No dark corners for Duterte

Lost in the raging cacophony over the conduct of the government’s anti-illegal drugs campaign was the main message of the speech of President Rodrigo Duterte last Wednesday. President Duterte obviously dispensed the use of his prepared speech for the occasion of the 115th anniversary of the police service in the country and instead spoke straight from his heart.

Speaking at the program held at the Philippine National Police (PNP) at Camp Crame in Quezon City, President Duterte expressed extreme disappointment over apparent attempts to derail his administration’s on-going war against illegal drugs. But President Duterte reiterated he would not be distracted nor order law enforcement authorities to stand down the war against illegal drugs.

Citing statistics, the President estimated that there are now three million Filipinos hooked into drug addiction.

“So what good will it be to ask when I am already old and my children or my children’s children have gone berserk and crazy? Who will spoon-feed me with my food when I am old? Who will buy the medicines for me? I am not rich. Who will pay the hospital bills for me? My children. And if you destroy my children, you shall have destroyed me well in advance. That is the thing that I would never, never allow to happen in my country during my watch,” President Duterte swore to the wide applause of his audience that included members of the diplomatic corps, former President Fidel Ramos.

“I will not allow anybody to destroy my country. I will not allow anybody to destroy the next generation,” President Duterte vowed.

 But in his impassioned speech, the President’s pleas to the entire Filipino nation to help in the anti-illegal drugs drive got drowned by his fulmination on a government official whom he later identified as Sen. Leila de Lima. Reviving old issues they fought over during the campaign for the May 9 elections, the former Davao City Mayor singled out the erstwhile Department of Justice (DOJ) as allegedly trying to stonewall his illegal drugs war.

After all, President Duterte has a campaign promise to solve the country’s serious crime and illegal drugs problem within his first six months in office.

Thus, President Duterte’s speech was turned into a platform to launch his counter-attacks on perceived attempts to thwart him from delivery of this campaign promise to fight tooth-and-nail against all illegal drugs, crimes and corruption. 

In many of his extemporaneous speeches in the past, President Duterte never failed to mention his deepest fears on the prospects of the Philippines becoming, if not already on the verge of becoming a “narco” state.

The President has been smarting from severe criticisms here and abroad on the continuing rise in body counts of those slain in the anti-drugs war that has been taking place around the Philippines. The Chief Executive, in particular, is hurting over allegations that his 50-day old administration has been engaging in extra-judicial killings of many of these slain suspects on illegal drugs.

As of last count yesterday, PNP director-general Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa reported that there have been 665 suspects killed allegedly for resisting arrest. Hence, Dela Rosa stressed these suspects were killed in “legitimate” police operations against illegal drugs criminals as far as the PNP is concerned.

The PNP chief attended as one of the resource persons at the public hearing yesterday of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs chaired by Sen.Panfilo Lacson.

On the other hand, Dela Rosa admitted there have been 899 suspects who were apparently killed by “vigilantes,” or unidentified groups or individuals taking the law into their hands. They are officially recorded by the PNP as “found dead body under investigation” that have piled up since June 30, according to the PNP chief.

Also as of last count, the PNP chief added, there have been 600,000 “surrenderees” or drug users or drug peddlers who voluntarily turned themselves to police.

Still reeling from the presidential tirades on her the other day, De Lima took the opportunity yesterday to confront the newly installed PNP chief on reports that the Aquino administration where she served as DOJ Secretary was being blamed for the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country. The PNP chief naturally denied this.

But what should puzzle us more are the bulks of finished products of shabu or their precursor ingredients that continue to flood the streets and being smuggled into the Philippines. Despite the arrests of these smugglers – mostly Chinese nationals – seizures from one gram to hundreds of kilos of shabu seemingly come into the country unabated.

Dela Rosa told the Senators yesterday majority of the police seizures of shabu all originate from China. The very articulate PNP chief candidly admitted at the Senate hearing yesterday he already advised the President to raise this concern with either President Xi Jinping of China or Chinese ambassador to Manila, Zhao Jianhua.

During The STAR courtesy call to him last Aug. 3 at Malacanang, President Duterte impressed upon us that he is fully aware of the extent of the shabu trade in the country and is, in fact, technologically driven all the way from China. He tried to explain to us how the Chinese triad drug lords direct where to unload their illegal drug shipments anywhere in the Philippines with the use of “digital maps.”

The ensuing “word war” between the President and Sen. De Lima should not sidetrack the government’s all out battle against illegal drugs. If it is not any consolation to the Senator, at least she has been forewarned of the President’s threat “to destroy” her publicly aired last Aug. 11 during a press conference in Davao City. It was like being bitten by a venomous rattlesnake that alerts its victim before it attacks.

He may be constrained to act as expected of him as President. But President Duterte, too, enjoys freedom of expression just like anyone of us, including Sen. De Lima.

I have covered four Presidents of the country. At least in the case of President Duterte, he confronts his perceived enemy publicly and not through the dark corners of powers whether inside or outside the Malacanang Palace. To each his own style of leadership and President Duterte shows he is what you see and what you get.