President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has asked law enforcers to always remember the country’s welfare and maintain the momentum in the ongoing fight against the proliferation of illegal drugs.
In his Talk to the People program aired on Monday night, President Duterte has expressed fear that the drug trade will continue in the country because of the huge amount of money involved.
The President said current drugs transactions now run into billions of pesos and the country only has small window to operate.
“Mayroon na lang tayong pinakamaliit na window to operate at ‘yun ang… Mabuti na lang our institutions are there really. I still trust the police. Mayroong mga scalawags, mayroon ring nasa droga pero they — a few of them. And yet the police had to police its own ranks,” he said.
“I would encourage the PNP na to remember their country irrespective of kaming mga leaders kung sino, dumadaan lang man kami. We are just a passing scene sa ating national — sa history natin.”
“Huwag lang sana ninyong bitawan ‘yung fervor ninyo sa inyong puso na huwag — despite or in spite kung sino ang ano, paalis na ako. Try to maintain your momentum against the drug problem.”
Aside from the police, he also called on the military to throw its support in the drug fight, stressing the danger posed by illegal narcotics especially to the young generation of Filipinos.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año reported that law enforcement agencies such as Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have conducted a total of 1,772 anti-drug operations in the last two weeks and confiscated less than P1 billion worth of shabu and marijuana.
As a result of those operations, 69 people surrendered to the authorities while 2,463 were arrested. Four individuals lost their lives during the operations.
“Ito po ay sa loob lamang ng dalawang linggo. At halos bawat araw po nag-a-average tayo ng mga anim hanggang walong buy-bust operation na nagaganap kada araw,” Año told the President.
“So sana po sa susunod na administrasyon, ang ating kampanya laban sa iligal na droga ay tuloy-tuloy po dahil nakikita po natin na talagang laganap pa rin ang mga ginagawang drug operation ng mga drug syndicate.” PND
