Opinion

Senators didn’t ask why Duterte’s drug war failed

GOTCHA - Jarius Bondoc - The Philippine Star

November 1, 2024 | 12:00am

Monday’s hearing at the actor-packed Senate began with comedy. Livestream viewers guffawed as a mustached solon spoke while his Mini-Me sat behind him.

Fantasy followed. Blue Ribbon subcommittee head Sen. Koko Pimentel wanted to first present victims of Rody Duterte’s bloody drug war. But Sen. Bato dela Rosa preempted the script: “Let the ex-president speak ahead because he’s frail, old and sleepy.”

How Duterte can run for mayor in such a weak state, nobody asked. He took “full responsibility” for the drug war killings. With thousands of druggies “negated,” the crime rate dropped and people felt safe walking the streets at night, he claimed.

“Spare the poor policemen. Don’t blame them, blame me,” Duterte said over and over. He obviously aimed to hearten killer cops. No need for them to confess to crime. He’ll take the rap.

Finally Fr. Flavie Villanueva got to speak. His Program Paghilom helps 312 indigent families cope with the loss of their slain loved ones. Dela Rosa accused the priest of propagandizing, and challenged him to file charges. A former PNP chief, the senator looked ignorant of the law:

The PNP Internal Affairs Service is supposed to investigate every killing and wounding in police operations – and file charges against cops who caused wrongful deaths and injuries.

Duterte’s six-year-long drug war officially recorded 6,252 druggies killed because “nanlaban” using “kalawanging” .38-caliber revolvers. “Where are all those weapons?” Fr. Flavie asked. Dela Rosa just shrugged that the answer might be with PNP Forensics.

Duterte alternately justified and denied extrajudicial killings. Police supposedly sacrificed to make the drug war triumph.

But did it really succeed? Records show otherwise.

In a press meet on Sept. 30, 2016, Duterte likened himself to Hitler “who massacred three million Jews. I’d be happy to slaughter three million addicts.” (Actually, Hitler killed six million Jews.)

On Nov. 28, 2019 PNP Drug Enforcement Group head Col. Romeo Caramat said, “Three million addicts each snort a gram of shabu [in sachet] per week. That’s 3,000 kilos of shabu consumed weekly – worth P25 billion.”

At the start of his term Duterte vowed to wipe out drugs in six months. Failing that, he revised it to one year. Failing again, he said three years – or 156 weeks.

Given their stats:

• Targeting 100-percent wipeout, they must interdict 3,000 kilos of shabu per week. Or 468,000 kilos in 156 weeks, Duterte’s midterm. At P25 billion a week, that’s a whopping P3.9 trillion.

• Trying for 75-percent “pasang awa,” interdiction should be 351,000 kilos in 156 weeks. Worth P2.925 trillion.

In July 2019, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency posted #RealNumbersPH, 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2019, or 156 weeks:

• 134,583 anti-drug operations;

• 193,086 drug personalities arrested;

• 421,724 drug personalities surrendered;

• 7,054 high-value targets arrested;

• 334 drug dens dismantled;

• 14 clandestine labs dismantled;

• 55 percent of 42,044 barangays cleared;

• 5,526 drug personalities killed;

• P34.75 billion worth of drugs seized;

• 4,409 kilos of shabu seized.

Analyze their stats: 4,409 kilos of shabu seized – in 156 weeks. Contrast that with the 3,000-kilo weekly demand:

4,409 kilos ÷ 3,000 kilos per week = 1.47 weeks.

Meaning, Duterte’s drug war interdicted only 1.47 or one-and-a-half weeks’ supply of shabu – in three years or 156 weeks.

Analyze some more: P34.75 billion worth of shabu seized – again in 156 weeks. Contrast that with the P25 billion weekly narco-trade:

P34.75 billion ÷ P25 billion per week = 1.39 weeks.

That’s only 1.39 or again one-and-a-half weeks’ worth of narco-trade foiled in 156 weeks.

That’s from 134,583 raids and buy-busts, 193,086 arrests, 421,724 surrenders, 7,054 drug lords captured, 5,526 killed, 55-percent barangays cleared and 334 shabu dens and 14 labs demolished in Duterte’s midterm.

PDEA updated its figures several times till May 31, 2022. They may claim that they were able to plug all shabu smuggling, manufacturing, distribution and street pushing by the end of Duterte’s term.

But Duterte’s midterm numbers are relevant for analysis because those were at the height of operations against three million druggies snorting 3,000 kilos of shabu a week worth P25 billion.

With only 2,981 personnel, PDEA depended on PNP’s 230,284 officers and men. Plus thousands more from the NBI, Customs, Immigration, prison and jail guards.

All drug raids and buy-busts must be cleared with PDEA. All drug seizures must be turned over to it. PDEA reports to the President.

Question 1: If Duterte’s drug war was so good, then where did all the shabu that three million addicts needed in the 154.5 other weeks go? – 463,500 kilos.

Dela Rosa said Monday they lacked drug rehab clinics. Self-healing is iffy. So the three million might have stayed addicted.

Question 2: If they interdicted one-and-a-half weeks’ worth of shabu, who got the weekly narco-trade’s P25 billion in the 154.5 other weeks – totaling P3.862 trillion?

Suspicion arises. Were most of the interdicted shabu recycled into the drug black market?

The answer can be in the records of the House quad comm, not the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee. Quad comm unearthed links among POGOs, drug lords and corrupt officials.

Last Sept. 27, senior deputy speaker Dong Gonzales and deputy speaker Jay-jay Suarez presented a transnational crime syndicate matrix.

At the top of the matrix were Chinese bosses Michael Yang and Lin Weixiong, alias Allan Lim. They allegedly trafficked shabu, from Yang’s mall in Davao City. They laundered drug money through POGOs, which also fronted for cyberscamming.

Yang’s brother Tony Yang helped run seven PAGCOR-licensed POGOs. Another brother Yang Hongjiang co-owns the warehouse in which 530 kilos of shabu were seized in September 2023. The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission traced their dealings with cybercrime POGOs in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga.

Through Pharmally Pharmaceuticals, Yang and Lin ripped off government of P12 billion in fake and ghost pandemic supplies, 2020-2021. Yang was Duterte’s special economic adviser.