Filipinos satisfied with War on Drugs, LGUs crucial to win the war - Dela Rosa

SENATOR Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa called on the law enforcement officials to 'go the extra mile' in their efforts to win the government's "war on drugs" as he reminded them to always put God first in all the anti-illegal drugs operations to ensure preserving the precious life of every individual.

Speaking before the officials, employees and guests at the Dangerous Drugs Board's (DDB) culminating event for the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week 2019 in Quezon City recently, Dela Rosa issued the call to encourage the anti-illegal drugs operatives to work united and even harder to save more lives from the evils of the illegal substance. The former police chief who led the Duterte government's massive anti-illegal drugs campaign also underscored the crucial role of the people in efforts to win the 'drug war'.

"Paigtingin pa natin ang ating pagtutulungan, we have enough government agencies addressing the drug problem, but what matters most is the support and cooperation of every member of the community. What will help us win this war is our united and strong front against illegal drugs," Dela Rosa said.

"At higit sa lahat, ilagay pa rin natin ang Panginoon sa gitna ng pagsulong na ito kasi ang ating detractors palagi nilang pino-portray na tayo dito sa law enforcement sa war on drugs ay talagang mga mamamatay tao... ipakita natin na tayo ay maka-Diyos, makatao," he continued.

The neophyte senator added the important role of the local government units (LGUs) in the said campaign. "Very crucial talaga ang papel ng LGUs sa war on drugs, kahit sinong siga ang ilagay mo sa PDEA, kahit sinong siga na PNP chief ilagay mo, pag walang cooperation sa baba hindi tayo mananalo sa giyera na ito," Dela Rosa noted.

He said that since the launch of his brainchild "Toktok Hangyo", (knock and plead) which was later called "Tokhang," a considerable number of drug dependents have already surrendered and receded from using the illegal substance. The former drug dependents were brought back to their families as productive individuals.

"Let us stop fooling the people, yung iba gustong lokohin ang tao [na] failure daw ang war on drugs, anong standard ninyo ng failure? Baka ang standard ninyo standard ng Europe, standard ng Amerika, standard ng Colombia... as far as Filipino standard is concerned... bakit 82 percent ang approval rating ng mga tao sa ating Pangulo (at sa war on drugs)? So huwag nating lokohin ang taumbayan, let us give them the real numbers," Dela Rosa explained, adding that there is no perfect anti-illegal drugs campaign.

"With all honesty masasabi natin na yung ating war on drugs is not perfect... talagang hindi perfect. Bigyan mo ako ng isang bansa, pinakamagaling na bansa na perfect yung kanilang war on drugs," Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa, meanwhile, assured his continued support to all the government's efforts to ensure victory against the illegal drugs. "I may no longer be at the frontlines in the war on drugs but I am making sure that I remain at the frontlines in legislative efforts to help put an end to the illegal drug problem in the country," Dela Rosa said. He also shared his priority bills relating to drugs, particularly death penalty for drug traffickers under Senate Bill no. 226, inclusion of drug education in the K12 Curriculum at grade 4 level under Senate Bill no. 228, and Senate Bill 513 seeking to strengthen the Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation in the country, which includes a provision on removing the court order requirement for drug dependents who want to undergo voluntary rehabilitation.