DROWNED by his jokes and catchy comments when he bid Davao City good-bye on Monday was President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s warning that the Philippines can become a narco-republic in seven years if nothing is done to eradicate the worsening illegal-drugs problem. In so many words, he said we are approaching that red zone. Duterte reiterated an earlier threat to the drug lords: “Those who destroy the lives of our children will be destroyed. Those who attempt to kill my country will be killed. It’s as
simple as that. No middle ground, no apologies, no excuses.”
How serious is the illegal-drugs problem in the country? If you follow the news on TV, still the most powerful medium for grisly and shocking stories, not a single day will pass that a drug-related crime gets reported. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has placed the number of drug addicts in the country at 3 million. Shabu users are on the rise in Metro Manila and in the regions, and drug addiction has reached alarming proportions that even teenagers have been afflicted by the problem.
After winning by a landslide in the last presidential elections, Duterte’s relentless warnings against illegal-drugs peddlers to stop what they are doing or they will be killed must have inspired the Philippine National Police to do its job. At latest count, more than 18,000 drug users have either been arrested or surrendered, and close to a hundred drug pushers have been killed.
Duterte certainly knows something we don’t know when he warned a number of police generals at Camp Crame to evaporate before he gets the chance to humiliate them in public. That warning alone speaks volumes. Drug lords in the country have succeeded in putting police generals, lawmakers and even judges in their deep pockets. No wonder the crimes they commit have stopped being low-profile activities, as these narco-kings become defiant. Jail them, and they will continue to operate their profitable trade in the comfort of their air-conditioned cells. The law of the “bribe” rules. That’s why corruption remains unabated, and crime continues to rise.
Duterte said he could bring more investments to the country if drug addiction—the problem triggering many other crimes—was stopped. If we go by his record as mayor of Davao City, Duterte has shown he is a man of action, a no-nonsense leader who gets things done. From its dubious reputation as the killing fields of the south, Davao City under his watch became one of the safest and peaceful cities not only locally, but globally. Duterte’s campaign against criminality and illegal drugs, patterned after his Davao City blueprint, could well be the country’s route to lasting prosperity. It’s high time for us that we saw economic progress that benefits everybody.
If Duterte wants to impose nationwide curfew for minors, let’s welcome the change. He said this is his way to protect the youth. Duterte also knows that crime might simply be curbed by providing better environments for minors, who are at greatest risk to get themselves involved in criminality. The less drug addicts roaming the streets at night, the less crime they will commit. That’s one way to prevent this country from degenerating into a narco-republic.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano