Go: Filipinos feel safer due to Duterte’s drug war

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Christopher “Bong” Go slammed Vice President Leni Robredo’s recent assessment of the government’s drug war, saying that Filipinos feel safer now because of the administration’s war on illegal drugs.

Vice President Leni Robredo earlier said that the drug war is a “massive” failure as only one percent of drugs and drug money had been taken off the streets. She also gave the drug war a score of 1 out of 100 in terms of its success.

READ: Duterte’s drug war barely nicked surface of society’s menace – Robredo

Go said that Robredo’s basis on what would be good for the Filipino people is wrong.

“Sila ang mga ordinaryong mamamayan natin na direktang nakikinabang. Sila kasi ang nagsasabing mas ligtas sila ngayon kaysa noong panahon ng nagdaang administrasyon,” Go said in a statement.

The senator cited results from a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing that 79 percent  of Filipinos are satisfied with the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.

“Between one person using her own computation giving a grade of 1 percent, and 79 percent of Filipinos who said they are satisfied with our campaign, I will choose to believe the latter,” Go said.

He insisted that eliminating drugs from the streets is a continuing effort and could not be done through simple words, but through inflicting fear.

“Habang nandyan pa ang mga adik, nandyan ang mga drug lords, nandyan ang kasakiman sa pera, hindi agad-agad mawawala ang supply ng shabu sa bansa,” the senator said.

“Ito ang rason kung kaya’t patuloy ang kampanya ng gobyerno na puksain ito at iligtas ang mga inosenteng nabibiktima ng iligal na droga. Hindi po ito madadaan sa salita lamang. Dapat takutin at, kung kailangan, patayin ang masasamang loob para sugpuin ang iligal na droga sa bansa,” he added.

Go also insisted that the method used in the campaign against illegal drugs is effective, saying many drug users have chosen to change their ways out of fear of getting killed.

“Hindi po madadaan sa salita lamang ang laban sa iligal na droga. Dapat takutin, dapat handang pumatay ng masama para sa kabutihan ng mga inosenteng Pilipinong apektado dito,” Go said.

“VP Leni, tanungin nalang natin ang taumbayan. Pakinggan ninyo po ang hinaing ng ordinaryong mamamayan. Majority of Filipinos are satisfied with the war against illegal drugs because they feel safer now,” he added.