‘Reassess’ anti-drug ops – DU30; House OKs traffic powers

PRESIDENT Duterte has directed the police and military to reassess their operational procedures in the campaign against illegal drugs and other crimes.

No to abuse and illegal killings, The Punisher ordered.

*** The President said he was upset that some lawmen killed suspects “illegally” instead of following official procedures in law enforcement.

“Kaya mga pulis, mga military, kindly reassess… marami kasi of late, marami ang mga pulis na nasabit,” he stressed.

*** Why do you have to kill them (suspects) illegally?” the President asked.

“You can always corner them, find out if they have committed the shabu act of trafficking… and if they resist arrest violently, you are free to kill,” Duterte said during the Christmas tree lighting at Malacañang.

*** Duterte told law enforcers not to abuse their authority as he would only defend those who perform their duty in accordance with the law.

“Sinabi ko naman sa pulis huwag kayong mag-abuso. You can kill them legally. And why do you have to kill them illegally?” he warned.

* * * The President said he expected cops to undergo basic training on “selfdefense, fulfillment of duty, defense of relatives,” among others.

“If you are there in the performance of your duty… and there’s only one instance where you can kill — really kill a person, whether a criminal or what not is that your life is in danger in the performance of your duty,” he said following the conviction of three cops for killing Kian delos Santos during an anti-drug operation in Caloocan City last year.

* * * Duterte clarified “there will never be a let-up in the campaign against drugs” but vowed not to condone abuses and cases of murder.

Yes to “reassessment” and finetuning of the war on drugs. No more abuses and illegal killings.

* * * The House of Representatives finally approved House Bill 6425, the “Traffic Crisis Act of 2017,” granting emergency powers to the government to deal with the traffic problem.

“Makiisa, makisama, magkaisa,” House leaders stressed as the consolidated bill called for.

* * * House leaders said the bill seeks to adopt “responsive, effective, and comprehensive measures” that will solve the traffic crisis through various immediate solutions, as endorsed earlier by the Duterte administration.

Harmonize all traffic rules, regulations, ordinances, and other issuances and modernize the mass transport systems, it mandated.

* * * HB 6425 designated the secretary of the Department of Transportation as the de officio traffic chief tasked to immediately put an end to the land transport crisis.

Yes, time to move forward. Time to untangle the monstrous traffic problem.