Duterte tells PNP to keep momentum vs illegal drugs beyond his admin

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to maintain its momentum against illegal drugs even after his term ends on June 30.

Duterte said this in a taped briefing after Interior Sec. Eduardo Año reported that anti-narcotics operatives seized illegal drugs worth more than P897 million in just two weeks or from May 22 to June 4.

“As an outgoing president, I’m scared because of the penchant of people to really do drugs because of the money. Ang problema ilang Pilipino matatamaan nito. Noong una, medyo milyon-milyon lang [ang nakakalap na droga], ngayon bilyon na (The problem is that Filipinos will be affected by this. At first, only millions worth of drugs were being confiscated, now its billions),” he noted.

FILE PHOTO: President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo from Malacañang

“Mabuti na lang (Good that) our institutions are there really, I still trust the police, may (there are) scalawag pero (but) few of them… Huwaag lang ninyong bitawan ‘yung fervor ninyo sa inyong puso (Just don’t let go of the fervor in your heart). Na (That) despite or inspite kung sino ang ano, paalis na ko (of whoever will take place, I am about to leave), try to maintain your momentum against the drug problem,” he added.

“Many families will become dysfunctional, hindi na pamilya ‘yan ‘pag napasukan kayo ng isa, dalawa, tatlong anak [na nagddroga], sira na ang pamilya (it’s no longer a family when you have one, two, three children [who take drugs], the family is broken),” Duterte also said.

“And that is what worries us in government because we have to serve and protect the people,” he continued.

He then warned the police, especially those training to become police officers to stay away from drugs and the temptation of money “as it is very corrosive to the values of a human being.”

“The lure of money iwasan niyo ‘yan, at magpakatotoo kayo at mahalin ninyo ang bayan (avoid that, and be true and love the people),” Duterte said.

The outgoing President said he now places his trust in the next administration to continue his campaign against illegal drugs, and for the military and police to not allow illegal drugs to prevail.

“I trust that the next admin will do its very best to confront itong drugs, kasi ‘pag hindi magpatayan tayo uli, ganoon ‘yan (because if you don’t, there will be killings again),” he said.

Meanwhile, Año also expressed hope that the next administration will continue the current administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.

“Sana po sa susunod na administrasyon ating kampanya laban sa ilegal na droga ay tuloy tuloy po, dahil nakikita natin na laganap pa rin ang mga ginagawang drug operation ng mga drug syndicate,” he added.

(I hope that in the next administration, our campaign against illegal drugs will continue because we see that drug operations by drug syndicates are still widespread.)

He also assured that law enforcement agencies will continue their campaign against illegal drugs.

RELATED STORIES

Next admin can get Duterte as consultant in war vs drugs, says PDEA chief

Bongbong Marcos says President Duterte told him to continue ‘drug war’

KGA