Duterte repeats vow to end drug problem

President Rodrigo Duterte graces the 9th anniversary of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) in Davao City on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. (Photo from an RTVM video)

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated on Tuesday his call to end the drug problem, saying that his drug war had even inspired Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to conduct a similar campaign in his own country.

“The [Sinaloa] cartel of Mexico are expanding and the greed for money — easy money, dirty money — increases their appetite every day. And on this left side, if you look at the Philippines, your left side, your left hand is the west, your right hand is the east,” Duterte said in a speech during the 9th anniversary of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) in Davao City.

“On the western side, we have the Golden Triangle, also a well-known drug cartel in Asia and now doing business in the East Asian countries, prompting even the [president] of Sri Lanka say, ‘I will follow Duterte. I will kill the bastards’,’” he added.

Last January, Sirisena the Philippines and said that his country would follow the Duterte administration’s footsteps in curbing illegal drugs.

President Duterte then said that it was “good” that Sirisena had a “good, shining” example.

He insisted that drugs were the “basic sorrow and agony” of Filipino families.

“They say we have killed, mahigit 10,000. Make it even 20,000… but along the way, how many families are suffering?” he said. “Once the head of the family falls into drugs that family is dysfunctional already if he is the breadwinner.”

Since 2016, the President has been repeatedly promising to stop the proliferation of illegal drugs.

However, local and international human rights groups have been criticizing his drug war for allegedly violating the rights of suspects.

The International Criminal Court has also opened a preliminary investigation into the drug war for allegedly involving crimes against humanity. /atm