THE United Kingdom warned its citizens who are traveling to the Philippines not to “get involved in drugs” as “police and other authorities have been publicly encouraged to kill suspected drug traffickers who resist arrest.”
In its travel advisory posted on its official website, UK government noted that penalties for drug importation are severe.
Some 154,000 British nationals visited the Philippines in 2015.
“Don’t become involved with drugs of any kind. Penalties for importing and using illegal drugs are particularly severe,” the UK government stated.
The British government reminded its citizens that violating local laws may result in a jail sentence.
“Sentences are severe. The judicial system can result in long-term detention until a court hearing takes place,” it said.
The UK government also noted that the “detention facilities are far below UK standards.”
“There is a high incidence of street crime and robbery throughout the Philippines. You should take sensible precautions,” it said.
The Interior Department said Tuesday it has created a legal and investigatory task force that will handle the investigation of all past and incumbent local public officials with alleged links to the drug trade.
Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno said the task force, dubbed as DILG Task Force Agila, will also take charge of the reception of evidence, documentation, strategy, case determination and case development against local public officials who have been and will be publicly named by President Duterte as involved in illegal drugs.”
“We are 101 percent behind the President in his campaign against criminality and illegal drugs. This is why we created Task Force Agila to ensure a thorough probe against the so-called narco execs,” he said.
The President had earlier released a matrix showing the supposed links of several former and current government officials, including Senator Leila De Lima, to drug lords detained in the New Bilibid Prison, Pangasinan Rep. Amado Espino Jr., former Justice undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, Pangasinan Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan, retired Gen. Franklin Bucayo, and Pangasinan Board Member Raul Sison.
In a media forum, Interior Undersecretary for Operations John Castriciones said that the task force will also look into the bank records and investments of the local officials.
All public officials named by the President will be known as “persons of interest” for their alleged involvement in illegal drugs either as protector, pusher, financer or user.
Sueno said that the Task Force Agila is “authorized to demand and receive data about the persons of interest, coordinate with other government departments, bureaus, agencies and offices, as well as to make recommendations based on its findings.”
He said the task force may also request assistance from any uniformed and non-uniformed personnel of the DILG, Philippine National Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Dangerous Drugs Board, and other government offices including private individuals pursuant to its mandate.
The PDEA said Tuesday Duterte’s warn on drugs will cause the illegal drug trade to lose P5.2 billion worth of shabu over the next four months.
In testimony before the House, PDEA Director General Isidro La Peña estimated that from July to December this year, 1,040 kilos of shabu will disappear from the streets with a value of P5.2 billion. Also, based on those who have surrendered, he estimated that 673,978 users would no longer take shabu.
This prompted Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs, to urge Congress to increase the budget of all agencies involved in the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.
“How can one expect to win this war when the funding agency, DBM [Department of Budget and Management], does not even consider this as a priority, so much so that instead of increasing the budget of the anti-drug law enforcement agencies, it did just the opposite,” Barbers said.
“When the President declared this all-out war against illegal drugs, all of us have the duty to give him everything he needs to succeed. All the government agencies tasked to carry out this war should be given the best ammunition they need budget.
“Otherwise let us just forget this whole thing and treat the President’s order as a big joke,” Barbers said.
La Peña also said various courts in the countryside have acquitted at least 50 percent of drugs suspects from the total number of cases filed in the last 14 years.
From 2002 until 2016, La Peña said the PDEA, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation and other agencies of the government concerned had filed 23,776 drug-related cases.
La Peña said the PNP filed the most number of cases with 20,425. Of the total, 10,380 or 51 percent resulted in the acquittal of the respondents while 5,574 of the cases or 27 percent were dismissed; and 4,471 of the cases or 22 percent resulted in a conviction.
In the case of PDEA, La Peña said 1,984 cases were filed. But only 502 of these cases or 26 percent have resulted in a conviction while 837 cases or 42 percent were dismissed and 645 or 32 percent have been acquitted.
Out of 128 cases filed by the NBI, the PDEA chief said La Peña said 56 cases resulted in conviction while 38 cases were dismissed and the respondents from 34 cases were acquitted.
In other developments:
•Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said a Chinese-American national caught with two kilos of cocaine in Clark International Airport is now listed in the Bureau of Immigration’s Hold Departure Order and also included in the bureau’s Blacklist Order. Morente said he ordered the bureau’s law and investigation division to file charges against Alan Soo Hoo, 68, who tried to smuggle in high-grade cocaine in his luggage.
• The government said police who responded to the shooting to death of Meriam and Melvin Odicta, suspected drug lords, at the Jetty port in Aticlan, Aklan on Sunday, would be summoned to an investigation.
• The provincial police director in Aurora was relieved for his “zero accomplishment” against illegal drugs. Senior Supt. Danilo Florentino has been removed and placed on floating status by regional police director, Chief Supt. Aaron Aquino, for showing no results in the anti-drug campaign. He was replaced by Senior Supt. Fidel Drapesa in an acting capacity. With John Paolo Bencito, Ferdie G. Domingo, Vito Barcelo, Francisco Tuyay