Tuesday, 27 September 2016
Duterte orders sequestration of shabu lab
ARAYAT, Pampanga—President Rody Duterte inspected here on Tuesday, September 27 a clandestine drug laboratory that could have produced about 400 kilos of shabu in one day.
President Duterte ordered the immediate sequestration and the confiscation of the property discovered by joint operatives of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine National Police, and the local government unit. It is located in Barangay Lacquios in this municipality.
The property was bought by a certain Mr. Chua from another person.
The President said PDEA may use the machines for industrial purposes while the property will be used by the government of Arayat, Pampanga and can also be converted into a rehabilitation center.
The laboratory is capable of producing about 200 kilos per production, twice a day or a total of 400 kilos.
“Biro mo kung wala, hindi ‘to nadiskubre or somebody else got the position of the President, six years after, we would have a failed state,” the President said in his speech after the inspection.
The President said all piggeries will now be inspected, as the smell of the piggery can drown the smell of shabu being cooked.
President Duterte said that the Filipinos should know the politicians -- the barangay leaders and the mayors --who are engaged in illegal drugs. "I will be reading them publicly again maybe ‘til I come back from Vietnam. Because it is important that the public knows kung sino ‘yung mga opisyal nila na corrupt pati kriminal," referring to the list he had been flaunting for days.
Meanwhile, the President said he intends to bring the Philippines' drug problem to China's attention which has given its commitment to help the country.
“So we want them also to control their people and increase their focus on the criminals. Kaibigan man kaya tayo. Eh bakit ganon? If you consider us your friend, you want to help us, but most of the materials, lahat and the machines and the boilers are from China, what does that mean?,” he said.
He divulged that the discovery of the laboratory, which is a major accomplishment in relation to the war on drugs, is connected to the Bilibid network where the drug lords are detained.
President Rody Duterte shows to 108-year-old Lourdes Marquez the signed Implementing Rules and Regulation of the Centenarians Act
President Rody Duterte shows to 108-year-old Lourdes Marquez the signed Implementing Rules and Regulation of the Centenarians Act on September 26, 2016 in Malacañan Palace.
The Centenarians Act of 2016 was signed last June 23 by former President Benigno Aquino III.
The IRR shall give all Filipinos who have reached 100 years old and above a centenarian gift amounting to P100,000.
Be a #PartnerForChange for social welfare.
Monday, 26 September 2016
De Lima on evidence against her: Fake like Aguirre’s wig
Senator Leila de Lima said Tuesday that the alleged evidence
implicating her in the illegal drug trade are nothing but “fake,” just like
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II’s wig.
“Secretary Aguirre’s alleged evidence against me is like his
toupee, his wig – fake and cosmetics only. There is nothing into it other than
that. Nothing's authentic,” De Lima said in a statement.
“What is real, however, are the killings. What is tragic is that
these killings continue unabated,” De Lima, a staunch critic of President
Rodrigo Duterte, added.
Responding to De Lima's tirade, Aguirre said the senator seemed
to be running out of reasons to refute the accusations against her.
"Nauubusan na ata ng katwiran si Secretary De Lima. Bukod
sa baluktot na mga pahayag niya nitong mga nakaraan ngayon wala na, she's
resorting to (attacking) personalities," Aguirre told reporters.
Aguirre said he could take the criticisms against him but De
Lima must substantiate her claim that the government coerced, tortured, and
coached witnesses to turn against her.
"Pero kahit katiting wala siyang ebidensya na ipinapakita.
Alam mo Senator, ina-allege mo na fake ang aming witness pero nasaan ang proof
mo? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero," he said.
Aguirre earlier said they are in possession of “direct evidence”
that would prove De Lima received drug payoffs to fund her senatorial
campaign.
In a House committee hearing, Aguirre presented several inmates
as witnesses tagging De Lima in illegal drug operations inside the New Bilibid
Prison (NBP) during her term as secretary of the Department of Justice
(DOJ).
Aguirre had also said that the DOJ “have sufficient evidence for
probable cause.”
But De Lima said the DOJ should instead focus its efforts on
investigating syndicates allegedly forcing minors into drug pushing.
“The criminals, including these so-called vigilantes, are
getting bolder; while the victims are getting younger. Some 20,584 minors have
reportedly been exploited into drug use and peddling,” she said.
“At this point, the Justice Department should instead focus its
efforts in investigating and prosecuting the syndicates -- the real culprits --
who force these minors to go into drug pushing,” she added.
De Lima had initiated a Senate probe on extrajudicial killings
and summary executions amid the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. — RSJ, GMA News
Dela Rosa: We’re winning the war on drugs
The
PNP chief says the next phase of the police's anti-drug campaign – Project
Double Barrel 2 – will fill in the gaps seen in past months, including putting
‘more emphasis’ on high-value targets
SHABU BUST. PNP chief Director
General Ronald dela Rosa (second from right) checks packages of methamphetamine
(shabu) totaling 180 kilos seized from a resort in Cagayan on July 3, 2016.
MANILA,
Philippines – It’s a campaign that some global experts have
tagged as a failure from the get-go but as far as Philippine National Police
(PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa is concerned, the country’s “war
on drugs” is one that’s already being won.
“We are winning,” Dela Rosa said on Monday, September 26, when asked to asses the government’s anti-narcotics effort, so far. Since President Rodrigo Duterte’s first full day in office on July 1, Philippine law enforcers have “intensified” their campaign against illegal drugs.
As of September 26, police have arrested more than 19,000 drug suspects in over 20,000 police operations around the country. During those operations, over 1,200 drug suspects were killed while 13 police personnel were slain.
A literal “knock and plead” operation, where cops visit the houses of suspected drug users and pushers, has resulted in the warrantless “surrender” of more than 700,000 drug personalities.
Dela Rosa cited these as proof that the campaign is working.
“And with the meager supply of shabu that is now circulating in the market and the higher, exorbitant price of shabu right now…that means we are winning in the war against drugs,” added Dela Rosa, who took over as country's top cop on July 1.
While the number of surrendered “drug personalities” is cited as proof that the campaign is working, the government has admitted that it simply does not have enough facilities to treat drug dependents who want to change their ways.
The Philippines’ “war on drugs,” much like iterations in different countries around the world, has been the subject of criticism from various sectors – both local and international – who accuse the government of setting aside the rule of law in the name of its campaign.
The government has also been criticized for the rise in killings with direct or apparent links to the anti-illegal drugs campaign. While government officials – Duterte and Dela Rosa included – have acknowledged the rise in the death toll, they insist these were not carried out nor sanctioned by the state.
Police have also been chided for supposedly only targeting poor, street-level personalitieswhile allowing the rich drug lords to roam free.
“After 3 months, we will evaluate our performance of some units then we will study the success of their campaign. If revisions and modifications are needed, that’s what we’ll do to the campaign plan for Project Double Barrel 2. Some modifications and additions will be made such as making an emphasis on high value targets,” said Dela Rosa.
The “war on drugs,” a key campaign promise during Duterte’s 2016 run, was supposed to have a 6-month deadline. But recently, Duterte asked for a 6-month “extension,” owing to the gravity of the problem which the President said only became fully known to him when he assumed office.
“We are winning,” Dela Rosa said on Monday, September 26, when asked to asses the government’s anti-narcotics effort, so far. Since President Rodrigo Duterte’s first full day in office on July 1, Philippine law enforcers have “intensified” their campaign against illegal drugs.
As of September 26, police have arrested more than 19,000 drug suspects in over 20,000 police operations around the country. During those operations, over 1,200 drug suspects were killed while 13 police personnel were slain.
A literal “knock and plead” operation, where cops visit the houses of suspected drug users and pushers, has resulted in the warrantless “surrender” of more than 700,000 drug personalities.
Dela Rosa cited these as proof that the campaign is working.
“And with the meager supply of shabu that is now circulating in the market and the higher, exorbitant price of shabu right now…that means we are winning in the war against drugs,” added Dela Rosa, who took over as country's top cop on July 1.
While the number of surrendered “drug personalities” is cited as proof that the campaign is working, the government has admitted that it simply does not have enough facilities to treat drug dependents who want to change their ways.
The Philippines’ “war on drugs,” much like iterations in different countries around the world, has been the subject of criticism from various sectors – both local and international – who accuse the government of setting aside the rule of law in the name of its campaign.
The government has also been criticized for the rise in killings with direct or apparent links to the anti-illegal drugs campaign. While government officials – Duterte and Dela Rosa included – have acknowledged the rise in the death toll, they insist these were not carried out nor sanctioned by the state.
Police have also been chided for supposedly only targeting poor, street-level personalitieswhile allowing the rich drug lords to roam free.
“After 3 months, we will evaluate our performance of some units then we will study the success of their campaign. If revisions and modifications are needed, that’s what we’ll do to the campaign plan for Project Double Barrel 2. Some modifications and additions will be made such as making an emphasis on high value targets,” said Dela Rosa.
The “war on drugs,” a key campaign promise during Duterte’s 2016 run, was supposed to have a 6-month deadline. But recently, Duterte asked for a 6-month “extension,” owing to the gravity of the problem which the President said only became fully known to him when he assumed office.
Both
Duterte and Dela Rosa have said that the Philippines, a country of 100 million
people, has about 3.7 million drug users. Duterte cited the Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency, which is under the DDB, as the source of his figures.
Official government figures,
however, say it’s closer to around 1.8 million “current drug users.” Based on the results of the latest survey of the Dangerous
Drugs Board (DDB), an estimated 4.8 million Filipinos
have tried illegal drugs at least once in their lives.
Recently, Dela Rosa visited Colombia, a country which waged a bloody war against local drug cartels in the 1990s. Colombia’s president has since advocated for other countries to shun a “prohibitive” drug policy, citing their own experiences.
Fresh from his trip to Colombia, Dela Rosa said the PNP is planning to push legislation that would make it easier for law enforcers to chase after drug personalities. He is also planning to form a Philippine version of Colombia’s Search Bloc, a special police force created to neutralize dangerous targets, drug cartels included. – Rappler.com
Recently, Dela Rosa visited Colombia, a country which waged a bloody war against local drug cartels in the 1990s. Colombia’s president has since advocated for other countries to shun a “prohibitive” drug policy, citing their own experiences.
Fresh from his trip to Colombia, Dela Rosa said the PNP is planning to push legislation that would make it easier for law enforcers to chase after drug personalities. He is also planning to form a Philippine version of Colombia’s Search Bloc, a special police force created to neutralize dangerous targets, drug cartels included. – Rappler.com
Duterte to Russia: I'm about to 'cross Rubicon' with US
The change in policy with the US will be accompanied by more
'alliances' with China and Russia, says President Duterte
DUTERTE'S
FOREIGN POLICY. President Rodrigo Duterte sits beside Russian Prime Minister
Dmitry Medvedev (L) and Indonesia's President Joko Widodo at the gala dinner
during the second day of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Summit in Vientiane on September 7, 2016. Photo by Noel Celis/AFP
MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte is about to
steer relations between the Philippines and the United States towards a
"point of no return" along with more "alliances" with China
and Russia.
This foreign policy decision he has already discussed with
Russian Prime Minister DmitryMedvedev, who he met during the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Laos in early September.
"I've been talking with Prime Minister Medvedev, nag
one-on-one kami (we had a one-on-one meeting) and I said, 'I think I'm
about to cross the Rubicon between me and the United States, at least
for the 6 years," Duterte said on Monday, September 26, during an event
with Malacañang reporters.
"I will need your help in everything – trade, commerce
– and I will open up," Duterte claimed he told Medvedev.
The President later on explained he meant there would be a
"point of no return" in Philippines-US relations.
But he said this does not translate to cutting ties with the
Western superpower.
"I said, I'm ready to not really break ties but I will
open up alliances with China and Russia," said Duterte.
Asked what "crossing the Rubicon" with the US
means in terms of concrete foreign policy, Duterte said he finds it problematic
that, despite defense treaties, there are no assurances the US will come to the
Philippines' aid in times of impending war.
"It says that an attack on the Philippines will be an
attack on the United States but in the US constitution it says that before a
president can declare war with anybody in defense of an ally, he has to go
Congress for permission to go to war. That is the problem. So if the Congress
will not give him authority, what will happen to us?" said Duterte.
As to opening alliances with China and Russia, Duterte said
he was referring to economic alliances, not military alliances, with these
two countries.
"I’ll open up the Philippines for them to do business
alliances of trade and commerce. There will never be a time about military
alliances," said Duterte.
But in his recent visits to military camps, Duterte said
that China and Russia are offering the Philippines deals for the purchase of
military equipment.
The Philippine President has said he wants the country to pursue
an independent foreign policy.
In recent weeks, Duterte grabbed headlines with his
expression of anti-US sentiment – from his curse-laden tirade against
US President Barack Obama to his order that Philippine troops not
conduct joint patrols with the US in the West Philippine Sea.
Duterte has also said he wants US
special forces out of Mindanao, claiming their presence increases tension in
the region. – Rappler.com
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