Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano. LYN RILLON / INQUIRER FILE
To ensure that drug buy-bust operations are transparent and avoid human rights violations, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has called on international funders to help equip the Philippine police with the necessary bullet-proof vests and body cameras.
“Instead of criticizing us and trying to stop international funding, why don’t you give us bullet-proof vests for our police? And why don’t you give us cameras like they use in the SEAL teams, so you could see the drug bust and you could see why they fire at these people?” Cayetano said in a speech before the Filipino community in New York City on Monday.
The senator also invited human rights groups to visit the country to see for themselves how the antidrug campaign is gradually making Filipinos much safer in their own communities.
“It’s not to criticize but to show you that in a multicultural world and with different socioeconomic backgrounds and different drugs, you can’t judge us simply from your point of view. Come over and see what’s happening,” he said.
Cayetano decried what he called as “wrongful branding” of the government’s war on drugs as a “war against the poor.”
On the contrary, he said, President Rodrigo Duterte’s policy against drugs and criminality “aims to alleviate poverty by saving poor Filipino families from the drug menace that ruins so many lives.”
The senator said the increase in police operations in urban poor areas also seeks to deter drug pushers operating in those areas.
“The war on drugs is a program to get people out of poverty. Because no family with a drug addict as a brother, son, or father can get out of poverty. If we have three million addicts, that means we have three million families with a problem,” he said.
“The poor have become common victims of the drug pushers. When they become hooked on drugs, they engage in other crimes to sustain their vices. If the government will not intensify its drug operations, the poor will continue to be exploited by the drug pushers. The poor cannot defend themselves, they need us most,” Cayetano added.
In a separate Facebook post, the senator also expressed dismay that certain groups in the Philippines continue “to spread lies and paint a picture of massive human rights violations.”
“It is unfortunate that like steel that is destroyed by rust, it is groups from inside who are affected by the anti-illegal drugs, anti-crime, and anti-corruption campaign who are leading the disinformation campaign,” he said.
“Unfortunately, some have judged, believed or condemned without understanding the real situation nor verified facts on the ground. Leading to much misunderstanding and affecting our image abroad.”
Cayetano also lamented how the public had been misled by the efforts of some detractors to discredit Duterte and his centerpiece platform of government.
“There are many spreading lies about the situation in the Philippines, but there are many more who would see for themselves first before they judge,” he further said. CBB/rga