NextGen Day

On Thursday, Interior Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. stated that he is opposed to the decriminalization of drug usage as has been proposed by some MPs and that it would not enhance the government’s stepped-up fight against illegal substances.

Abalos made the comments in response to Senator Robin Padilla’s support for Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s proposal to decriminalize drug usage in order to relieve jail overcrowding and treat the issue of drug addiction as a health concern.

“With all due respect, yan nang maliliit, ang giyera na nakikita ko ngayon, hindi makakatulong sa laban namin at hindi makakatulong sa mga bata. Pangalawa, magkakaroon ng technicalities yan, ikakalat lang nila nang maliliit sa iba-iba (as I see it today, this [plan] would not help us in our struggle and it would not help the youth, since it starts with small-time drug users. Second, there would be a technicality (syndicates would just distribute little amounts of drugs to part-time pushers),” Abalos remarked in response to a question on the radio.

Wag na lang sana. When it comes to itim and puti, ako. Bawal, bawal, kung. At para, all of it is bawal. Nitas hulihin na lang. (I pray it doesn’t succeed. If anything is black, to me, it is black. Whiteness is a given. If something is forbidden, it is forbidden. And if it’s forbidden, then all of these are forbidden. Let’s simply arrest them,” he emphasized.

Following Dela Rosa’s comments regarding the suspected reappearance of so-called ninja cops, the DILG chief promised to purge the ranks of law enforcement organizations in the same interview.

The phrase “Matagal na itong mga taong ito na nasa loob maski kanino pang panahon ito” is used. Mangangako ako sa inyo ang sa akin lang, lilinisin ko ito. These ninja police officers have long held positions of authority in whichever administration. Pangako ko po ito. I’ll pledge to tidy up the rankings on my end. I’ll keep my word,” Abalos assured.

Additionally, Abalos urged people to support the Philippine National Police (PNP) in its fight against illicit substances.

However, Abalos insisted that the DILG is still “on top of this” scenario and promised to release evidence-based information about the nation’s problems with illegal drugs notwithstanding the involvement of rogue law enforcement in the illegal drug trade.

According to Abalos, a total of 26,544 barangays, or 63.13 percent of the entire country, have been drug-free; 5,987, or 14.24 percent, are drug-free; and 538, or 1.28 percent, are drug-unaffected.

He added that 8,977 barangays, or 21.35 percent of them, are still negatively impacted by drugs in the nation, with 329 of them being classified as severely, 6,623 as moderately, and 2,635 as slightly afflicted.

He said that out of the 1,710 barangays in Metro Manila, 950 still have drug problems, while 754 have been declared drug-free, five have no drug problems, and one is drug-unaffected.

Following Dela Rosa’s concerns about national security, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo argued that the police leadership’s new, comprehensive approach has been successful.

They are free to express their own opinions, after all (we respect them). In terms of strategy, however, our approach from the previous year was to focus on the supply reduction program, and we saw that many people were detained and a significant amount of illegal substances were seized, according to Fajardo, who made the remarks in a separate radio interview.

“This time, we noticed that there had been a review and reevaluation, and we checked and determined that the demand reduction program was effective. We also considered the aspects of reformation, rehabilitation, and even education, she added.

She claimed that they comprehend where Dela Rosa is coming from in regards to the rise of “ninja policemen,” and even PNP commander Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. expressed disappointment over claims that active police officers were engaged in the drug trade.

However, according to Fajardo, the episode should be seen positively because the PNP has been purging itself internally, and the fact that active police officers and members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency were arrested by their coworkers is evidence that the PNP is doing so.

Bagama’t tayo ay nalulungkot, pero ito pa rin ay tinitingnan natin sa kaniya mga kapulisan at mga agents ng PDEA ang nakakahuli sa mga ganitong mga scalawags, at kagaya ng lagi nating sinasabi, nahi While we are saddened, we are looking at it positively because our own police and PDEA agents are the ones catching these scalawags, and as we always say, we do not tolerate them. At bagama’t yun ang pahayag ng ating kagalang galang na senator, at I’m sure naintindihan po niya na bilang dating pulis, na ang PNP leadership While the good senator may have made that claim, I am confident that he is aware that, as a former police officer, the PNP leadership continues to fight against illegal drugs even under his administration),” Fajardo stated.

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