Duterte’s PDP-Laban calls on BBM to pursue war on drugs

President Marcos should pursue the previous administration’s war on drugs, as well as its push for Charter change and the campaign against armed communist rebellion.

The appeal was made by PDP-Laban, the political party of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“We pushed for three resolutions – drug war, NTF-ELCAC and the third is Charter change,” party secretary general Melvin Matibag said in an interview with One News’ The Chiefs aired over Cignal/ TV5. NTF-ELCAC stands for National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

Matibag said the PDP-Laban is committed to support the Marcos administration.

“We will support this administration. We will be putting up a party not to pick a fight; we are far from it. But if we need to fiscalize, we will fiscalize,” Matibag added.

On the drug war, Matibag admitted President Marcos and Duterte have different ways of addressing the problem.

“PRRD was all the way against the war on drugs and we in the PDP-Laban passed a resolution (calling on the present administration) to continue the war on drugs. So far, under president Duterte’s first few days in office, that was really an intense war on drugs from users to small fish to big fish,” he said.

He said President Marcos’ approach to the drug menace should not be misconstrued as criticism of Duterte’s all-out war on drugs. “The bottom line is both will continue the war on drugs.”

He added that President Marcos and Duterte met for over six hours on March 20, before the campaign period for the local elections, during which the former leader discussed with the then-presidential candidate policies he hoped to see carried on by his successor.

In a resolution passed during its National Assembly and 40th anniversary celebration yesterday, the PDP-Laban urged President Marcos to strengthen the NTFELCAC, focus on local peace engagement with local leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines, National Democratic Front and New People’s Army instead of having peace talks with CPP-NDF founder and chairman Jose Maria “Joma” Sison and other top communist leaders.

“It is very important that the NTFELCAC is maintained because it is one which is most effective. These communists are very good in pretending to be fighting for democracy but in reality, their end game is to destroy the government and install another one. That is the aim of the CPP,” Duterte said.

The former president chairs the PDPLaban.

The PDP-Laban said that through the NTF-ELCAC, “the national government has gained the full support of all local government units against the CPP-NPA-NDF.”