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Proper implementation of war on drugs: Sen. Joel Villanueva asks former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to elaborate his statement that the campaign against illegal drugs during his term was not perfect and might be lacking in some areas. “If you were asked, what were the errors and how do you want us, as legislators, to address these concerns,” Villanueva asked the former president in mixed Filipino and English during the Motu proprio inquiry on the Philippine War on Illegal Drugs Monday, October 28, 2024. Duterte said one of the imperfections of the campaign on illegal drugs is the lack of determination on the side of some local officials who are themselves involved in illegal drugs for money, those who are after reelections and those who fear to go against drug syndicates. “Since time immemorial we have been very keen and very serious in our intention to address the problem of illegal drugs. War on drugs per se is very noble intention and worthy of our support. The important thing is the proper implementation. May I also put into record the need to build the capacity of our law enforcement agencies and I’ve been consistent with that since 2016 when I became a member of this August Chamber…for your enforcement agencies to uphold human rights as a core part of their operations and training. We have also been pushing for independent and impartial internal affairs service to thoroughly investigate police misconduct and prevent further brutality,” according to Villanueva. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)