Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Friday vowed to clear Manila of prohibited drugs next year, similar to President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign which the Manila chief executive blamed that illegal drugs as the root cause of rising criminality in Manila.
Estrada made the statement during the gift giving and distribution of “Noche Buena” pack to the orphans of Asosacion de Dama De Filipinas in Paco, Manila, as he called on residence of Manila to cooperate with law enforcement agencies on the fight against illegal drugs in the city.
“I was able to make Manila debt-free, now my next move is to make Manila a drug-free city,” Estrada said.
However, Estrada said the fight against illegal drugs would not be bloody like the President Duterte’s war on drugs but restrained with the support of the community and barangay leaders in the city.
He said methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu remains the most abused drug by drug pushers and users, followed by marijuana and methylenedioxymethamphetamine or ecstasy.
Among the cities in Metro Manila, the City of Manila has the highest number of drug-related killings in the first year of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, according to the Philippine National Police.
During the event, Estrada said he wants to weed out illegal drugs in his level just like President Duterte’s aim for the whole country.
He said Manila cannot attain peace and order unless illegal drugs and other forms of criminality is stopped.
Estrada, who is running for his third and last term as Mayor of Manila, said he wants to leave a legacy to the young generation, not just to Manila residents, but to the entire country, that the capital city of the Philippines is drug-free and a safe and secure place to live in.