Repackaging

Let’s face it: the drug menace is real. And we’re finding out that it is as serious as the administration wants us to believe. It is more serious than originally thought by Rodrigo Duterte when he was running for president and he believed, because he underestimated the magnitude of the threat, that he could lick the problem in six months.

The problem is so serious it is even aggravating another threat that the government must quickly contain before it blows up in our face: terrorism of the sort espoused by the Islamic State. I am not basing this on pronouncements made by President Duterte and his mouthpieces to justify his ruthless war on drugs, but on concerns mentioned to me by representatives of several foreign governments.

While these governments are concerned about human rights abuses in the conduct of the Philippines’ war on illegal drugs, they seem to be even more worried about the use of drug money to finance IS-inspired terrorism, which is a threat that could reach their shores.

The weakness of our republic and lawlessness in parts of Mindanao are spooking these governments, which worry that IS could make a serious attempt to establish a base in southern Philippines.

When these foreigners look at the magnitude of the drug problem in our country, it is in terms of the corrupting influence of drug money, of how it undermines democracy including the electoral process, and its use for armed violence and criminal purposes.

Once the Duterte administration repackages its drug war, it should focus on confronting those aspects of the problem rather than exterminating every drug user and penny ante pusher, which is impossible.

Sure, there are individuals whose brains are truly “fried” by drugs, as described by Du30. How else can you explain why that man in Alabang, Muntinlupa raped and then stabbed dead his own two-year-old nephew last Saturday? That’s right, the victim is a boy whose mom is the killer’s sister. The psycho admitted his crime.

Generally, however, drug abuse is better addressed as a public health and social problem, with poverty contributing to the lure of banned substances. Street children sniff rugby to forget their hunger.

With events in the past weeks, there is no question that the war on drugs needs repackaging. From statements emanating from Malacañang and, although slowly, from several of its congressional allies, it looks like officials have reached the same conclusion. So far, however, they’re still flailing around for a new approach.

* * * Crying sabotage won’t cut it, even if it goes without saying that every self-respecting narco politician and top-tier drug trafficker would do everything to sabotage a war on drugs.

Police officers themselves “sabotaged” this dirty war – from those early cases of children becoming collateral victims (largely ignored by the public) to the brazen, brutal execution of a South Korean businessman right inside Camp Crame, headquarters of the Philippine National Police, and now to this summary execution of teenagers.

The war on drugs created a monster that is now out of control.

It has happened before, and the Philippine National Police should have learned its lesson. The Abu Sayyaf, the Kuratong Baleleng and Parojinogs, the Red Scorpion Group – all were creations of PNP officers, and all eventually refused to be kept on a leash and defied their handlers.

Even among some Du30 loyalists who are prepared to swallow the sabotage angle and the claim that cops were not responsible for the gruesome killing of 14-year-old fifth grader Reynaldo de Guzman, there is suspicion that the macabre job was outsourced to monsters trained by the police.

* * * The PNP cannot be absolved of the bloodbath; there are simply too many instances, caught on surveillance video, of cops abusing their authority and committing criminal acts in the name of the war on drugs.

Cops are becoming objects of fear, especially among the poor where Du30 enjoys support. Just look at the terror now gripping the neighborhood of De Guzman and Carl Angelo Arnaiz in Cainta, Rizal. Certain children are not just staying off the streets but skipping school and refusing to leave their homes for fear of being lumped as collateral damage in the war on drugs.

Public distrust and fear can only impair the fight against drug traffickers. President Duterte should review the performance of his cops, together with the reward system that is encouraging the vicious execution even of 14-year-olds.

Since Du30 seems ready to end his dalliance with the communist movement, he should also expect the Left to exploit this public fear, which emanates from grievous injustice, to lure more sympathizers. The communists were at their strongest during the Marcos dictatorship. It won’t take long before the injustice bred by the drug killings, particularly of the likes of De Guzman, Arnaiz and Kian Loyd delos Santos, becomes the best recruitment tool for the insurgency. This can only spell more trouble for the administration.

Surely the administration has noticed that people not only continue to ignore but occasionally even cheer the killing of notorious personalities who, thanks to political power or drug money or both, managed to put themselves above the law. Such was the case in the neutralization of Ozamiz City’s Parojinogs, two of whom are still being hunted down by the police.

This campaign will gain more credibility if the same brutal treatment would be applied to well-connected individuals who are seen as the new untouchables, despite being in the order of battle of anti-narcotics cops.

The war must also focus on the financial aspect, which is the biggest incentive in drug trafficking. Laws against tax evasion, money laundering and ill-gotten wealth must be applied against narco politicians. Duterte must also press his congressional allies to pass some version of an anti-racketeering law, which would help ensure that no one benefits from drug money, including drug dealers’ relatives.

This war can still be redirected and rebooted.