President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the military to form their own anti-drug squad to help the police in the fight against illegal drugs, saying illegal drugs are flooding the country.
“To the military, Armed Forces, help us because we are being flooded with drugs. Our enemy is the [Sinaloa] and the Bamboo Triad,” Duterte said during his weekly televised cabinet meeting Monday night.
The President also took a swipe at the human rights groups for criticizing his anti-drug drive, saying the drug syndicates were not their only enemies, but included human rights.
“And of course, our enemy also includes human rights. Although they do not.. not really an enemy that kills… but they are out to discredit, they are out to put in a — send to prison somebody who is doing his work,” Duterte said.
Duterte said he wanted the military to join the anti-drug drive because it was a national security issue, saying “the welfare of the state (is) at stake. That is why it is no longer just the task of the police.”
He said the military should not be afraid of the threats of human rights groups , as he vowed to support the military.
Duterte appealed to human rights groups to better look for another fight.
“These genocides are real… do not tinker with the drug problem in the Philippines. This is mine and mine alone. You can do it if I am no longer the president of the Philippines,” Duterte added.