Leyte 4th District Representative Lucy Torres-Gomez on Monday, July 12, expressed hope that the next administration would continue a strong anti-illegal drugs advocacy to sustain the gains achieved by the Duterte administration.
Torres-Gomez, however, said the next administration’s anti-drug war should be “less intimidating” and “less violent”, and will actively ensure the protection of human rights, especially the rights of accused individuals.
She said it is important to maintain the advances made by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the fight against prohibited drugs to ensure a long-term impact.
“The next administration must similarly have a strong anti-illegal drugs program to continue the accomplishments made by the present administration. We cannot give up our fight to stop the thriving drugs industry, or else the lives and sacrifices of our men in uniform would all be for nothing,” Torres-Gomez said.
“We have to honor their sacrifices by continuing their vision of having a drug-free Philippines,” she added.
The lawmaker cited the experience of Ormoc City, which she said was previously called the “drug capital” of Eastern Visayas before the current leadership.
According to Torres-Gomez, when the new administration in the city of Ormoc took over in 2016, a "no-nonsense" anti-illegal drugs campaign was launched with 110 barangay-police Anti-Drug Abuse Councils created to coordinate and carry out the city hall’s drug rehabilitation program.
She said a total of 58 buy-bust operations were conducted, which resulted in the arrest of 64 notorious drug dealers, pushers and users.
Consequently, she said Ormoc City was named the safest city in the country in 2018 and 2019 by the PNP crime research and analysis center, and remains drug-free until today.
“The next administration could look at how Ormoc City was transformed from being a notorious drug haven into a drug-free metropolis,” she said.
“If the government sustains the anti-illegal drugs campaign, we can look forward to having more rehabilitated cities where residents feel safe, even during late nights, because they know they will not fall prey to the horrors that drug addicts inflict on their victims,” she stressed.