AT THE start of his term middle of last year, President Rodrigo Duterte vowed to eradicate the drug problem in three to six months.
He, through the Philippine National Police, launched Operation Double Barrel, an aggressive two-pronged campaign to crack down on pushers and users of drugs.
Soon, however, it became clear that despite this approach, the drug menace persisted. There were too many Filipinos using drugs, and too much money to be made out of it. Mr. Duterte asked for another year.
During this period, the campaign intensified and thousands were killed. The PNP gained notoriety for its approach and the international community voiced its concern about the disregard for human rights and the rule of law. At one point, the criticism got so intense that the PNP was made to take the backseat; the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency was put at the helm.
Now the President asked for yet another year, the PNP is back albeit in a “supporting” role to the PDEA, and here comes House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez saying the President in fact has until 2022—five years to go—before solving the drug problem.
The Palace also said the International Criminal Court should stay out of the anti-drug campaign even as the President likened it to a necessary evil that must be effected because of a bigger, more menacing problem.
Nobody claimed the drug problem had an easy or swift solution. Only a fool would promise a quick resolution to an issue that has hounded societies and families for decades. While cracking down on the pushers and drug lords, there must also be enough attention on rehabilitating suspects and discouraging would-be users from getting into the habit. The current approach is not being criticized for no reason. This is just too much for one man.
We think the government should stop setting deadlines for itself. We grasp how overwhelming and far-reaching the problem is. We would be content to see constant and no-fanfare anti-drug efforts complemented by circumspection rather than buy into the illusion that the problem can magically disappear by a certain time, until the deadline is moved, anew.