New Philippines drugs board chief quits

MANILA: The head of the Philippines’ narcotics control body has resigned after just five months in the job, the second official in a row to vacate the post for making statements contradicting President Rodrigo Duterte.

Retired army general Dionisio Santiago said yesterday that he had quit as chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board after receiving a call from Duterte’s executive secretary, a few days after he publicly said the construction of a 10 000-bed “mega drug rehab” facility was a mistake.

Countering illicit drugs is the key policy of Duterte’s presidency and he has repeatedly threatened to kill dealers and users and said he was willing to be jailed for it.

His crackdown has killed thousands of Filipinos, but the administration insists it is committed to arresting dealers and rehabilitating users, citing the new facility and the voluntary surrender of 1.3 million addicts and pushers as a sign of its positive intent.

“My rule is that the boss is always right and if you think the boss is not right, refer to rule No. 1,” Santiago told Radyo Inquirer, adding he had submitted a two-sentence resignation letter.

Santiago had said the government may have miscalculated with the rehab centre and should have pursued a practical community-based rehabilitation programme.

Fewer than 500 people have been admitted to the facility, which was launched last year amid great fanfare and was funded by a wealthy Chinese businessman.

Duterte gave Santiago the job in June after the former head was forced to quit after disputing the president’s repeated statements that there were more than 4 million Filipino drug addicts.

Duterte has never disclosed the source of that information and some experts say it is exaggerated.

The new health minister, Francisco Duque, yesterday voiced his approval for using marijuana “only for research purposes” in medicine.

He said he would prefer marijuana in “pharmaceutical form” if the country legalised its use.

There is a pending bill in Congress to legalise and regulate the medical use of cannabis. – Reuters