Palace to foreign press on drug menace: Come to Philippines, see for yourself

MANILA, Philippines - Under fire for allegedly condoning extralegal killings, Malacañang yesterday told the international media to visit the Philippines so they can see for themselves the extent of the drug menace in the country.

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said visiting the country would enable foreign journalists to understand the context of President Duterte’s tough pronouncements on narcotics and crime.

“The international media, as I have repeated time and again, should come to the Philippines and experience the life of the barangay (village) people who have so much drug problems,” Andanar told reporters on the sidelines of the Japan-ASEAN Media Forum in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

“It’s not fair for just anybody to conclude about extrajudicial killings, that there’s so much dead without even qualifying which one is dead because of authorized police operation, which ones were killed because of a gang war or regular murders,” he said.  

“It’s also unfair for the government to receive such report without the international media coming to the Philippines and really experiencing the life of those affected by drugs,” he said.

Asked if he thinks the foreign press’ coverage of the anti-drug war was fair, Andanar said he is leaving it to the public to make such assessment.

“If I say that it’s unfair, it’s self-serving. Every Filipino who is on Facebook, who is on social media, who reads the papers, should themselves decide if the international media has been fair in writing stories about the drug-related problems in the country,” he said.

Various foreign media outlets including BBC, CNN, The New York Times, Time magazine, Forbes and Washington Post have reported about the recent spate of killings in the country attributed to Duterte’s crackdown on drugs.

Journalists from Southeast Asia, Japan and India pose for a group photo at the start of the Japan-ASEAN Media Forum at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City yesterday. MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

Even some participants of the Japan-ASEAN Media Forum believe that the reports about the killings could put the Philippines in a bad light.

Andanar, however, maintained that the President was just fulfilling a campaign promise that allowed him to achieve an overwhelming victory in the 2016 polls.

“It is the duty of the President to protect the general welfare of the people. He was elected with that platform. He already warned the electorate that ‘if you vote for me, there will be bloodshed. If you don’t want bloodshed, don’t vote for me.’ But he was voted,” he said.

“It is important for international journalists to understand the context of the President. If you live in a slum of Manila where about 20 percent of barangays are drug-infested, when you live in society where you can be high for less than a quarter of a dollar, the country is in trouble,” he added.

Duterte has repeatedly denied condoning extrajudicial killings but has been reminding law enforcers to shoot criminals if their lives are threatened. He has also assured policemen and soldiers that they would be given assistance if they face charges in connection with the anti-drug campaign.

When asked whether Duterte would mellow down on his tough talk, Andanar replied: “You cannot change the President.”

Photo shows Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar answering questions from foreign journalists during the Japan-ASEAN Media Forum at EDSA Shangri-La in Mandaluyong City yesterday. MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

“This drug menace is pandemic already. Extraordinary situations call for extraordinary measures. When the system of government is not working for the good of the majority, you go to the courts. The case that should be solved in one year gets solved in ten years. How do you solve this when the policies of the state no longer work? What do you do?” he asked.

Andanar stressed that it is more important to protect the lives of innocent civilians and victims of illegal drugs than drug lords.

“Investigate the lives, the human rights of those who have been victimized by crimes due to illegal drugs. There are so many of them. Go back to them. Let’s not be one-sided,” he added.

Authorities said there are about 3.7 million drug dependents in the country. About 2,000 suspected drug personalities have been killed, about 700 of them in police operations while about 700,000 drug users have surrendered.