FVR: Battalion of soldiers not needed in drug war

MANILA, Philippines - Helping the government in its war against illegal drugs does not necessarily need a battalion of soldiers, former president Fidel Ramos said yesterday.

“It does not have to be a battalion…they can instead form small units in several places,” Ramos, who also served as Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) vice chief-of-staff, told reporters in a news forum.

While he agrees with the need to help the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the war against illegal drugs, a large number of military men is not needed for this, he said in reaction to the plan of AFP chief General Eduardo Año to form a task force with 500 to 5,000 soldiers.

Ramos also said the military should not run after drug users and pushers, like what the police did in Oplan Tokhang, and focus instead on drug lords and other high-value targets.

Drug stings, he added, should not be as bloody. More than 7,000 people have been killed in the government’s war against drugs, with more than half committed by unidentified men often referred to as vigilantes.

Authorities claimed that the drug syndicates might have been purging their own ranks, resulting in the high number of people killed by unknown assailants.

To win this war, Ramos said the military, police and local government units should work as a team in running after criminals and potential insurgents.

He suggested a method to make this set-up work well: the military would clear communities of insurgents, dissidents and criminals and the police could come later to prevent them from re-entering.