OpinionsEcon 101A deathless drug war?

A deathless drug war?

-

- Advertisment -spot_img

Can the drug war be death free? Is this an impossible dream?

When Vice President Leni Robredo accepted the undefined position in a battle against illegal drugs (also known as” bloody “drug war” ), she stated: “A lot of people were worried that this offer was not sincere, that it is a trap aimed to destroy and humiliate me… But in the end, the most important consideration for me was simple: if this is a chance for the killing of the innocent to stop and to hold the perpetrators responsible, I will take this on,” Robredo said on November 6 after accepting the proposal.

But as she started to ease into the job as co-head of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), Robredo has seen more than ever that changing, let alone implementing the anti-drug campaign according to law, would be a back-breaking task. In her quest to reduce the killings, if not completely eradicate them, Robredo faces various challenges in solving a problem, such as:

(1) Unclear authority since without a document that spells specific guidelines and powers, the Vice President’s authority will continue to be undefined, continuously questioned, and resisted as she pursues radical changes in her new territory.

(2) Police leadership, the most powerful implementer of the war she inherited, the PNP just lost its top general to a drug-related controversy (NINJA COPS). The allegations about PNP involvement in drugs upset the President so much that he fumed at top police generals. With even less control over the police, Robredo is expected to work with the same men who frustrated the President.

(3) Real battle against drugs is beyond the streets as the streets are not the real frontlines in the so-called war on drugs, but the country’s borders,” Robredo’s comment came after the PDEA, PNP, and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) failed to stop billions’ worth of methamphetamine (shabu) from slipping through Manila ports into the country inside magnetic lifters. The continuous flow of drugs is being managed by big-time drug lords from plush condominiums down to the prison system. While the PDEA and the PNP have reported the capture of hundreds of high-value targets, they have failed in their pursuit of high-profile drug lords .Robredo will now be in a position to recommend comprehensive policy changes to concretize what she earlier referred to as a “simple” solution.

(4) Rehabilitation troubles, in fact, the law enforcement side of the campaign has become so muddled that Robredo has been advised to limit herself to rehabilitation efforts. But rehabilitation itself has been chaotic. In this front, she would have to work closely with the Department of Health and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), an agency that used to be led by her late husband Jesse Robredo. The DILG, indirectly controls rehabilitation as it orders local government units to implement community-based rehab programs.

(5) Politics, as shown that in the past 3 years have demonstrated, the anti-illegal drug campaign is every inch political. For starters, it was during an election campaign when the promise to clear the country of drugs and crime was made by then-presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte.

When Robredo accepted Duterte’s offer, she already expected to meet resistance from executive agencies. This, on top of battling an electoral protest that seeks to dislodge her. She said in Filipino: “Even if they say this offer is nothing but politics, that the agencies would not really follow me, and that they would do everything for me to fail, I am ready to endure all of that. Because if I would be able to save even just one life, my principles and my heart tell me I have to try.”

For all its worth, VP Leni Robredo may just do it! As we paraphrase the Irish blessing: “May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields , may God hold you in the palm of His hand.!”

_________________________________

Author’s email: [email protected]

br />

(Back to MetroPost HOME PAGE)


 

 

Latest news

City budget is dead  — Dgte Council

    Perdices resigns as Finance Committee chair “The Motion raised by Councilor Baldado for the approval of the 2025 annual...

Comelec to put LGUs  in ‘yellow’ alert

    Majority of the cities and municipalities in Negros Oriental are likely to be placed under ‘yellow’ category for the...

Who wins?

    The City Council’s Friday special session was meant to be about one matter: approving the 2025 annual budget of...

Canlaon completes P12M infra

    despite eruption The local government of Canlaon City turned over this week more than P12 million worth of infrastructure projects...
- Advertisement -spot_imgspot_img

Coop budgets P9M for CSR

    The Perpetual Help Community Cooperative, Inc. has lined up projects this year for its community development program in Negros...

PNP augments force for May polls

    The first batch of augmentation force from the Philippine National Police that will assist in disaster response, and perform...

Must read

City budget is dead  — Dgte Council

    Perdices resigns as Finance Committee chair “The Motion raised by...

Comelec to put LGUs  in ‘yellow’ alert

    Majority of the cities and municipalities in Negros Oriental...
- Advertisement -spot_imgspot_img

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you