Gutoc clarifies drug war stance

MANILA, Philippines — Aksyon Demokratiko senatorial candidate Samira Gutoc yesterday clarified that she was not supportive of the government’s war on drugs.

She made the clarification on Twitter following a television interview yesterday that seemed to indicate she considered as a government achievement the narcotics crackdown, which left thousands of mostly poor drug users dead.

“To those who reached out their criticisms, don’t worry – I was never pro-drug war. I hope you don’t misconstrue the interview,” Gutoc said in Filipino. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention and holding me accountable.”

Gutoc apologized for her “poor choice of words” when she should have “flatly” called out the drug war as a “failure, and a desecration of human lives.”

In an ANC interview yesterday, Gutoc said the administration’s war on drugs could have been a success if it had not resulted in the deaths of small-time drug users.

The senatorial candidate was called out by netizens for taking a moderate stance since she was an opposition candidate of the Liberal Party’s Otso Diretso slate in 2019.

Gutoc said she and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno agreed to respect each other’s opinions about President Duterte.

While Moreno has criticized the government’s pandemic response, he once praised Duterte for being an inspiration to local government units.

Gutoc in her Tweet used the hashtag #OustDuturtle, apparently referring to Duterte.

Gutoc said she shared Aksyon Demokratiko’s platform of reaching out to different political colors and setting aside political bickering.