Sotto, Honasan doubt Duterte’s 6-month anti-crime deadline

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Vice presidential candidate Sen. Gregorio Honasan and re-electionist Sen. Vicente Sotto III expressed doubts yesterday that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte could solve crime within six months after assuming office if he wins the presidency. 

Responding to a question posed by Dodelon Sabijon, dean of criminal justice at the University of Cebu, Sotto said that criminality and rampant illegal drugs are complex problems that cannot be solved by killing all criminals and drug pushers.

“I assure you we would be unsuccessful, that is a guarantee. You cannot just kill. In a presidency where we would just want to kill all the pushers, that’s easy to do… but you would not solve the problem,” he said during an open forum at the school.

Although Sotto and Honasan did not directly name Duterte, the two senators explained to students why the mayor’s “swift justice” policy couldn’t be successful.

Sotto proposed the creation of an Alcatraz-like prison for high-profile convicted drug lords in one of the islands in Palawan.

“(How can your) proposed action plan become relevant if we are under a presidency who desires to kill?” Sabijon asked the senators.

Sotto and Honasan said crimes couldn’t be solved overnight. Rampant executions will just create more menace for society, they said. 

“Your problem would become larger because there are drug dependents... so the issue of prevention and rehabilitation is far greater than the prosecution and enforcement. Because that is not the way to solve the problem of the country,” Sotto said.

“Let me tell you, the issue about peace and order is not the only problem of the country. What will you do about economy? What will you do about education? What will you do about health? Those are far more important,” Sotto added.

Sotto, former chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board, also cited the need to improve the economy and make it conducive for business.

“Because if the economy is good and if there is enough income and poverty is at its minimum, there would be less criminality. It’s the root of criminality, the problem of poverty... and so when people are healthy, when young people are educated, we do not have a problem that we’re trying to resolve,” he added.

Honasan pushed for the need to give everyone due process.

“Killing everybody will not solve the problem,” said Honasan, runningmate of Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Honasan cited Article 3 of the Constitution, which lists the bill of rights and discusses presumption of innocence.

Honasan also cited the need to address the problems of poverty, social injustice, lack of employment, homelessness.

“We have to work together to address basic problems,” Honasan said.

Sotto stressed the importance of looking into the problem of proliferation of illegal drugs and drug abuse in the country.

Sotto also batted for women’s causes, as he spearheaded the construction of the Women Crisis Center at the Vicente Sotto Sr. Medical Center in Cebu.

Honasan and Sotto tested negative for use of illegal drugs after they subjected themselves to voluntary tests at the Police Regional 7 headquarters in Cebu.

Chemists at the regional Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) assisted the two senators who gave their urine samples.

Jonah Pinanonang, Chemist 3 of the regional PDEA office, said the urine samples were examined through the process called split-collection drug test.