Our Biggest Handicap in the War Against Illegal Drugs is the President’s Absence of Commitment

Drugs and Crimes

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III has delivered five State of the Nation Address, he has also delivered hundreds of political speeches in and out of the country. Our President has talked of almost all things in his speeches, even about his love life even if it is irrelevant to the occasion, but has never, not even once that he has talked about the illegal drug problem of the country.

Have you heard the President talk and discuss of the problem of illegal drugs? Have you heard him talk of his strategy of winning the war against illegal drugs? Let us then stop about talking, have you seen the President fighting illegal drugs?

Aquino is the only President who was able to successfully remove from the office through impeachment a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, he is also the only President who has forced the resignation of an Ombudsman and lastly, he is the only President who has sent to jail three sitting senators.

This is a feat and it is my dream (as all fools must do) that his zealousness and dedication in fighting and going after his political opponents be applied in the war against illegal drugs. We all know, and most of us try to fool ourselves and force ourselves to believe that Aquino is doing this sincerely and without malice of going after his political enemies covered in the advocacy of fighting corruption.

Fighting corruption is the advocacy of hypocrites and demagogues, as this excites the citizenry, and this method has been used thousands of years ago, from Rome, Greece, Washington and the Philippines, but truthfully, corruption is a faceless crime, for when the President or his cabinet members steals, just like what they doing through the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP, people will not immediately die. But the problem on illegal drugs is never faceless and is always immediate. Just see this daily event, when a drug user uses drugs, he commits crime while he is high on drugs, this by stealing, killing or raping.

No one is ignorant that almost every day, crimes are committed because of illegal drugs. A grandfather rapes his granddaughter, a grandson also rapes his grandmother or mother, a son kills his father, the example is endless. A sensible man would declare that the immediate and biggest problem of the country is ILLEGAL DRUGS. This could not challenge or refuted, as everyone sees this every day.

Our biggest handicap in our war against illegal drugs is the Presidents absence or non-commitment in the war against illegal drugs. How could we win the war when the Commander-In-Chief has no commitment and has no time even to think of winning the war against illegal drugs. Our enemies are not really the drug syndicates, this are natural enemies and is always part of the equation, but our biggest handicap is when our President is himself our biggest enemy because refuses to lead the war.

We cannot blame the President for this lousy attitude in the war against illegal drugs, for he himself is a nicotine addict. A drug dependent is a person who is hooked on a substance, this could be alcohol, cigarette, cough syrups or whatever substance that makes him high. There are also reports of the juvenile misbehavior of our President of allegations of smoking pots (so you should not be surprised when his congressmen support the legalization of marijuana for medical use).

Historically, it was during the term of President Corazon Aquino that shabu came to the country. The biggest culprit is when the 1987 Constitution was enacted, death penalty was abolished. It was only restored on January 1, 1994 when Republic Act 7659 was approved. However, the death penalty was likewise abolished in 2007 when Pres. Arroyo pursued the passage of Republic Act 9346.

When the death penalty was abolished, the drug lords came to the country (they fled when Pres. Marcos executed by firing squad, Lim Seng in Luneta). Cory did not act or do not know how to solve it, Ramos made it worse, it is under his term that Cebuano Naval Officer, Ensign Philip Pestano was murdered in a navy boat who was about to inform the authorities that they were carrying sacks of shabu.

Let us pray, that even without the support and leadership of our President, the Filipino People will not surrender in our war against illegal drugs, because the next victim could be you or your family.

About the Author: Clarence Paul V. Oaminal is a lawyer and author of ‘The Textbook on The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002’. He is the Vice-chairman and Undersecretary of the Dangerous Drugs Board and is the current adviser and presiding officer of Cebu City Anti-Drug Abuse Council. He also hosts the local advocacy program ‘Krimen ug Drugas’ in CCTN Channel 47.