Duterte to drug lords: Surrender only acceptable compromise

INAUGURATION The 10-hectare Mega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija is the first to be built in the country under the Duterte administration. —JOAN BONDOC

FORT MAGSAYSAY, NUEVA ECIJA—Surrender is the only acceptable compromise with drug lords, President Duterte said on Tuesday at the inauguration of the first phase of a sprawling drug rehabilitation center.

Mr. Duterte also said it was better for the Philippines’ allies to help him deal with the problem rather than humiliate him for mounting a war on drugs.

“The only compromise that is acceptable to me is you surrender,” Mr. Duterte said. “If you continue, I said, you might end losing not only your funds but [also] your life. Because I told the police, the law enforcers and the men, do not hesitate to kill, especially if you think that your life is in danger.”

The President thanked Chinese philanthropist Huang Rulun, chair of Century Golden Resources Group, who donated P1.4 billion for the construction of two drug rehabilitation centers.

The 10,000-bed Mega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Fort Magsaysay is the first to be built.

Mr. Duterte said that if he could get the money, he would also like to build another rehabilitation center in the Visayas. But he believed he could muster up the funds, noting state-owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. had turned over P5 billion to the government.

Allies of the Philippines should help him rather than castigate him, he said, citing the example of Huang.

“If I’m a friend, do not humiliate me. Instead of helping me, just like this Good Samaritan, I mean, he just came out of nowhere and went to my office and said that he would help me solve the drug problem. He heard that … ‘Well, Duterte instead of killing the drug people, why don’t we just, you know, build something like this?” he said.

Huang said he understood the extent of the narcotics problem.

“Drugs wreck the country and bring ruin to the people. It is the common enemy of all mankind. Drug trafficking and drug abusing are the chief culprits in wrecking society and destroying the people’s minds,” he said.

Huang took note of warmer ties between the Philippines and China.

REHAB FACILITY President Duterte and Chinese philanthropist Huang Rulun, who donated P1.4 billion for the construction of two drug rehabilitation centers, open the 10,000-bed Mega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center at Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija. —JOAN BONDOC

Under Mr. Duterte’s leadership and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposal of a One Belt, One Road Initiative as an international economic development strategy, the Philippines would stand tall in the world, he said.

“The friendship between China and the Philippines will surely resonate in all areas, and too strong to break,” he added.

Some 780,000 drug users have surrendered amid the administration’s narcotics crackdown.

Initially, only male drug dependents would initially be admitted to the center. Daily activities there include attending to livelihood projects, spiritual development, values formation, book reading, art sessions and the like.

Donations to the center were also made by other top Filipino businessmen, including Jorge Consunji of DM Consunji, Kevin Andrew Tan of Megaworld and Francis Cruz of Frey-Fil Corp.