A small batch of inmates, clad in black togas, marched down the aisle to receive their college diplomas.

Yes, there is a legitimate college inside Bilibid Prisons. It offers BS Entrepreneurship to those inmates who are willing to earn a
college degree. I have been given the privilege to teach inside this prison camp.

A POSITION PAPER ON THE WAR ON DRUGS IN THE PHILIPPINES

-CARL JUSTINE GOMEZ PINEDO
The Philippine Drug War refers to the drug policy of the Philippine government under President Rodrigo
Duterte, who assumed office on June 30, 2016. According to former Philippine National Police Chief Ronald
dela Rosa, the policy is aimed at "the neutralization of illegal drug personalities nationwide". Duterte has urged
members of the public to kill suspected criminals and drug addicts. Research by media organizations and
human rights groups has shown that police routinely execute unarmed drug suspects and then plant guns and
drugs as evidence. Philippine authorities have denied misconduct by police.
In the 1960s, as drugs became part of youths rebellion, social upheaval, and political dissent, the government
made scientific research to evaluate their medical safety and awareness. The War on Drugs began in June
1971 when U.S. Pres. Richard Nixon declared drug abuse to be “public enemy number one” and increased
federal funding for drug-control agencies and drug-treatment efforts. In 1973 the Drug Enforcement Agency
was created out of the merger of the Office for Drug Abuse Law Enforcement, the Bureau of Narcotics and
Dangerous Drugs, and the Office of Narcotics Intelligence to consolidate federal efforts to control drug abuse.
This paper present the pro and con of Wars on Drugs in the Philippines, even though the War on Drugs is
important to minimize the persons who have got a very hard crimes, but killings violates the person to live.
Drug is the best thing that will ruin your life. It is the hardest trouble of our government and the worst problem of
our country. “Say No to Drugs”, avoid drugs because it can destroy your own life and can be destroy the life of
others and also the community where you belong. We can prevent the drug abuse in this country if we
cooperate in our President Duterte campaign stop the drug dealers in the Philippines.
The Oplan Tokhang that gives the drug users a second chance to have a better life and start a new life. War on
drugs campaign by Duterte’s Administration is a good plan and an active campaign by the president. It is better
way to resolve the drug addictions and the crimes that are involved in using illegal drugs.
I am agree of the campaign of Duterte on war against drugs because it is the only way to resolved the drug
addiction and to stop producing illegal drugs, as a whole, we observed that in previous administration, the
government has no effective solution to this problem. Now , its Duterte’s Administration that slowly resolved the
illegal drugs and will continue until the last day of Duterte’s will.
May nabasa nanaman ako, saying that Duterte's Drug war was a Failure and he was not able to fulfill the 3-6
months promise.
Yung media minsan mas binibigyan ng boses ang kriminal, oposisyon, simbahan at rebelde. Boses ba kayo ng
bayan o boses ng grupong handang magbigay ng padulas everytime may press con? Kaya maraming taong
galit sa inyo kasi halatang halata ang pagkabias ninyo. Tapos sasabihin nyong mga trolls kami? Kelan ba kayo
naging patas? Dito lang sa Pilipinas na ang media grabe makadiscriminate sa Presidente at Gobyerno, try nyo
laitin ang Presidente at Gobyerno ng ibang bansa. Ewan ko na lang saan kayo pulutin. Tapos ibabalitang
diktador si Duterte, may oppression of press freedom? Namamatay ang demokrasya? Pwe! Sino ba ang
nagpapatahimik sa mamamayan? Sino ba ang ayaw ibalita ang totoong nangyayari? Sino ba ang nang
dideactivate ng mga social media account?
How can we be losing the war on drugs if the leaders of other countries are copying our system? Would it be
logical to copy a failed system? Why would other countries support a cause if it is not working? Even USA have
declared their support, EU provide aid for drug rehabilitation.
When Duterte was running for President, he was just a mayor back then, he promised a 3-6 months resolution
as this is how he sees on how big the problem was. When he became a President it became a different story
not just him but the world was shocked on how big the Drug problem is, in the Philippines! Hamakin nyo sa
isang municipality lang napupuno ang isang gymnasium ng mga drug user. It was a nightmare! I had
goosebumps, realizing that we are living in a society kung saan andami palang mga adik. No wonder why
parents or everyone are so afraid of going out at night kasi baka mapagtripan ng adik, why there are so many
drug related crimes.
How could this be resolved in a small period of time if Trillions of Pesos are at stake, government officials and
men in uniforms are involved, sad to say but the previous government was part of it as well, they let it grow to
this extent.
We are winning in this war against drugs, You know why?
- Our authorities have cleared 11,080 barangays from drugs! Imagine? I never even thought that its possible for
a barangay to be drug free pero ung malinis mo ang ganyan ka daming barangay? Wow! Duterte is doing
miracles for us! . This is a continuous effort pa nd 20k+ more to go.
- There are 295 Government Employees, 263 government officials and 69 uniformed men arrested that are
involved in Drugs. Ito yung nga untouchables na naghahari harian noon. Ni wala nga tayong bayag
magsumbong dati ng isa man lang kasi alam nating buhay o buhay ng Family natin ang at stake. Ngaun pwede
ka magsumbong sa 8888 and your identity will be protected. Ilan ba villains ni Batman sa Gotham? Dinaig pa ni
Duterte ang number of villains sa comics.
- There are 301 drug dens and laboratories penetrated and shutdown. Imagine the amount of drugs
manufactured, consumed and traded with this numbers. And how long has it been operating before it was
shutdown?
- since July 2016 to January 2019 there are 119,841 anti-drug operation and 170,689 personalities arrested.
See that numbers! Tapos magtataka ka bakit hindi kinaya ng 3-6 months? Kahit siguro gods or Marvel heroes
isama na natin mga x-men hindi kayang gawin to in 3-6 months. At marami pang dapat mahuli.
- there are 2,000 minors rescued during drug operation. Actually Duterte is saving all our children from this drug
infested country.
- nasa 25.94Billions na ang total value ng confiscated Drugs, laboratories and equipment . Ganun kalaki ang
pera sa drugs.
You would ask e paano ung mga drugs na nakukuha sa dagat. Well, that is good news it means nahihirapan
silang ipasok sa bansa, at least ngaun nakukuha ng mga authoridad and I salute those citizens who cooperate
with the government. I see it as a positive effect. How about EJK? That's a long discussion we might have a
different set for that.
Do you know why I love Duterte? Because for me he is a living Hero. He did not care if he dies as long as we
live in a society that we deserve. He did not promise heaven and earth, he promise to make our life more
comfortable. I never imagined someone will do this for us, it seems unreal. Our country was never taken for
granted and God has given us Duterte to cleanse this country. If others would consider a man who was killed
on a plane and who has done nothing for this country a hero, my hero then just saved millions of lives from
drug addiction, from criminals and corrupt officials. I am a fan boy watching a real life comic where my Hero, is
cleansing this beloved country of mine.
Do we need an international group to actually police the PH in terms of how it is running its drug war?

Is the CHR equipped in terms of boldness courage independence to do it well

Lucio Blanco Pitlo III

The other side of Duterte’s war on drugs:

rehabilitation, rescue and rooting out
corruption
 While the death toll in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-narcotics
campaign has been the focus of international attention, the government’s
massive rehabilitation effort and anti-corruption measures tend to be ignored
 Overemphasis on a single aspect of the Philippines’ war on drugs – 
 the death toll
  – clouds international perceptions of President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature campaign. Less publicised by the
media is the health dimension of the campaign. Five months after commencing the crackdown, the government
opened the country’s biggest drug rehabilitation facility. By the end of 2018, three more regional rehabilitation
centres had been built, with plans to construct more. Developing and running effective rehabilitation programmes
also present opportunities to work with local and international partners.
 Duterte framed his drug war as an existential challenge – a fight to preserve peace and order and a crusade to
save the country’s youth. “If you destroy the youth of my land, I will kill you” has been a recurring threat in his
pronouncements on the subject. Since his time as mayor of Davao, Duterte’s campaign against crime and the
illegal drug trade has been unrelenting, catapulting him to national prominence.
 However, for all the hype that it has attracted, Duterte’s attitude to drugs is no regional exception. Many of the
country’s neighbours, including China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, have waged crackdowns to
eradicate drugs and impose the death penalty for drug-related crimes.
 Duterte’s concerns are not unfounded. With porous maritime borders, the presence of 
 non-state armed groups
 , collusion of corrupt officials and a climate conducive to the cultivation of opium, the country runs the risk of
sliding into a narco-state. The drug trade sustains the proliferation of rebel, terrorist and criminal outfits. The
Philippines is also located near the 
 Golden Triangle
 , the area where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet and where a substantial global supply of
opium is sourced.
Rights groups have long contested official drug war death figures, accusing the police of engaging in 
extrajudicial killings,
 of condoning vigilante-style attacks and deliberately targeting poor, 
small-time drug peddlers
. Concerns about collateral damage and the slow progress of cases against police officers suspected of abuses have
also been raised.

 Nevertheless, official figures suggest that killing is not the campaign’s key objective. From July 2016 to
December 2018, 117,385 anti-drug operations were conducted, resulting in the arrest of 167,135 and the death of
5,104 people suspected to be involved in the drug trade. In that period, 285 drug dens and laboratories were
dismantled, 1,954 children rescued and 25.62 billion Philippine pesos (US$490 million) worth of drugs and
laboratory equipment seized. Meanwhile, 87 police officers were killed and 227 wounded in the line of duty.
 While every life is sacred and every person deserves due process under the law, the figures demonstrate that the
arrest of suspects, rescue of minors and seizure of drugs are the primary aims of the operations. The government
objects to the practice of lumping fatalities with the 23,518 deaths under investigation (DUIs), which inflates the
drug war toll. Only 2,668 DUIs were found to be drug-related.

 Philippine police will wear body cameras in drugs raids

  The drug war has revealed how the illicit trade had infected the country’s governance and security apparatus.
Hence, “internal cleansing” became integral to the campaign – 316 law enforcers were dismissed from the
service for drug use, while 145 were removed for other drug-related offences. In addition, 292 government
employees, 262 elected officials and 67 uniformed personnel were arrested in anti-drug operations. The counter-
intelligence task force, a special police unit, was formed to go after erring law-enforcers.
 The government recently released a list of 
 “narco-officials”
  and warned them to desist from taking part in the drug trade. In November 2018, 
 three police officers
  were convicted of murdering a minor in an anti-drug operation that drew a popular outcry.
 Duterte has taken radical measures to implement his war on drugs. When reports surfaced that high-profile
inmates of the country’s main penitentiary live in luxury and were even able to carry on their drug business while
incarcerated, he had jail guards replaced by the elite police Special Action Force. Personnel were frequently
rotated to avoid the possibility of them getting familiar with inmates and thus becoming susceptible to
corruption.
 Following the controversial deaths of minors in anti-drug operations in Caloocan in October 2017, the Philippine
Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) took over the reins of the drug war from the Philippine National Police
(PNP). Duterte would later recall the PNP to the front line after realising the constraints of the understaffed
PDEA.

When a shipment containing drugs entered the country last year, Duterte had the
commissioner and department heads of the Customs Bureau removed and temporarily put
the military in command. A previous customs commissioner had been replaced in 2017 for
failing to thwart the entry of a drug shipment.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency agents and police secure part of a street as they search a house looking for a drug
dealer during a raid in Maharlika village, south of Manila, on February 28, 2018. Photo: AFP
Overemphasis on a single aspect of the Philippines’ war on drugs – 
the death toll
 – clouds international perceptions of President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature campaign. Less publicised by the media is the
health dimension of the campaign. Five months after commencing the crackdown, the government opened the country’s
biggest drug rehabilitation facility. By the end of 2018, three more regional rehabilitation centres had been built, with
plans to construct more. Developing and running effective rehabilitation programmes also present opportunities to work
with local and international partners.

Duterte framed his drug war as an existential challenge – a fight to preserve peace and order and a crusade to save the
country’s youth. “If you destroy the youth of my land, I will kill you” has been a recurring threat in his pronouncements
on the subject. Since his time as mayor of Davao, Duterte’s campaign against crime and the illegal drug trade has been
unrelenting, catapulting him to national prominence.

However, for all the hype that it has attracted, Duterte’s attitude to drugs is no regional exception. Many of the country’s
neighbours, including China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, have waged crackdowns to eradicate drugs and
impose the death penalty for drug-related crimes.

Duterte’s concerns are not unfounded. With porous maritime borders, the presence of 
non-state armed groups
, collusion of corrupt officials and a climate conducive to the cultivation of opium, the country runs the risk of sliding into
a narco-state. The drug trade sustains the proliferation of rebel, terrorist and criminal outfits. The Philippines is also
located near the 
Golden Triangle
, the area where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet and where a substantial global supply of opium is
sourced.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (centre) looks on as the new chief of the Philippine National Police
Director-General Oscar Albayalde (right) and outgoing chief General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa salute each
other at a ceremony on April 19, 2018, at Camp Crame in Quezon City, Philippines. Duterte, in his address,
said he would not stop his war on drugs until his last day in office. Photo: AP
Share:
Rights groups have long contested official drug war death figures, accusing the police of engaging in 
extrajudicial killings,
 of condoning vigilante-style attacks and deliberately targeting poor, 
small-time drug peddlers
. Concerns about collateral damage and the slow progress of cases against police officers suspected of abuses have also
been raised.

Nevertheless, official figures suggest that killing is not the campaign’s key objective. From July 2016 to December 2018,
117,385 anti-drug operations were conducted, resulting in the arrest of 167,135 and the death of 5,104 people suspected to
be involved in the drug trade. In that period, 285 drug dens and laboratories were dismantled, 1,954 children rescued and
25.62 billion Philippine pesos (US$490 million) worth of drugs and laboratory equipment seized. Meanwhile, 87 police
officers were killed and 227 wounded in the line of duty.

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While every life is sacred and every person deserves due process under the law, the figures demonstrate that the arrest of
suspects, rescue of minors and seizure of drugs are the primary aims of the operations. The government objects to the
practice of lumping fatalities with the 23,518 deaths under investigation (DUIs), which inflates the drug war toll. Only
2,668 DUIs were found to be drug-related.

Philippine police will wear body cameras in drugs raids

The drug war has revealed how the illicit trade had infected the country’s governance and security apparatus. Hence,
“internal cleansing” became integral to the campaign – 316 law enforcers were dismissed from the service for drug use,
while 145 were removed for other drug-related offences. In addition, 292 government employees, 262 elected officials and
67 uniformed personnel were arrested in anti-drug operations. The counter-intelligence task force, a special police unit,
was formed to go after erring law-enforcers.

Supporters of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos, who was killed by the police as part of the anti-drug campaign,
attend a vigil at a police station in Manila on November 29, 2018. Three policemen were sentenced on
November 29 to decades in prison for their role in the murder. Photo: AFP
Share:
The government recently released a list of 
“narco-officials”
 and warned them to desist from taking part in the drug trade. In November 2018, 
three police officers
 were convicted of murdering a minor in an anti-drug operation that drew a popular outcry.

Duterte has taken radical measures to implement his war on drugs. When reports surfaced that high-profile inmates of the
country’s main penitentiary live in luxury and were even able to carry on their drug business while incarcerated, he had
jail guards replaced by the elite police Special Action Force. Personnel were frequently rotated to avoid the possibility of
them getting familiar with inmates and thus becoming susceptible to corruption.
Following the controversial deaths of minors in anti-drug operations in Caloocan in October 2017, the Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency (PDEA) took over the reins of the drug war from the Philippine National Police (PNP). Duterte
would later recall the PNP to the front line after realising the constraints of the understaffed PDEA.

Philippines plans to take drug war to schools with searches, testing

When a shipment containing drugs entered the country last year, Duterte had the commissioner and department heads of
the Customs Bureau removed and temporarily put the military in command. A previous customs commissioner had been
replaced in 2017 for failing to thwart the entry of a drug shipment.

Rehabilitation remains an underappreciated component of Duterte’s drug war. More than 1.2 million drug users and
pushers surrendered from 2016 to early 2017. Police commanders were tasked with monitoring their whereabouts to
ensure they do not resume their old ways. Some underwent 
rehabilitation
 – 316,494 graduated from recovery and wellness programmes.

In 2016, the country’s biggest drug rehabilitation centre, a 10,000-bed facility, opened in Nueva Ecija. Three drug
rehabilitation centres in Mindanao followed – the 60-bed Agusan facility opened in September 2016, while the 576-bed
Bukidnon and 150-bed Saranggani centres were completed late last year. Davao will soon have its second drug
rehabilitation centre. The health department announced that 11 more such centres are scheduled for completion late this
year. Twenty-three reformation centres were also established. Drug rehabilitation also opened a new facet in Philippine-
China cooperation, with China helping to build the three new large rehabilitation centres.

Despite negative publicity, 2017 and 2018 opinion polls show a high level of public support for the drug war. Colombia,
Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Indonesia have 
expressed interest
 in replicating the PNP’s Oplan Tokhang (“knock and plead” strategy) to convince drug users and pushers to cease their
drug-related activities and reform. The country also 
won a seat
 in the United Nations Human Rights Council last year.

As the drug war enters its third year, the front line may shift to rehabilitation. While calling out law enforcement for
excesses, church, civil society and foreign partners should expand on ways to contribute to this end.
UNHRC RESOLUTION ONE-SIDED

Foreign countries should not interfere

False narratives coming from antiDuterte forces

Biased media outlets

Killing is not state-sponsored

257 arrests compared to 6,600 deaths in police operations 2.6 percent

They don’t understand the social-economic political problems of the PH

15 ABSTAINED 14 REJECTED NOT UNANIMOUS

MORE THAN 100 POLICE KILLED 700 INJURED

THE FACT IS THAT THERE ARE POLICE OPERATIONS THESE PEOPLE ARE SUBJECT OF ARREST AND THEY
RESIST

UNDER THE LAW, PEOPLE ENFORCING THE LAW ARE ENTITLED TO SELF DEFENSE

YOU CAN’T JUST SIT IDLY WHILE BEING SHOT BY THIS PEOPLE

TJHERE’S ONLY ONE PROTOCOL IN SAVING YOURSELF: WHEN YOUR LIFE IS IN DANGER, YOU SAVE IT

IN EVERY POLICE OPERATION WHEN THERE ARE DEATHS, AUTOMATICALLY CHARGES ARE FILED WITH
RESPECT TO THOSE WHO WERE INVOLVED IN OTHER WORDS THESE ARE DOCUMENTED CRIMINALS. The
circumstances surrounding the death are there for everyone to see, so what are they complaining
about?

27,000 deaths coming up from accidents, deaths coming up from personal motivations of killing them
adding up

Teddy Boy Locsin: “We helped create the UN to honor the universal values of respect for sovereignty
and non-interference in the internal affairs of state which were brazenly and brutally violated on a
global scale by those who censured us today.” (re: Iceland resolution)

The nation is in gratitude to the late Senator Rene Espina for his contributions in achieving a #DrugFreePH.

Among the laws he had authored was the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972, which paved the way for the government to create policies to help
in eradicating illegal drugs problem in the country.

We shall continue his legacy as we rehabilitate the nation together.

#Rehabinasyon
#DrugFreePH - In his meeting with the Filipino community in Tokyo, Japan, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
announced the significant improvement in eradicating illegal drugs in the country. He says, a family will suffer
and collapse if, even only the father falls into drug use. It may result to social dysfunction and fights within the
family may arise, he added.

PDEA

RA 9165

Section 21 states the procedural of how to handle evidences that were seized during the anti-drug war
operation. Guilty or not, the evidence stands. Ammended by RA 064, evidences will be burned or destroyed in
the legal parlands. That’s why it’s seldom.

PUSHERS NOT ARRESTED – ONLY USERS

Information only from the community. It depends on the cooperation. Strengthen the community’s
cooperation in giving information to law enforcement forces. Calling active participation to be part of
anti-drug operation by providing significant information. Whole-nation approach to combat illegal drug
menace.

REHABINASYON

Go to your BADAC, has its own program, way back 2018 the DILG has been continuously training the
BADAC what to do for the CBRP and the after care program. Coordinated with TESDA for livelihood
trainings, recommend to business establishments

This movement, this fight against the drug problem. Cleared of drugs because of active participation.
Given intervention. Comfortable and safe for Filipinos, crimes that stem from these drug uses.

RA 9165 – Strike out by SC. Not mandatory drug testing because it violates human rights. National and
local government officials do drug test before being employed.

Reenforcement, Rehabilitation, Reintegration, Reformation

Drugs – root cause of suffering. It will not be sidelined, as relentless. Drugs will not be crushed unless we
continue to eliminate corruption that allows the social monster to survive. Not mutually exclusive
(abolished)

SONA – Under the parameters of the law. Dream of glowing days for every Filipino. PH better than the
one I grew up with. Duty to serve and protect the PH.
Incidents are under investigation. Unidentified people / masked assailants / vigilante killings. Part of
mandate of the PNP to conduct the operations. It is the responsibility of the State to minimize these
killings
Philippine police will wear body cameras in
drugs raids to counter accusations of
extrajudicial killings
Police data shows nearly 4,000 drug suspects have been killed since President Duterte
came to power and launched the crackdown in June 2016

Philippine police will soon have to wear body cameras during anti-narcotics operations and visit suspects’ homes only in
the daytime, in an effort to erase doubts about the conduct of those on the front lines of a bloody war on drugs.

Police chief Ronald dela Rosa said police would wear body cameras to record arrests, under a January 19 memorandum
made public on Wednesday that takes effect once the devices are procured.

The police are making a comeback in President Rodrigo Duterte’s ferocious anti-narcotics campaign, a few months after
he suspended them amid unprecedented scrutiny of their conduct.

“Once they are available, we will require them to wear that,” Dela Rosa said of the cameras. “We would have a policy
where there will be no anti-drug operations without body-worn cameras.”

He did not specify a date by which the cameras are expected to be made available to police, however.

Police data shows nearly 4,000 drug suspects were killed since Duterte came to power and launched the crackdown in
June 2016, but police insist all died because they violently resisted arrest.

Philippine police will soon have to wear body cameras during anti-narcotics operations and visit suspects’ homes only in
the daytime, in an effort to erase doubts about the conduct of those on the front lines of a bloody war on drugs.

Police chief Ronald dela Rosa said police would wear body cameras to record arrests, under a January 19 memorandum
made public on Wednesday that takes effect once the devices are procured.

The police are making a comeback in President Rodrigo Duterte’s ferocious anti-narcotics campaign, a few months after
he suspended them amid unprecedented scrutiny of their conduct.

We would have a policy where there will be no anti-drug operations without

body-worn camerasPolice chief Ronald dela Rosa

“Once they are available, we will require them to wear that,” Dela Rosa said of the cameras. “We would have a policy
where there will be no anti-drug operations without body-worn cameras.”

He did not specify a date by which the cameras are expected to be made available to police, however.

Police data shows nearly 4,000 drug suspects were killed since Duterte came to power and launched the crackdown in
June 2016, but police insist all died because they violently resisted arrest.

Police reject activists’ allegations that they are executing suspected drug users and dealers in a systematic campaign of
abuses and cover-ups. In his war on drugs, Duterte has been accused of allowing a culture of impunity to flourish.
In the same memorandum, Dela Rosa ordered police to immediately take injured suspects to hospital, and establish a
database of those who died in police operations.

In June, Reuters revealed that police have shot hundreds of people during anti-drug
operations, before taking them to hospitals where they are declared dead on arrival. Police
say they’re trying to save lives. Bereaved relatives and other witnesses say police are
sending corpses to hospitals to disrupt crime scenes and cover up extrajudicial killings.

Police were also ordered to limit the feared “Oplan Tokhang” operations, when they visit
homes of users and dealers and seek their surrender, to between 8am and 5pm on
weekdays, police spokesman Dionardo Carlos told a separate media briefing.

“It has to be daytime, so as to erase the impression that if you have been the subject of Tokhang, you would be killed,”
Carlos said, adding police would be required to wear their uniforms during such operations.

The Philippines has hit back at New York-based Human Rights Watch for what it called a misleading death toll of more
than 12,000 in the drugs war, putting the number at half that.
THE GOOD – HIGHLIGHTING THE DRUG PROBLEM

The first legacy of the war on drugs has been to shine a national spotlight on the Philippines’
drug problem.
To Duterte’s credit, his government has not shied away from inconvenient truths like the fact
that the Philippines is becoming a trans-shipment point for the global drug trade, and the high
number of 1.8 million drug users in the Philippines.  
Duterte has also courageously and rightfully identified the involvement of politicians in the drug
trade. Long before his arrival in the national scene, government officials have been implicated in
participating or protecting the drug trade, but previous presidents have turned a blind eye.
Duterte’s attention on drugs has also challenged health officials to offer rehabilitation services
and even consider targeted and sustained community-based interventions. In 2016, Philippine
Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial declared drug use a “public health concern”.

Though these efforts have not born significant fruit, they at least hint at openness on the part of
Philippine government agencies to approach drugs in a comprehensive and open way.
A recognition of the severity of the situation in turn, is going some way in progressing the
Philippine government's response to an undeniably major problem for the Philippines. Police
officers have gone around communities in the Philippines with high levels of drug users and
traffickers, and millions have signed up for drug rehabilitation programmes.

Despite the intensely polarised debates, however, there is actually common ground and strong
agreement within the Philippines that the drug problem needs to be addressed.
This common ground needs to be highlighted to counter the binary choices presented to people
that they are either for the war on drugs or for the drug trade.
The Duterte government should also consider ramping up softer best practices that have been
effective - such as Bogo City achieving "drug-free" status with zero deaths through multi-
sectoral cooperation and community-based rehabilitation.

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/commentary-the-good-the-bad-

and-the-ugly-of-rodrigo-duterte-s-9211678
PROS

War on Drugs is a good idea even if not "winnable" John Hawkins. "In defense of the drug war." Human
Events. January 25th, 2007: "While it's true that we may not ever win the war against drugs -- i.e. never entirely
eradicate the use of illegal drugs -- we're not ever going to win the war against murder, robbery and rape either.
But our moral code rejects each of them, so none -- including drugs -- can be legalized if we still adhere to that
code."

ro

 Drug War enables governments to crack-down on cartels  Bret Stephens. "In Praise of Mexico's War

on Drugs." Wall Street Journal. March 3, 2009: "The problem is Mexico's record of corrupt, weak and

incompetent governance, which has created the environment in which the cartels have hitherto operated with

impunity. The same might be said about other countries in Latin America: These states did not become basket

cases on account of the drug trade. It is the fact that they were basket cases to begin with that allowed the

drug trade to flourish. [...] The government has managed to spark power struggles within and among cartels,

and the vast majority of Mexico's murder victims are themselves involved in the drug trade. More important,

Mr. Calderón has sent the signal that his government will not repeat the patterns of complacency and collusion

that typified Mexico for decades. Whatever else might be said about his government, it's a serious one."

War on Drugs helps combat drug-related crimes The US Drug Enforcement Administration claims: "Crime,
violence and drug use go hand in hand. Six times as many homicides are committed by people under the influence
of drugs, as by those who are looking for money to buy drugs. Most drug crimes aren’t committed by people trying
to pay for drugs; they’re committed by people on drugs.— US Drug Enforcement Administration (2003). "Speaking
Out Against Drug Legalization" DUF research indicates that: Frequent use of hard drugs is one of the strongest
indicators of a criminal career. Offenders who use drugs are among the most serious and active criminals,
engaging in both property and violent crime. Early and persistent use of cocaine or heroin in the juvenile years is
an indicator of serious, persistent criminal behavior in adulthood. Those arrested who are drug users are more
likely than those not using drugs to be rearrested on pretrial release or fail to appear at trial

 State justified in protecting individuals from own drug abuse. The state has the authority vested in

it by the people to protect individuals from doing harm to themselves and others. The need to assume this

responsibility is especially heightened if the individual is not aware of the risks, or is addicted and thus not

making informed choices.

 The state is justified in protecting society from drug-users. Drug-use affects the user, their

families, children, communities and society at large, and the state must legislate to protect these wider

interests.