Equal attention
It was not really surprising that President Rodrigo Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address last Monday started with his promise to continue the war on illegal drugs despite mounting pressure against it.
Defending his drug war policies, Duterte instead declared that the campaign will be more “relentless and chilling.” Based on the billions worth of illegal drugs that have been seized, he said the war is far from over.
“This is why the illegal drugs war will not be sidelined. Instead, it will be as relentless and chilling, if you will, as on the day it began. These drug dealers know fully well that their business is against the law. They know the consequences of their criminal acts, especially when caught in flagrante delicto and they violently resist arrest. They know that illegal drugs waste away lives, dysfunctionalize families, and ruin relationships. They know that once hooked, addicts will die slowly - slow deaths. And yet, they persist in doing what they do, oblivious to the terrible harm that they cause to the people and communities,” the president said in his SONA.
Well, we all know that the drug war is just part of the bigger picture. Going after those pushers, dealers and traffickers is just a parcel of the peace campaign the present administration is pushing to restore order.
Although peace is very much necessary in the drive for progress, the thrust for more economic growth should also get equal attention from the government. The Duterte administration must see to it that it has outlined initiatives that will further push the economy upward.
As of now, it looks like our government economic managers are having a hard time looking for ways to arrest the depreciating value of Philippine peso. And then there is this rising inflation – stemming from TRAIN Law’s implementation – that has brought down Filipinos’ purchasing power.
Filipinos are hopeful that as the government is heightening its drug war, it should also need to aggressively implement economic measures that would produce inclusive growth.