PBBM: Drug war approach ‘diametrically opposed’ to Duterte

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. remarked that he and former president Rodrigo Duterte had fundamentally different approaches to addressing the drug issue in the country, noting that his administration’s strategy has undergone significant changes.

The President made this statement following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, during which Scholz inquired about his approach to combating illegal drugs compared to the previous administration.

During the meeting, Marcos emphasized the substantial alterations that the Philippine government has implemented in its campaign against illegal drugs under his administration.

“It’s a big problem, but our approach has changed significantly,” Marcos told Scholz.

“I diametrically opposed to handling the drug problem in that way, by confrontation, by violence and it really requires so much, more much deeper understanding of the problem and the much deeper solution. So, yes, I think that we are also progressing when it comes to that,” he added.

Marcos highlighted that among the reforms is the restructuring of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to remove certain police officers implicated “in some of the more questionable practices” carried out during the previous administration.

“We are starting to move them out, and some of them have already been tried and convicted, now in jail and serving their time,” Marcos said.

“It’s a difficult problem because the money involved is so much that it’s hard for the government to compete with the kind of money that’s been thrown around by the drug lords,” he added.

The President asserted that his administration has made strides in reducing the prevalence of illegal drug activities in the Philippines.

According to Malacañang, illegal drugs valued at over P10.41 billion were seized, and 56,495 suspects were apprehended last year in more than 44,000 law enforcement operations.

Last year, Marcos pledged to redirect the government’s anti-drug efforts towards rehabilitation. This was in response to calls for accountability following his predecessor’s controversial anti-drug campaign, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of suspects in what are being investigated as alleged extrajudicial killings.

The Palace also reported that 50 provinces now have operational Anti-Drug Abuse Councils, and the government has established 74 in-patient treatment and rehabilitation facilities nationwide.

“The recent government successes was under President Marcos’s new approach to address illegal drugs by focusing on rehabilitation, reintegration, and preventive education programs specifically for the youth,” it said.

The government’s estimate suggests that at least 6,117 individuals lost their lives during Duterte’s drug war from July 1, 2016, to May 31, 2022. However, human rights organizations assert that the death toll might be as high as 30,000.

In March, Marcos reiterated his administration’s stance of refusing to recognize the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) jurisdiction over the Philippines, citing it as a sovereignty threat.

The President argued that the ICC’s mandate was crafted for regions lacking strong judicial systems and law enforcement, which he contends doesn’t apply to the Philippines.

“We have a functioning police force. We have a functioning judiciary, and it is their responsibility to take care of that,” Marcos said.

The ICC investigation encompasses crimes committed in Davao City from November 2011 to June 2016, during Duterte’s tenure as its mayor. Additionally, it includes cases during his presidency until March 16, 2019, which marks the day before the Philippines officially withdrew from the court’s Rome Statute.