PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said he will submit to the National Security Council (NSC) and Congress a thick report regarding his administration's war on illegal drugs, with the hope to come up with ways on how to address the problem.
"To my horror, ganun kakapal so maybe before the end of the month, I will submit that report to the National Security Council. At bibigyan ko sila ng isang kopya and the Senate President and the Speaker of the House then let us formulate how to prevent disaster for the next generation," Duterte said in his speech in San Beda Law Grand Alumni Homecoming Saturday night.
Apparently dismayed with the huge problem on illegal drugs, the President could not help comparing the fight on terrorism with the war on illegal drugs.
"Mabuti pa nga ang terrorism eh. I would rather deal with terrorism because actually, it’s just violence for a moment. Pagkatapos ng engkwentro, at least you know that you’ll suffer some wounds or you die," he said.
Duterte blamed the Arroyo and Aquino administrations why the illegal drug problem worsened.
"Nahayaan kasi natin ang ano, except during the time of President (Fidel) Ramos. I’m not saying this because he’s here but because simply it’s the truth. Kasi sa panahon niya, nagtatrabaho ang mga pulis at takot. Takot sa chief, PC yan eh. He used to head the Philippine Constabulary. But I’m sorry to say, during the two administration, napabayaan. Napabayaan talaga and they were just paying lip service. They knew," he said.
Ramos, who was then the PC head, was also present in the alumni homecoming.
Duterte said the suspected drug users and pushers engage in other criminal activities to sustain their habit.
"They rob, they kill, hold-up dito sa Maynila. Medyo ngayon wala na. But that’s only for the moment lang yan, takot kasi eh," he said.
The number of the slain drug suspects has already reached to more than 4,600 people, while those who "surrendered" to authorities breached 800,000, according to the police statistics.
The President said since his all-out war on illegal drugs, the number of those hanging outside during night time declined as he wanted this to become permanent.
He vowed to fight illegal drugs until his last day in office. ( SDR/Sunnex)