Senator Panfilo M. Lacson said yesterday President Duterte should simply wage a continuing war on illegal drugs, corruption, and crime without asking for an extension of his self-imposed six-month deadline because these problems ‘’will outlive us all.’’
Lacson, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) Director-General during the Estrada administration, advised President Duterte not to dream that he could eliminate these problems but his current efforts might just minimize them.
“Mas mainam pa aminin, maski noong kampanya nakontra ko siya before, wishful thinking pag sinabing eliminated. Pero pag pinangako niya, I will minimize illegal drugs sa labas, nangyayari ngayon. (It is better he admits that he could not eliminate these problems. It is wishful thinking to say one can eliminate them. I went against him in the political campaign leading to the May 2016 national elections. But if he promises he would minimize it, it is happening now),” he said.
MEGA SHABU LAB – Philippine anti-drug officials inspect an industrial-scale shabu factory located in Barangay Lacquios, Arayat, Pampanga, at the foot of Mount Arayat, said to be the biggest such facility ever to be discovered in the Philippines. Authorities announced Friday the capture of a Chinese national, who was among those believed to have built and managed the shabu laboratory.
(Jonas Reyes/Manila Bulletin)
He cited the efforts of PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa which caused crimes related to illegal drugs to decrease by up to 80 to 90 percent because of market constriction.
“Ang demand reduction at lumiit ang demand kasi under threat lahat na na-involve o alam nila tinututukang ng mga pulis (The market demand has gone down because all those involved are under threat by a relentless police campaign),” he said.
On domestic and international concerns on extra judicial killings in the Duterte administration, Lacson said he does not see any reason to suspect that those killings were state-sponsored.
In past Senate committee hearings on EJKs, the PNP said that those are categorized as “death under investigation” (DUI).
Lacson said the deaths of scores of supposed drug runners or pushers could not be classified as EJKs when they are killed in legitimate police operations unless the killing was caused by blatant acts of policemen.
According to Lacson, the PNP submitted to the Senate Blue Ribbon committee a list of 1,971 DUIs where the solution of murder and homicide cases under the DUI classification is 15.8 percent.
He also noted a downtrend in crimes against persons and property at 12 percent and robbery, theft, and physical injuries down to 45 percent.
“So titimbangin natin yan pero mas importante pa ring di lang maipakita kundi i-solve talaga ng PNP ang DUI na hina-handle nila. Mahigit 600 ang na-solve nila (What is important is that the PNP was able to show that it had solved the DUI cases it handled. They solved more than 300 cases),” he said.
DRUG MONEY IN CORPORATIONS
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II yesterday said he will ask the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to dig deeper into the bank accounts of certain individuals and corporations who have been linked to the illegal drugs trade.
“Mas magaling ang NBI diyan kaysa sa amin (The NBI is better than us) and we have no people to pursue these leads,” he told reporters yesterday.
Aguirre bared that the Department of Justice (DOJ) received from the NBI a copy of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report on the probe conducted on the bank accounts of Senator Leila de Lima and those linked to her. Duterte had named De Lima as part of the illegal drug activities at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.
“Makita ang link na iyan kung makita ang isang corporation. Kung makita ang stockholders lumabas ang pangalan na ito. Ito kaibigan ito ni ganito (If you scrutinize who are the stockholders you will find links to who their friends are),” explained Aguirre who confirmed that there are stockholders who are friends of drug lords.
Also based on the AMLC report, Aguirre said that they will also investigate some 10 persons they have linked to De Lima who were all found to have suspicious transactions.
But Aguirre declined to reveal the contents of the AMLC report
“I’m not at liberty to say something about that kasi confidential iyon (it’s confidential),” the Secretary explained.
“Under the AMLC iyon, binigay sa amin para palalimin pa yung aming hukay ng evidence sa usapin na ito. Ma-reveal na lang ito kung may file na kami na kaso (The AMLC gave it for us to be able to dig deeper. Its contents will be revealed once we file a case),” he assured.
Even without the AMLC report, Aguirre expressed confidence that he has enough evidence to file a case against De Lima.
Aguirre noted that he also gave AMLC more bank accounts to look into. (With a report from Jeffrey G. Damicog)