Marcos: Philippines drug problem lessened sans violence

BERLIN — Sans violence, the Philippine government has “lessened” the narcotics problem in the country, President Marcos told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during their meeting here on Tuesday.

Marcos, who is in Germany for a three-day working visit, said his administration’s approach to the drug menace changed in a complete shift from the one taken by his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte under the controversial “Oplan Tokhang.”

“It’s a big problem, but our approach has changed significantly,” the President told Scholz at the Chancellery after the German leader inquired about his approach to illegal drugs.

“I am diametrically opposed to handling the drug problem in that way, by confrontation, by violence and it really requires so much deeper understanding of the problem and the much deeper solution. So, yes, I think that we are also progressing when it comes to that,” he said.

While admitting that the illegal drug problem persists, Marcos said “the administration has already lessened the problem of illegal drug operations in the Philippines.”

He highlighted the significant changes his administration introduced in the campaign against illegal drugs, including the way it handles drug dependents.

Part of the reforms implemented is the reorganization of the Philippine National Police, removing officers involved “in some of the more nefarious practices,” Marcos noted.

“We are starting to move them out, and some of them have already been tried and convicted, now in jail and serving their time. It’s a difficult problem because it’s the money involved is so much that it’s hard for the government to compete with the kind of money that’s been thrown around by the drug lords,” he said.

ICC probe discussed

In an interview with Philippine media yesterday, the President said he and Scholz discussed the ongoing probe of The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) into Duterte’s bloody drug war.

“He brought it up in the lunch and he just basically asked the status of that investigation into the drug war in the previous administration,” Marcos said.

“And I explained to him our concerns over jurisdiction that we have explained many times over. Our concerns over the jurisdiction of the ICC in the Philippines and why we are not recognizing that jurisdiction, the reason behind that. I think he just wanted to be informed but I went further beyond just explaining the position of the Philippines vis-a-vis the ICC,” he added.

The government has completely changed the concept of the anti-drug campaign, focusing on preventing the use of banned substances and rehabilitating drug addicts, Marcos said.

“I said we have actually completely changed the concept of the anti-drug campaign which is something I have said before, even before the election, in my view, the enforcement can only take you so far, and we have taken it as far as we can, and the opinion of some, taken it beyond,” Marcos said.

“So we have to look at the prevention and rehabilitation, which is, I think a different approach – a much different approach. He (Scholz) listened to my explanation and I think he was satisfied,” he added.

Accountability in EJKs

Meanwhile, rights group Karapatan said yesterday that Germany and the Czech Republic should call out President Marcos for the lack of accountability in the cases of extrajudicial killings and other injustices in the country. ?

In Manila, Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said the governments of the two nations should raise grave concerns on the killings and the absence of progress in the investigation under the Marcos administration.

Karapatan made the appeal in the wake of calls by press freedom advocates to Chancellor Scholz to take up the killing of broadcaster and environmentalist Gerry Ortega, who was murdered in Palawan in January 2011.

“The press freedom advocates said Germany is in a position to raise Ortega’s killing in its capacity as co-chair of the Media Freedom Coalition, a group of 50 countries committed to promoting press freedom,” Palabay said in a statement. – Emmanuel Tupas