Duterte to provide security council, Congress report on illegal drug campaign
President Rodrigo Duterte said he will submit to the National Security Council (NSC) and to Congress his validated list of personalities allegedly involved in illegal drugs.
In a speech at San Beda Law Grand Alumni Homecoming last Saturday, Duterte said that he will forward the report to the NSC, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez by the end of November "to formulate how to prevent disaster for the next generation."
"After I won, I named already known personalities. But to my horror, after the so many names that I mentioned, the final report of the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency), from all sources collated - from the national intelligence community, NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), all - they gave me a thick copy. So I said, this is a problem," he said.
He said a lot of officials were included in the list, such as mayors and barangay chairmen, policemen, and even members of the judiciary, prompting him to call for a meeting to seek everyone's help because he could not solve the problem alone even if he kills all of them.
“Even if assuming that I killed them, I will run out of time and bullets,” he added.
Duterte insisted that the drug problem that the country is facing is more dangerous than terrorism.
"I would rather deal with terrorism because actually, it's violence for a moment. After the encounter, at least you know that you'll suffer some wounds or you die," he said.
Duterte blamed his predecessors, former Presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Benigno Aquino III, why illegal drugs have proliferated.
"But I'm sorry to say this, during the two administrations, (the problem) was neglected...and they were just paying lip service. They knew (it)," he said.
The President also warned drug addicts that he will soon implement an order for them to remain at home or face death after making a computation of how much they spend for drugs.
“At 200 pesos per day for one man, that is 6,000 (pesos) every month, times 3 million (addicts provided by PDEA), it’s 18 billion a month. Times 12, it’s 216 billion a year. So where do they get the 200 (pesos) to sustain the habit? They rob, they kill, do holdup,” he explained.
The President vowed again that he will suppress illegal drugs until the last day of his term.
“I am doing it and believe me, until last pusher out of the streets and last drug lord is exterminated. It will last until the last day of my term, we will not stop,” he promised.
He reiterated that illegal drugs affect the country's economic growth, as well as other aspects of life.
"I said criminality, it has timid our economic, social and political life. It should also stopped," he said. Ella Dionisio/DMS
