Newly installed Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos on Monday vowed to sustain the drug war under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. with the same zeal as that of the Duterte administration.
“The war against drugs will be as intensive as before on the basis of my oath as a public official in accordance with the Constitution,” Abalos told reporters.
Asked about the possible participation of the DILG on the investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the drug war killings under the Duterte administration, he said the matter has not yet been discussed.
Abalos also regretted that many cases involving illegal drugs have been dismissed due to technicalities such as the absence of a witness during the inventory of operations.
Under the Section 21 of Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, an elected public official and a representative of the National Prosecution Service or the media are required to sign the copies of the inventory.
Abalos thus encouraged local government units to assign one personnel from the National Prosecution Service for this purpose.
Abalos also suggested involving the youth, parents, schools, churches, and communities in a “people power” against illegal drugs.
“We are with the children, schools, churches, parents, communities, so it is people power against drugs and other social ills,” he said.
Meanwhile, Abalos said the DILG would also focus on building more jail facilities to ease the congestion of prisons in the country.