Veloso’s plight an eye-opener

The plight of Mary Jane Veloso brings to the fore the drug problem worldwide.

Veloso was supposed to have been executed by Indonesian authorities on Tuesday night (Manila time) but her death by firing squad was deferred on a strong appeal from the Philippine government.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s interview on the extent of the drug problem in his country with Al Jazeera, the Arabic language news network, days before the scheduled execution of Veloso and other foreign drug convicts was an eye-opener.

Widodo said 4.5 million people were staying in rehabilitation centers in Indonesia, and 1.5 million of them can’t be cured.

Some 18,000 people have died because of illegal drugs last year, the Indonesian President said. From 40 to 50 people die every day because of drugs, he added.

Now, can you blame Indonesia for not giving in to the appeal of other countries like Australia, Brazil and Nigeria, whose nationals were executed?

Veloso and a French national were given a reprieve based on the strong appeals of their governments.

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Veloso was saved by President Noynoy who talked Widodo into sparing her life at the recent 26th Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur.

But didn’t P-Noy take a good, hard look at the big problem in our country when he made that appeal to save Veloso’s life?

If the Philippines doesn’t get tough on drug traffickers and pushers the drug problem might become too big for our authorities to solve.

The wishy-washy way the government is dealing with the drug problem is shown by the special treatment accorded drug convicts at the maximum security cell at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) who, before it was raided by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima last year, still ran their respective syndicates by remote control.

Countless policemen are in cahoots with drug pushers and traffickers. Those who are not “recycle” the drugs they seize by selling them in the market.

Most drug cases filed in courts are dismissed because policemen who are supposed to act as witnesses against accused drug traffickers or pushers don’t attend hearings apparently after being paid off.

Drug dens raided by the police are reopened days later and the pushers arrested during the raid go back to their old ways.

For example, the drug “tiangge” (flea market) in Pasig City at the back of the City Hall is once again busy with drug pushers doing brisk business.

The efforts that the late police Director Marcelo “Jun” Ele, my brother Erwin and I took to make that raid possible have come to naught.

Ele planned and led the raid while Erwin and I tipped off then Philippine National Police Chief Art Lomibao about the existence of the tiangge.

Amin Imam Boratong, operator of the drug market, was convicted all right but the last report reaching this columnist is that he was living a life of luxury at the NBP and running his syndicate from his prison cell.

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Franklin Bucayu, a retired police general, has resigned as director of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) but the President asked him to stay put until he finds his replacement.

NBP insiders say the next BuCor chief should not receive bribes from drug convicts who want to to live luxuriously inside the compound but should conduct raids if things turn “hot.”

According to the same sources, Bucayu resigned because of threats he received from several drug convicts.