Alejano: Drive vs drugs laudable, but methods are problematic

MANILA, Philippines — The figures presented by the government on its “hugely successful” war on drugs would have been laudable had it not been for the issue of alleged violations of rights and due process of law.

Rep. Gary Alejano (Magdalo party-list) stressed this point Wednesday, saying that President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration embarked on the campaign against illegal drugs “unprepared.”

“All of us support the drive to stamp illegal drugs out of the country. However, the way it was carried out is the problem,” Alejano said on ANC’s Headstart.

While he believes that the anti-narcotics campaign raised public consciousness on the effects of illegal drugs, Alejano said that the government should employ a comprehensive strategy that does not only deal with “purely criminal aspect” but also with the rehabilitation of dependents.

“The solution that should be taken is for the government to have intervention instead of isolating them,” Alejano said.

In the 63-page yearend report, the administration said that there are 1,308,078 people who surrendered to authorities from July 1, 2016 to November 27, 2017. In the 79,193 anti-drug operations conducted in the same period, 118, 287 drug offenders surrendered.

A total of 4,747 barangays have been declared “drug-free” as of November 27, while illegal substances worth P18,92 billion were seized by government operatives.

Data used in its latest "Real Numbers" report came from the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and Bureau of Customs. The project has been noted as a source for fuzzy and flawed numbers that appear to gloss over human rights abuses.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque called the war on drugs “hugely successful.”

“I think the communities are safer and our young people are better protected against drugs,” he said in an interview.

READ: Amid rights outcry, Palace insists on drug war accomplishments in yearend report

Transparency

Figures from the yearend report showed that 3,967 “drug personalities” died in anti-drug operations.

The government data also showed that authorities are probing a total of 16,355 “homicide cases.” The number may be higher as the report only covered July 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017.

Alejano said he had raised the issue of “deaths under investigation”—the tally of murders and homicides that police have to determine motives for—with the Philippine National Police during a hearing in the Congress.

“What we wanted to find out if the police has instituted some sort of strategy to address these extrajudicial killings perpetrated by vigilantes,” he said.

Alejano added: “Why are you not addressing deaths under investigation? Is it the case of either you are incompetent in addressing or you are at fault in this?”

The opposition solon said that while the report noted that a total of 426 cops were stripped of their uniforms, he called on for more transparency in their ranks.

“It’s very hard to validate the figures of PNP but we want to give credit to the PNP assuming good faith on their part but we need more transparency for the Congress to support the PNP,” he said.

Alejano noted that there are three groups of policemen—the first group does not want to mar the law, the second group does not have other option but follow orders, and the third group willingly obeys orders without following the due process of law.