Duterte admits drug problem won’t end under his watch
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday admitted that the illegal drugs problem will not end under his watch.
“I’m tired, and I think I cannot fulfill my promise of ending all these problems,” a seemingly helpless Duterte said during a speech at the launch of “Pilipinas Angat Lahat” program at Malacañang.
“Drugs will not end at the end of my term. It might just be worsened,” he said.
This statement was in stark contrast to his campaign bravado that he will end drugs and criminality within in three to six months after assumption into office.
Duterte made the remark as he admitted that he was thinking of stepping down from power as corrupt activities continues to be orchestrated under his administration.
“I said I will try to stop corruption, which I’m doing [now]. And still I cannot succeed even beyond my term,” Duterte said.
“I told you that I will go after drugs and I warned everybody because… what used to be millions of transactions worth, it’s now billions,” he added.
Meanwhile, the chief executive dismissed as “pure speculation” the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) claim that P6.8 billion worth of shabu (crystal meth) may have slipped into the country.
READ: 1 ton of shabu worth P6.8B eludes PDEA, PNP
” … But they opened it, there was none. It was pure speculation. They were assuming that for those metal, magnetic — contain…there was nothing there,” Duterte said.
“And they suspected and they also presumed that is was full of shabu. And they just made an assumption of the price. But there was really none and I am not convinced,” he added. /ee
