{"id":240826,"date":"2019-12-26T02:18:04","date_gmt":"2019-12-26T07:18:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=240826"},"modified":"2019-12-26T02:18:04","modified_gmt":"2019-12-26T07:18:04","slug":"dutertes-relentless-war-on-drugs-corruption-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/12\/26\/dutertes-relentless-war-on-drugs-corruption-crime\/","title":{"rendered":"Duterte\u2019s relentless war on drugs, corruption, crime"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on November 21, 2019. ALFRED FRIAS\/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA<\/strong>\u00a0— Braving strong opposition from his critics, President Rodrigo Duterte has kept his promise to protect his fellow Filipinos by continuing his \u201crelentless\u201d campaign against illegal drugs, corruption in government, and criminality in 2019.<\/p>\n

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President\u2019s resolve to rid the country of drug offenders, corrupt government workers, and criminals remains \u201cconstant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConstant pa rin kung ano ang kanyang sinimulan. Ganoon pa rin. Walang pagbabago. Patuloy \u2018yun. Lahat iyan, walang pagbabago. Paulit-ulit lang sinasabi ni Presidente iyan<\/em>\u00a0(Everything that he has started is still constant. It\u2019s still the same. Nothing has changed. It continues. There are no changes in all that he does. That\u2019s what the President is repeatedly saying),\u201d Panelo said Sunday in an interview with dzIQ.<\/p>\n

The anti-narcotics campaign, which tops the President\u2019s agenda, has so far come to fruition following the seizure of a total of PHP40.39 billion worth of illegal drugs from the start of the drug war on July 1, 2016 to Nov. 31, 2019, according to the government\u2019s latest data released on December 12.<\/p>\n

A total of 151,601 legitimate anti-drug operations conducted since Duterte assumed office until November 30 this year have also led to the arrest of 220,728 drug personalities and the deaths of 5,552 drug suspects.<\/p>\n

Around 726 of 220,728 arrested individuals due to supposed links to rampant narcotics trade are government workers. Eighty-two of them are uniformed personnel, 297 are elected officials, and 347 are public employees.<\/p>\n

About 485,295 drug offenders, meantime, have voluntarily surrendered to authorities and are now benefitting from the recovery and wellness program initiated by the Philippine National Police and other supportive community reformation centers.<\/p>\n

The Duterte administration has also cleared 16,706 drug-affected villages nationwide. However, there are still 17,175 villages that need to be cleared of illegal drugs.<\/p>\n

In a speech delivered on Dec. 20, the President said he needs to wage a war on drug offenders, whose goal is to \u201cdestroy the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy country is being flooded with drugs and I have to protect the next generation,\u201d Duterte said. \u201cI told you do not destroy my country because I will kill you. Nothing can be [clearer] than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Oct. 31, the President tapped Vice President Leni Robredo, leader of the opposition, as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), following the latter\u2019s claim that the drug war is \u201cobviously not working.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robredo, who was supposed to serve as ICAD co-chair when her term ends on June 30, 2022, was fired by Duterte 19 days after her appointment due to her alleged \u201cmissteps\u201d after meetings with foreign personalities and groups that have prejudged the drug war and her failure to present new measures in curbing the drug menace in the country.<\/p>\n

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar said the government\u2019s anti-narcotics drive has the backing of most Filipinos.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese undertakings [against illegal drugs] are backed and supported by 82 percent of Filipinos [who] view our campaign against illegal drugs as highly satisfactory,\u201d the Communications chief said, referring to Social Weather Stations\u2019 (SWS) June 22 to 26 survey which showed that 82 percent of Filipinos are satisfied with Duterte\u2019s crackdown on illegal drugs.<\/p>\n

To disprove the \u201cinaccurate narratives\u201d about Duterte\u2019s drug war, the PCOO released a one-hour documentary film titled \u201cGramo,\u201d which tackles the accomplishments gained by the current administration in addressing the drug problem in the country.<\/p>\n

Andanar\u2019s office also produced a 57-paged magazine titled \u201cSaving the Future of A Nation: Countering Hard Drugs that features the key performance indicators on the government\u2019s anti-illegal drug campaign.<\/p>\n

The public can expect Duterte doubling his efforts to stamp out the drug proliferation in his remaining years in office, Panelo said.<\/p>\n

\u201cKung ano ang sinimulan ni Pangulong Presidente sa kanyang presidency ay itutuloy niya \u2018yun. Kagaya ng paulit-ulit niyang sinasabi, hindi siya titigil hanggang sa huling araw ng kanyang pamunuan, ang kaniyang pakikipag-digmaan sa droga dito sa ating bayan<\/em>\u00a0(President Duterte will continue what he has started. He has repeatedly said his war on illegal drugs will be relentless until his last day in office),\u201d Panelo said.<\/p>\n

Drug war lowers crime incidence<\/strong><\/p>\n

Andanar believed that the war on illegal drugs has contributed to the significant drop in crime incidence in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the campaign, crimes rates have also gone down, with 5.6 percent of Filipino families being victimized by common crimes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The SWS\u2019 September 27 to 30 poll revealed that families victimized by common crimes in the third quarter of 2019 fell to 5.6 percent or an estimated 1.4 million from June\u2019s 7 percent or an estimated 1.7 million posted.<\/p>\n

The latest crime rate is the \u201clowest\u201d registered since the 5.3 percent post in June, the SWS noted.<\/p>\n

Andanar said Duterte\u2019s administration has also pushed for an \u201cintegrated and lasting means of achieving peace and order and countering insurgents, separatists, and terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said other government\u2019s initiatives to combat crimes include the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the planned revival of peace negotiations with the communists.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) has been a means of institutionalizing governance in Muslim Mindanao and has empirically provided peace and order and development in Mindanao,\u201d the PCOO Secretary said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines \u2013 National Democratic Front has always been an option sought by President Duterte to halt armed conflicts. While relevant defense agencies continue to address threats and terrorism, we have also employed a whole-of-nation approach to end conflicts by addressing its root causes at the local level,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The BOL creates the BARMM which replaces the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The new Bangsamoro Region enjoys expanded land and water jurisdiction, greater fiscal autonomy, and increased share in national government resources, among others.<\/p>\n

Meantime, the President on Dec. 3 sent Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, former state chief peace negotiator, to the Netherlands to relay to communist founder Jose Maria Sison the government\u2019s plan to revive the moribund negotiations with communist leaders.<\/p>\n

Pending the resumption of talks with the communist movement, local peace bodies are tasked by Duterte to negotiate with the insurgents in their respective areas.<\/p>\n

\u2018Firing spree\u2019 continues<\/strong><\/p>\n

Apart from his fight against illegal drugs and criminality, the Chief Executive has repeatedly ensured that zero tolerance for corruption remains the key policy of his administration.<\/p>\n

Duterte\u2019s crackdown on corruption in government waged since he assumed office in July 2016 has either led to the firing or forced resignation of more than a 100 officials and employees suspected of graft and corruption.<\/p>\n

One of Duterte\u2019s remarkable moves was the firing of over 60 corrupt personnel of the Bureau of Customs in August 2019 to clean the bureau mired in controversies.<\/p>\n

The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission has likewise investigated two Cabinet secretaries accused of being involved in corruption.<\/p>\n

Duterte, however, has launched another probe against the two members of his Cabinet, but promised to fire them if evidence proves their involvement in corrupt activities.<\/p>\n

Some of the public officials fired by Duterte due to corruption issues were friends and companions who helped him win during the 2016 presidential race.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 20, Duterte maintained that he would not give any preferential treatment to erring public officials and employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have fired about five whose friendship dates back to 1988 when I first became the mayor of Davao. These guys were with me and who helped me all throughout,\u201d the President recounted.<\/p>\n

\u201cPero ang sinabi ko, \u2018pagka magsama tayo sa gobyerno and I have the power to appoint you, huwag mo akong hiyain because ayaw ko talaga ng corruption, \u2018yung corruption sa gobyerno<\/em>\u00a0(But I said, when we are in the government and I have the power to appoint you, do not bring shame upon me because I do not really tolerate corruption, the corruption in government),\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Andanar emphasized that the government’s actions of investigating, suspending, and arresting corrupt government officials helped the country earned its \u201chighest rank since 2013\u201d in the latest Global Corruption Perception Index.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis administration’s tough stance on weeding out corruption and other forms of criminality have put our rank in the 99th place of the Global Corruption Perception Index,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u2018Comfortable life\u2019 for Filipinos<\/strong><\/p>\n

Andanar was elated that Duterte\u2019s fight against illegal drugs, corruption in government, and criminality has gained support from Filipinos, as reflected by the President\u2019s \u201cvery high satisfaction and trust ratings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese consistent high marks from the public come from this administration’s policy decisions and pronouncements, government programs, social services, and other political and societal milestones,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese accomplishments have succeeded in making the life of every Filipino better each year, and 2019 is no exception,\u201d the Communications chief added.<\/p>\n

Pulse Asia\u2019s latest poll this month showed that public satisfaction with Duterte\u2019s work performance rose to 87 percent in December from 78 percent in September. Only 5 percent expressed disapproval over Duterte\u2019s work ethic.<\/p>\n

Panelo believed that the \u201c5 percent\u201d who expressed dissatisfaction with Duterte\u2019s performance are \u201cthe opposition, the President\u2019s political enemies, and the state enemies.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement on Sunday, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Duterte\u2019s high approval score is a \u201cwelcome news,\u201d as it shows that \u201cthe people are feeling the positive effects of government programs and projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Panelo said it was the President\u2019s desire to bring \u201clasting peace\u201d in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cEh ang wish list ni Presidente, ever since ay bigyan ng kapayapaan, lasting peace ang ating bayan. \u2018Yung mga kumokontra sa estado ay sumali na sa agos ng pag-akyat ng ating lipunan sa mataas na antas ng progress<\/em>\u00a0(The President\u2019s wish list ever since is to attain lasting peace in the country. So to the critics of this government, just join us in attaining the progress for the nation),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPangalawa, gusto niyang magkaroon ng kumportableng buhay ang bawat Pilipino. \u2018Yun ang palaging wish ng Presidente taun-taon<\/em>\u00a0(Secondly, the President wants every Filipino to enjoy a comfortable life. That\u2019s the President\u2019s wish list every year),\u201d Panelo added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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