‘Drug war under Marcos to heed legal framework’

MANILA, Philippines —  The crackdown on illegal drugs under the Marcos administration would be bound by law and human rights, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) stressed Friday.

In a statement, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said this administration’s anti-drug campaign “pioneers a different approach that will work within the framework of the law and with respect for human rights and with focus on rehabilitation and socio-economic development.”

Abalos said the goal of addressing the root of the problem is seen in the DILG’s Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan or BIDA program that will be launched today in Quezon City.

“If we want to get rid of the illegal drug problem, we need to cut it at the roots,” he said in Filipino. “Through the BIDA program, our focus is on drug demand reduction, with the help of various sectors of our society.”

The DILG secretary said the program would “involve local government units, national government agencies and other key sectors of society that will focus more on drug demand reduction and rehabilitation in the communities.”

Abalos said illegal drugs are a “deep-seated issue” that should be solved by the community and not just by law enforcement agencies like the police, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and National Bureau of Investigation.

“All of us must act and be one in ending this menace that continues to destroy the future of our youth,” he said. Since Marcos assumed the presidency, P9.7 billion worth of illegal drugs has been seized and 22,646 drug suspects have been arrested.