Rep. Robert Ace Barbers
MANILA, Philippines — Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers has called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to check on reports that some government employees in Davao City were using illegal drugs.
Barbers, in a statement on Monday, raised concerns about reports that 37 personnel of Davao City’s Public Safety and Security Office tested positive for drug use, given that the city is the hometown of the illegal drug trade’s supposed number one enemy, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
READ: Probe drug use among Davao gov’t employees, Barbers asks PNP, PDEA
Duterte’s election campaign was hinged on the promise to rid the country of illegal drugs. After winning in the 2016 presidential race, Duterte implemented the war against illegal drugs, which led to thousands surrendering and also thousands of anti-drug operations.
“Even Davao City, where the number one enemy of illegal drugs resides, was not spared. This shows us that the problem is indeed serious and the solution is not a walk in the park,” Barbers said.
Whole of the nation approach
“We have to take a whole of the nation approach and everyone’s help is encouraged. This bold display of arrogance by these drug syndicates is indicative of their mistaken confidence that they can bribe their way in and out of our system,” he added.
According to Barbers, who heads the House of Representatives committee on dangerous drugs, the PNP and PDEA must leave no stone unturned in finding out why the illegal drug trade continues to persist in Davao City.
“As Chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs, I call on the PNP and PDEA to deeply get involved and eradicate the source of the illegal drugs in Davao City. Spare no one and leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of this mess,” he said.
READ: CHR launches probe on deaths in Davao City’s ‘restarted’ drug war
37 officers dismissed
Reports from regional news outlets showed that the 37 officers from the Public Safety and Security Office were dismissed from service.
Barbers meanwhile vowed to assist Duterte’s son, incumbent Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, by providing the local chief executive with whatever information may be obtained by the committee, which may be of significance to Davao City’s fight against illegal drugs.
“I understand this problem very well. I was once the Governor of my province. I know where the local authorities are standing right now and the pressure they are in. I will gladly share to them any information that may come my way as Chairman of the committee on dangerous drugs. Fighting this together in a united front is the only way to succeed,” Barbers said.
READ: 6,252 drug suspects killed as of May 31 – PDEA
“If these syndicates think that they can bribe all of us, they are terribly mistaken. What you have shown so far in using drug money to buy our lands, our officials, our electoral system and our people only challenges us more to fight back and give you what you deserve, the only language you understand, death, as I call on the government to immediately revive the death penalty and send these syndicates to the gallows,” he added.
Drug war restarted
Just this March, Mayor Duterte vowed to restart the drug war in the city after giving a warning to drug pushers to get out of his city. After this, local papers have reported that several drug suspects have died in police operations.
No less than the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) office in Davao Region has initiated an investigation into the deaths that reportedly happened during the “restarted” drug war in Davao City after five suspects were killed in a span of 24 hours.
In a statement on Tuesday, CHR said that it was gravely concerned over the Davao City Mayor’s declaration that he would resume the drug war, noting that even arrested criminals have a fundamental right to life.
The Dutertes became national figures after their patriarch was catapulted into the presidency after a promise to rid the country of illegal drugs. The former president’s drug war, which was a continuation of his policy when he was also Davao mayor, led to over 6,250 deaths in police operations.
However, activist groups have claimed that the true death toll during Duterte’s term from June 2016 to June 2022 may be anywhere between 12,000 and 30,000. Several individuals, including relatives of drug war victims, have also filed cases against Duterte before the International Criminal Court for the crime against humanity of mass murder.