Troops told: Get 1,000 new narco targets

MANILA, Philippines - Invoking his constitutional powers after he declared an “indefinite state of emergency to address lawlessness” in the country, President Duterte has ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines to pin down or arrest some 1,000 new drug personalities in his target list.

Duterte handed out to AFP chief Gen. Ricardo Visaya yesterday names of local officials, police personnel, and barangay captains tagged as either drug operators or coddlers in their respective areas.

“Ito yung problema. Ang bayan ng Pilipinas, hindi talaga umaangat. Parang nasa runway tayo. Full blast na, ayaw talagang umangat (This is the problem. The Philippines is not really taking off. It’s like were already on the runway and ready to take off, but just couldn’t),” the President said before the 5th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army at Camp Melchor de la Cruz in Cauayan, Isabela.

Under Presidential Proclamation 55, the President cited acts of violence in Mindanao, including the Sept. 2 blast at the Davao City night market, as reasons for the declared state of national emergency. 

It also cited Article VII Section 18 of the Constitution, which authorizes the President, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to call out the AFP whenever it becomes necessary to prevent or suppress lawless violence.

Calling it the “ultimate warrior in the Constitution to protect the people,” Duterte told the military to continue with his anti-drug campaign – now beset with serious concerns of human rights violations – even after his term is over until the menace is totally eradicated.

He told the military again that he is ready to back them in case they will be haled to court for human rights abuses.

“Just do what is the mandate of the Constitution and I will protect you,” the Chief Executive said. “I will not allow one policeman or one military (man) to go to jail for doing his duty. Do not allow the country to disintegrate.”

Speaking in Filipino, he assured the soldiers: “Do not fear. You have my full backing. I am ready to be jailed.”

High-value targets

Waving a thick document that contained names of suspected narco-personalities, Duterte ordered the military to go after the targets, including Naguilian, La Union Mayor Reynaldo Flores, who has been identified as a “high-value target” in the list.

Meanwhile, from his hometown, Flores said God is guiding the President in naming him as such among a thousand illegal drug personalities, as this would hasten investigations on a shabu laboratory discovered in his town.

“There is divine intervention on this situation,” Flores said. “I am very positive that he is being used by the Almighty to remind us of the reinvestigation of the shabu laboratory, which I firmly believe involves other persons aside from those convicted. I believe the case on the shabu laboratory was not completed.  That’s why we want the authorities to open it again to really find out the truth on this matter and who are involved in this illegal activity.  We were the ones who busted that facility.”

Along with Flores, also identified in the list from La Union were Bauang Mayor Martin de Guzman, Tubao Mayor Dante Garcia, and former La Union second district representative Eufronio Eriguel.

All the four denied involvement in illegal drug activities.

Special Mention

Meanwhile, Duterte made special mention of Daanbantayan, Cebu Mayor Mayor Vicente Loot, former police general-turned-politician, as having links to drugs in every region he was assigned when he was still a police officer.

“What does that mean? It means to say that wherever he was assigned, he was into drugs. That is what it means,” Duterte said. 

Corruption and Crime

Duterte again discussed how corruption and crime have severely destroyed many sectors of the country, from airport personnel to customs and immigration. 

“Ang korapsyon at crime… Kapag napasok ang magkapareha sa droga, yang pamilya na yan ay dysfunctional (When corruption and crime, together with drugs, get into the picture, the family surely becomes dysfunctional),” he said. 

Odicta couple

Duterte also insinuated that some might suffer the same fate as convicted drug offender Melvin Odicta Sr. and his wife Meriam, who were ambushed by still unidentified assailants while they were leaving the Caticlan jetty port in Malay, Aklan last Aug. 29. They had just embarked from a roll-on, roll-off vessel from Manila going to their residence in Iloilo City.

It was apparently the first time that Duterte talked about the Odicta killing, as the police have not established leads in the incident since the creation of a task force to probe the couple’s murder.

 “Wala eh, si Odicta sinalvage (Odicta was killed),” Duterte said, then joked that members of the Army might have staged the ambush.

 “Siguro, baka mga army ‘yun kasi harap-harapan man. Army harap-harapan eh. Pulis takbo man agad (Maybe, it’s the army because the army does it up front. The police usually run away),” he said in jest.

Toys for the big boys

In the same event, Duterte gave out three brand-new Glock .45 caliber pistols to the soldiers.

Duterte directed special assistant Christopher Go to coordinate with the private gun firm, which has been donating the pistols, to make a formal donation to the Armed Forces to make it easier for him to distribute them.

“Hindi ko man dala ang lahat ng baril, hindi mag-take off yung helicopter kung i-karga ko lahat (I haven’t brought all the guns. The helicopter wouldn’t take off if I loaded them all on board),” Duterte said.

Duterte has called on the military to be prepared for upcoming battles, adding that he is ready to buy more guns and equipment for the AFP.

Duterte also asked the soldiers to be extra careful and responsible in handling the gun to avoid accidents. –Christina Mendez, Jun Elias, Giovanni Nilles