Senators air differing views on Duterte's fear of reprisal from drug lords

Senator Panfilo M. Lacson on Tuesday, August 3 said President Duterte’s fears of drug lords getting back at him after he leaves Malacanang may be valid.

Duterte, however, said it is the Filipino people who benefited from his anti-illegal drug campaign but critics said the Chief Executive’s five-year campaign is bloody and violated human rights.

Lacson, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, however said that own experience in law enforcement ‘’tells me that criminal offenders that we arrested and sent to jail or the relatives of those we killed in armed encounters mostly accepted their fate as part of the risk that they or their dead relatives took when they decided to violate the laws for whatever motives or reasons.’’

‘’I said mostly because there were very, very few exceptions,’’ he said.

‘’One particular kidnap for ransom suspect convicted by the lower court and spent some time in the national penitentiary before he was cleared by the Supreme Court continues to harbor bitterness towards us while knowing fully well how much participation he had in the crime.

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, former Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) chairman, takes a different view.

‘’Even if you kill all drug dealers and burn all illegal drugs, if there are drug dependents, they will find other substances to abuse... Contact cement, cough syrup, nubaine etc.’’ he said.

Sotto stressed that dealers killed would only be replaced by new ones.

‘’Best is to follow my holistic approach,’’ he added.

Senator Ronald ‘’Bato’’ dela Rosa, also a former PNP chief, said he agrees with President Duterte’s pronouncement.

‘’For what reason does this government launch a bloody war on drugs if it doesn’t benefit the Filipinos?’’ he asked

‘’Who is the Number One target of the drug lords? Isn’t it the President?’’ he further asked.

On allegations of human rights violations in the current bloody drug war, dela Rosa said that ‘’it is very unfortunate because politics came into play that resulted to trumped up allegations from the opposition just to get the attention of the international community.’’