Beyond the killings (1)
Who is against the campaign to stop drugs in this country? No one.
Everyone knows the menace of drugs. Media has sensationalized brutal crimes committed by drug addicts who continue to increase in numbers in various communities all throughout this country. Certainly, a drug policy should include appropriate action and programs for addicts.
Addicts are users of drugs peddled, distributed, manufactured, and smuggled into the country. Duterte himself noted that "the Philippines is a "client state" of the "bamboo triad" and is being used as a transshipment point for shabu being transported to the United States." He also mentioned that there is a "Hong Kong-based 14K group was also involved in the illegal drug trade in the country."
Hence, a comprehensive drug policy must include a strong, committed campaign against the big-time drug dealers, distributors, smugglers, and manufacturers, NOT ONLY vs the poorer drug addicts. Right?
What is this government's policy versus the other players of this drug menace?
Must killing the suspected drug addicts be the appropriate solution or the only drug policy of the government? Is Duterte and his government just as relentless and unforgiving in their campaign versus the richer drug dealers, distributors, smugglers, and manufacturers?
All are agreed that drug addicts are part of the drug problem, right? The addicts are the drug users, right? How many are the drug users, the drug addicts?
In 2008, the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) released data that showed 1.7 million drug users in the Philippines. Duterte fired Dangerous Drug Board chairperson Benjamin Reyes for saying there were only 1.8 million drug users based on the DDB's 2015 Nationwide Survey on the Nature and Extent of Drug Abuse in the Philippines, the results released in September 2016. Alyson Yap, faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University's Department of Quantitative Methods and Information Technology, said that using the rate and confidence level used in the DDB report, the range would actually be "between 0.0185 to 0.0267 or between 1.85 percent to 2.67 percent only" - around 1.4 million to 2 million drug users, contradicting Duterte's data of 4 million users. In May, 2017, the PDEA placed the drug users at 4.7 million, but when asked by Philstar about the basis of this data, the PDEA replied, "The 4.7 million drug users (data) is based on the survey conducted by the Dangerous Drug Board itself plus based on the survey and operations as well of the Philippine National Police dubbed as the "OplanTokhang." The May 24th Philstar report noted that "The 1.8 million figure from the DDB survey was also the basis for the PNP's drug targets for 2016."
It is very important to know the correct number of addicts so that the government would know their total target of addicts as part of their drug policy. Estimates vary however, the basis of the estimates unclear. There have been estimates of 13,000 drug related killings. Is that 13,000 less drug users from the 4 million or from the 1.8 million estimates? Beyond the killings, for an effective, comprehensive drug policy, the government has to obtain reliable data about the drug users and other drug players.
According to this administration and their supporters, the killings and deaths of the addicts have deterred more addict-related crimes and decreased the number of addicts. Again, please show us the reliable data proving that the drug-related killings have deterred drug-related crimes and have decreased the number of drug addicts. (To be continued)
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