Pangilinan backs Robredo: Stop drug war killings

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Francis Pangilinan on Monday showed support to Vice President Leni Robredo and renewed his call to stop killings related to the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.

Pangilinan said that the government should instead help families left behind by those who died in the implementation of the campaign.

“Itigil na ang araw-araw na patayan, at bigyang tulong ang lahat ng mga nasalanta nito, pangunahin na ang mga batang inulila at mga asawang binalo ng drug war,” Pangilinan said in a statement.

(Stop the daily killings and give help to the victims—firstly the children and widows of those slain left behind.)

“Bigyan ng kabuhayan ang mga tumayong padre de pamilya. Bigyan ng scholarship ang mga batang nahinto sa pag-aaral. At higit sa lahat, patuloy na bigyan ng tulong ang mga namatayan kung paano patnubayan ang pighati,” the senator added.

(Give livelihood those those supporting the families. Give scholarship to children who had to stop their studies. And most importantly, extend help to those left behind by loved ones on how they will recover.)

Pangilinan said that the government should also hold “ninja cops” accountable as well as drug syndicates, including their accomplices in the Bureau of Customs.

Ninja cops is the term used for law enforcers who pilfer and sell or profit from confiscated narcotics.

Pangilinan issued the statement after Robredo, in a press briefing, called President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war a “massive failure”.

“Failure talaga siya dahil ‘yong kampanya laban sa iligal na droga napakaraming aspeto, masyado lang natutukan ‘yong street level enforcement.  Kahit gawin ito araw-araw, kung hindi naman naaasikaso ‘yong supply constriction […] talagang hindi matatapos ang problema,” Robredo said.

(It is really a failure because the campaign against illegal drugs has so many aspects but the street level enforcement became the only focus. Even if this is done every day if the supply constriction is not given attention… the problem is never really going to end.)

The Vice President claimed that the government only managed to curtail 1 percent of the total projected illegal drugs and drug money exchanged on the street.

“Buo ang ating pagsuporta kay VP Leni sa kanyang pagharap sa hamon ng panahon,” Pangilinan said.

(We fully support VP Leni in facing this challenge.)