Sen. Grace Poe has vowed to combat drug trafficking in the Philippines if elected president in 2016, citing it has become a national threat.
“The prevalence of drugs in the country is very disturbing, and I am surprised that it is not getting the attention and action it deserves,” Poe said in a statement on Friday.
Poe, head of the Senate committee on dangerous drugs, said the reported increase in drug smuggling activities in the country required “a stronger government hand” against drug syndicates.
The senator said she would rally the government “to combat drug trafficking and create safe and livable communities.”
“If we treat this as a national security threat, then it would no longer just be the problem of the Philippine National Police but also of the military and other branches of government,” she said, adding around 1.8 million Filipinos were drug dependent.
She said security in the country’s airports and seaports should be strengthened to ensure no illegal drugs could enter the country.
She added security personnel should also stay alert to prevent illegal drugs from being smuggled out of the Philippines.
Poe cited the recent arrest of four overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong who were nabbed for carrying 2.5 kilos of cocaine.
“I cannot fathom how our airport security personnel can spot a single bullet in passengers’ luggage but could not detect something as huge and suspicious-looking as bags of cocaine,” she said, referring to the series of bullet-planting incidents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The senator said more than half of the 88 Filipinos facing death penalty abroad were apprehended for drug-related violations.
Poe cited the 2014 country report on the Philippines by the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, saying the Philippines remained “a transit and destination country for illegal drugs, particularly methamphetamine.”
“Illegal drugs are the mother of all crimes. It drives people to steal, rape, kill and do unthinkable things that destroy families and societies,” she said.
She said the drug trafficking cases in the country “poses a threat not just to national security but to the security of every Filipino family.”
“Gusto kong buhayin ang barangay anti-drug abuse council. Walang nangyayari sa barangay na hindi alam ng barangay captain, kahit pag-aaway ng mag-asawa, kaya naniniwala akong maaari silang maging susi sa pagsugpo ng droga sa komunidad,” Poe said.
The senator proposed the creation of a database of the country’s most wanted criminals where authorities could extract the names of the top drug pushers and publish these all over the country to serve as a warning to the public.
“We are dealing with transnational drug traffickers here who may have more international connections and funding than we do. The government must increase the capabilities of our drug enforcers and other offices in charge of border control so that here, at least, they can stop dangerous drugs from reaching their destination,” she said. Nestor Corrales/RC
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