Press Release
October 4, 2016

HOW EFFECTIVE IS GOVT ANTI-DRUG DRIVE? PANGILINAN ASKS

With thousands of drug addicts and pushers reportedly surrendering in Davao City alone, Senator Francis Pangilinan, on Monday night, took to social media his take on the current anti-illegal drug campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration.

Pangilinan cited the July 27, 2016 SunStar Davao article reporting that over 4,000 (4,938 to be exact) drug users and pushers surrendered to the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) based on the records of the Police Regional Office (PRO) in Davao Region.

"If the Davao City anti-illegal drugs campaign did not succeed in stamping out and eliminating pushers and addicts in Davao City under President Duterte's 24 year stint as mayor, what makes us think that the nationwide campaign against illegal drugs will succeed in 6 months (extended to another 6 months)?" Pangilinan noted on his personal Facebook account.

"If a mailed-fist (kamay na bakal) policy against illegal drugs did not succeed in eliminating the drug menace in a smaller area (one city) over a longer period of time (24 years), why will it succeed in a larger area (the entire country of over 100 cities and over 1000 municipalities) in a shorter period of time (3 to 6 to 12 months)?" Pangilinan asked.

As of September 2016, the DCPO reported a total of 9,209 drug users and pushers that surrendered in Davao City.

PROBLEM OF ILLEGAL DRUGS, A HEALTH PROBLEM

Offering solutions to illegal drugs, Pangilinan hinted that people's mindset on the problem be changed.

"Rehabilitation is key. The illegal drugs problem is a health problem. When we look at addicts as needing medical help and not merely criminals that ought to be killed, then we will be addressing the problem more effectively," Pangilinan said.

When asked online what effective Operation Plans (OPLANs) should be put in place in order to address the drug problem, he responded: "Rehab for addicts. Job generation and employment for the poor who earn a living from peddling drugs. Modernizing the justice system so that there will be fear and respect for the rule of law. When more are tried and convicted in a swift manner, then we will see respect for our laws."

As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights in 2001, Senator Pangilinan authored the Judiciary Compensation Act that doubled the salary of judges and justices.

He is also the proponent of the Joint Judiciary, Executive, and Legislative Advisory and Consultative Council (JJELACC) which previously gave additional funding support to the Judiciary in order to strengthen and modernize the country's justice system.

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