whether as a drug lord, wala akong pakialam kung galing kang China, galing kang Taiwan, galing kang Malaysia. ‘Pag pumunta kayo dito at ginawa ninyo ‘yan, papatayin ko talaga kayo (I do not care if you come from China, Taiwan, or Malaysia. If you come here to engage in illegal drugs, I will kill you),” he said.

USDEA testing

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) sent samples of cocaine seized recently to the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (USDEA) to determine the origin of the dangerous drug.

This was disclosed Tuesday by Supt. Christian L. Rafols, regional spokesperson of Northeastern Mindanao Police Regional Office 13 (PRO 13), as Chief Supt. Gilberto DC Cruz, regional director of PRO 13, ordered the provincial directors of Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, and Dinagat Islands to closely coordinate with the Philippine Marines, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and local government units for a joint patrol in the coast and seashore lines in their respective areas of responsibilities (AORs).

Rafols said the PNP national headquarters and PDEA Central Office are already closely coordinating while waiting for the results of samples sent to the USDEA. (With a report from Mike U. Crismundo)