Alejano: Drug war will fail if accountable execs given ‘graceful exits’

President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs will continue to fail if officials accountable for the entry of illegal drugs into the country are given graceful exits, Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano warned on Friday.

Alejano’s statement came after Duterte announced the transfer of Isidro Lapeña from the Bureau of Customs (BoC) to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).

Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) administrator Rey Leonardo Guerrero meanwhile will lead the embattled BoC.

READ: Lapeña out of Customs but named Tesda chief with Cabinet rank

“Papaano magiging makatotohanan ang war on drugs kung hinahayaan naman ang pagpapalusot ng tone-tone-ladang shabu? We cannot expect the war on drugs to succeed if officials themselves are not held accountable for their blunders,” he said.

The BoC, under Lapeña’s watch, faced another massive entry of shabu, which Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Aaron Aquino now estimates at P11 billion from its first claim of P6.8 billion.

READ: PDEA chief now says magnetic lifters contained P11B ‘shabu’ | Lapeña not convinced smuggled ‘shabu’ costs P11B

Alejano said the Duterte administration’s practice of transferring erring officials to another post without holding them accountable “encourages and perpetuates impunity and corruption.”

The opposition lawmaker also said the constant change in leadership does not help agencies in setting a clear direction for policy implementation.

“I hope that the new Customs chief would finally resolve the issues surrounding the shabu shipments that slipped from the authorities. Those behind and involved must be held accountable before the law,” Alejano said.  /muf

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