Bongbong Marcos orders peace and order councils to address pol violence, illegal drugs

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
INQUIRER file photo / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday tasked the members of the national and regional peace and order councils to address cases of political violence, even those stemming from the illegal drug trade.

Marcos said political violence and illegal drugs are currently the two biggest concerns threatening peace and order in the country.

According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Marcos made the statement during the 1st Joint National Peace and Order Council and Regional Peace and Order Council Meeting in Malacañang, where he noted the increasing violent activities in the country, particularly since the 2022 elections.

“They happened just after the election and they just… halos sunod-sunod. Kaya’t naging very prominent sa pag-iisip ng taong-bayan na masyado na talagang naging malala ito,” he said, as quoted by PCO.

(They happened one after the other. That’s why it became very prominent in the public’s minds that the situation has worsened.)

“Of course, that is true because even one is too much. But nonetheless, in terms of the political violence, I think, I hope, and we must continue to look out for, and watch out for this is that the experience that we have been having,” Marcos added.

The President also told the councils to address the proliferation of illegal or loose firearms that fuel violence in the country, warning about the rise of warlordism.

He added that another problem concerning peace and order is violence perpetrated by drug syndicates quarreling over territory with the involvement of some members of the police force.

“It stems from the territorial fights over areas where drugs are distributed, who controls the drug trade in that area. Kung minsan naririnig natin, mayroong talagang scalawag diyan,” Marcos said.

(We can hear reports that scallawag police officers are involved.)

“So kailangan talaga natin bantayan nang mabuti that these activities that are growing have to be dismantled,” he added.

(So we need to ensure these growing activities are dismantled.)

The PCO said the 1st Joint NPOC and RPOC Clusters’ Meeting was organized to provide updates on the country’s peace and order issues, aid policy decisions, and facilitate immediate action from concerned agencies.

The 2016-2022 accomplishments include the successful surveillance and intelligence operations by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), anti-insurgency and anti-terrorism efforts, anti-illegal drugs campaign, and effective COVID-19 response.

Through the anti-insurgency and anti-terrorism efforts and the revitalized National Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), the PCO said the government disbanded 67 guerilla fronts, neutralized 8,645 Communist Terrorist Groups (CTG), and facilitated the surrender of 28,713 rebel members.

In the fight against illegal drugs, the government reported a total of 261,642 anti-illegal drug operations conducted from 2016 to 2022, which resulted in the arrest of 376,582 drug personalities and the seizure of 12 tons of marijuana, 14 tons of shabu, 190,324 pieces of ecstasy, and 500 kilograms of cocaine.

Regarding the overall peace and order situation, the government reported that the total crime volume in 2022 decreased by 11.87 percent, from 235,059 in 2021 to 207,143.

The PCO said that crime solution and clearance efficiency by the end of 2022 were 82.28 percent and 96.72 percent, respectively.

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JPV/abc