DAVAO CITY—President Rodrigo Duterte said that he would rather use the billions of pesos intended for the barangay election to build additional rehabilitation centers in the country.
Duterte agrees with legislators who believed the barangay election should be postponed because he is afraid that it will be funded with drug money.
“I am afraid that drug money will deep through the electoral process, you will just be adding headache,” he said, adding it will just create more problems.
He said that there is a big possibility that those who will sit in the position will be funded by drug money and if barangay level positions are filled up with the candidates of narco-politicians, the country will need martial law, which he does not intend to do.
“Who will win? Those who are funded with drug money will win and I need to declare martial law to illuminate it, which I will never do,” he added.
He said that the budget for the barangay election can be used to build additional rehabilitation centers since there is an increasing number of drug surrenders who needs treatment.
Duterte also said that he asked the military to give space for the construction of rehabilitation centers inside their camps since they have the biggest area given by the government.
The Duterte administration is eyeing to develop an area in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija as one of its rehabilitation centers.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Friday the proposal was aimed to address the scarcity of rehabilitation centers in the country amidst the government’s war on illegal drugs.
An estimated 600,000 drug “users” and “pushers” nationwide have already surrendered to the government in its massive anti-drug campaign.
“Of the hundred percent (drug pushers), 90 percent of that are experiential users and about nine percent of that are actual heavy users and one percent are hardcore. So I believe, out of the 600,000, they (the Department of Health or DoH) can give attention, special attention to about the 60,000 or more,” he said.
However, Abella expressed belief that rehabilitation efforts may be done even at the barangay levels or through faith-based groups.“In fact, I was, you know, I’ve been around, we were able to look at some of the sites,” he said.
He also revealed proposals to develop a housing project for the users and pushers. Alongside the planned rehabilitation center, would be sustainable farming, and greening programs in the area as part of the government’s intervention to address the unemployment and livelihood problems of those who have engaged in the illegal drug trade to prevent them from returning to their old ways.
