Duterte: Blast drug smugglers’ vessels

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Duterte has ordered the Philippine Navy to blast away vessels of smugglers carrying illegal drugs even with their passengers plying the country’s territorial waters.

Duterte lamented that those involved in the illegal drug trade are also using the seas as entry points of contraband items that are usually thrown into the sea and picked up by their local conduits.

“Huwag na lang kayong magsalita, ibulong n’yo lang sa akin na mayroon kayong pinasabog na bangka at barko at kung ano pa, lantsa ng mga durugista (Just don’t speak, just whisper to me that you blasted away a boat, ship, launch or whatever of the drug addicts),” the President said during the campaign rally of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon the other day.

Cocaine packages have been found floating in the waters in some parts of the country recently, according to the Chief Executive. These include those that were found in Eastern Mindanao, particularly off the coast of Siargao in Caraga region and even in Davao Oriental.

Over 100 cocaine bricks were reported to have been found in the waters off Burgos town in Siargao in the past two months, while another 39 bricks have been found in the town of Caraga, Davao Oriental.

The cocaine bricks lately found in Siargao and Davao Oriental were reportedly worth at least P1.5 billion.

“Ang cocaine, ’yan ang ginagawa ng mga mayayaman. Mahal ’yan. May duda kami kung bakit dumami pero ang sabi ko sa Navy basta smuggler pasabugin ninyo pati mga tao (Cocaine is what the rich use. It is expensive. We have hints on why cocaine has proliferated lately, but I told the Navy to blast away smugglers, even people),”  the President further said as he vowed no letup in his war against illegal drugs in the remaining three years of his term.

Diokno vows to fight drug war

Meanwhile, Otso Diretso senatorial candidate Chel Diokno has vowed to continue at the Senate his fight against the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs.

“I think the Dioknos are not afraid of being jailed for their principles,” Diokno said in an interview when asked whether he is ready to become a target of the administration for criticizing the drug war.

“My grandfather was jailed when he joined the revolution against the Spanish colonizers. My father was also imprisoned when he fought the Marcos dictatorship. And I can say that I can stand firm for my principles,” the human rights lawyer said.

Diokno’s father Jose Diokno and his grandfather, Justice Ramon Diokno, were both senators.

In 2017, Diokno, who chairs the  Free Legal Assistance Group, filed petitions for prohibition and writ of amparo (protection) before the Supreme Court to question the administration’s war on drugs.

He also promised to address the problems confronting the country’s judicial system.

“I think one of the biggest problems the judiciary is facing is the vacancies among trial court judges. I understand there is about 20 percent vacancies in the trial court level,” he said.

“We can’t address the slow trials as long as we have these vacancies in courts,” he added.

Diokno also cited the country’s problem in the prosecution service.

“What I know is we also have 33-percent vacancies at the National Prosecution Service,” he said.

“Second, I believe that the process of appointing judges is highly politicized. There has to be transparency and accountability in the judiciary,” he added.

Diokno also wants to work on measures that would address overcongestion of jails and detention facilities, among others.

“We have a jail congestion rate of 605 percent. The first thing I think we have to do is to add budget for jail cells. These jails were built way back 30, 40, 50 years ago. They were only made to accommodate a few inmates,” he said.

“If we can fill the vacancies with competent judges and prosecutors, and if we could address the problems of jails, increase the budget of jails as well as treat drug use more as a health issue rather than a criminal issue, we could address the overcongestion in our jails and detention facilities,” he stressed. – With Helen Flores