No stones are left unturned in the war against illegal drugs. This statement aptly describes the recent move of the Philippine National Police and the Department of Justice to deploy 320 trained Special Action Force Police Commandos to take over the security of the New Bilibid Prison. In the latest raid of the National Penitentiary, cash and methamphetamine (shabu), as well as internet facilities, cellphones, and pieces of evidence proving that illegal drugs are being manufactured in the Bilibid Prison, were seized. According to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, 75 percent of drug transactions in the country are happening in the NBP. This means that illegal drugs are manufactured in the NBP and somehow get out of its walls for trading outside while the rest of drugs sold are sourced mostly from China. It also means that the illegal trade is largely controlled by drug lords serving terms at the NBP.
This latest move by the Justice Department and the PNP is a major game changer. The general concern that the pushers or the middlemen in the illegal trade are getting killed only to shield the top honchos from being pointed and identified is addressed. After all, it is becoming clear that President Duterte’s administration will take the war on drugs to as high as the links may reach. In recent days, a Chinese drug lord who reportedly owned laboratories producing illegal drugs was killed as he tried to escape and allegedly exchanged fire with police. It is expected, too, that an in-depth probe in the Bilibid drug cartel would yield names of government officials who have given protection to the drug lords in the national penitentiary.
This brings to mind some nagging questions. How come the past administration—although uncovering drugs each time a raid was done in Bilibid under Oplan Galugad—did nothing to probe any deeper? We have read about blood-curdling heinous crimes committed by alleged drug-crazed offenders. And yet, no investigation was ever made to establish any correlation between the rise in criminality and the prevalence of illegal drugs.
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While there is yet no official study linking drug use or the drug trade to crime, it is good to consider these figures. The number of reported index crimes—particularly murder, homicide, robbery, theft, rape and carnapping—rose steadily from 2012, reaching a 300-percent increase until 2014. In the first six months of 2016, the crime rate in the Philippines was reported to have increased by 46 percent compared to the same period last year. In contrast, three days ago, the Philippine National Police reported a decrease in the rate of crimes, attributing it to the PNP’s intense anti-drug campaign. From 52,950 reported crimes in January, the number went down to 46,060 in June this year, the Director for Operations, Chief Supt. Camilo Cascolan, said.
With the number of drug offenders who are arrested or killed or who surrender, people should start feeling more safe as they walk the streets. The masseuse who regularly comes to our house, for instance, used to sleep over until daybreak for fear of commuting at night. Now, she goes home even late at night, feeling more secure in the thought that thousands of drug users and pushers have surrendered and are no longer plying their trade in the place where she lives.
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In President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s first State of the Nation Address today, he has earned the right to be happy with a record 91-percent trust rating given him by the Filipino people in the last Social Weather Stations survey, as well as the significant changes he has put in place in less than a month since his inauguration as President. His war on drugs alone—especially if he can bring into the bar of justice all the big fish in the trade, regardless of their rank or position—guarantees him a place in the annals of Philippine history. Still, he must know that a great leader owes it to the people to stay safe so he can carry on the changes he promised and his visions for the country.
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