Duterte urged to evaluate ‘war on drugs’

Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice urged President Rodrigo Duterte to consider his proposal to create a commission to evaluate the administration’s war on drugs, as well as to study the drug menace in the country as a poverty and health issue.

In a privilege speech on Tuesday, Erice said it would be a sin on his part not to speak up about Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Kian Loyd Delos Santos, who both ended up being “collateral damage” in the government’s war on drugs.

“I have chosen to remain silent for 14 months, but after what happened to Kian Delos Santos and Carl Angelo Arnaiz, and many other victims of collateral damage in Caloocan. I think it will be a big sin of omission on my part if I will not stand before you and provide you with this point of view,” Erice said.

“Labing-apat na buwan at pagkatapos ng libu-libong namatay, palagay ko malaking kasalanan ang hindi pagkibo,” he added.

Both Arnaiz and Delos Santos were killed in separate incidents of alleged shootout with authorities.

Police claimed that Arnaiz robbed a taxi driver and fought it out with responding policemen. He initially went missing for 10 days and was only found by his family members at a morgue in Caloocan City on August 28.

Delos Santos, on the other hand, was seen to have been arrested by police before getting killed allegedly during a drug bust operation last August 16. kga