📷: PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III
WALANG dapat ipagdiwang sa patakarang paramihan ng aresto sa drug war campaign ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. dahil hindi nito nilulutas ang ugat ng problema sa illegal drugs sa bansa bagkus ay binuksan pa ang pinto para sa mas maraming paglabag sa karapatang pantao, lalo na sa mahihirap.
“From paramihan ng patay to paramihan ng aresto? There’s nothing to celebrate about the latter policy that does not solve the root causes of the illegal drugs problem, and even aggravates it by opening the gates to further rights violations against the people, especially the poor.”
Inihayag ito ng human rights group KARAPATAN kasunod ng direktiba ni Marcos Jr. at sinabi ni bagong Philippine National Police Chief Nicolas Torre III hinggil sa kampanya ng pamahalaan kontra- illegal drugs.
“Instead of addressing the root causes of the illegal drug trade in the country, the Marcos administration continues the Duterte regime’s policies and practice of fomenting fear among the general populace and ensuring impunity for state-sanctioned vigilante groups and police operatives who kill drug suspects,” ayon kay KARAPATAN deputy secretary general Atty. Maria Sol Taule.
“While the newly installed PNP chief paid lip service to recognizing the rights of arrested people, their planned drug war campaign is a declaration of another open season to arbitrarily arrest persons on mere suspicion of involvement in the illegal drug trade. Wasn’t this the same thing that happened in Duterte’s drug war?” tanong ni Taule.
“Under Duterte, it didn’t matter to the police who they were killing. What was important to them was to fulfill their kill quotas. So really, what’s the difference?” dagdag niya.
Bagama’t hindi aniya ganoon kadugo ang anti-drug campaign ni Marcos Jr. kompra kay Duterte, naitala ng Dahas Project ng University of the Philippines-based Third World Studies Center ang 989 drug-related killings sa bansa hanggang noong Mayo 2025.
“We continue to demand that the illegal drug trade problem in the country be addressed as a socio-economic and health issue. It is not enough to celebrate the fact that the former president is in detention for having ordered a bloodbath and ignoring the real roots of the drug problem. With the Marcos Jr. administration’s anti-drug policy just a rehash of the previous one, we should be mindful of the horrors of Duterte’s drug war, and demand that the attendant rights violations are not repeated under the current regime,” pagtatapos ni Taule. (ZIA LUNA)