MANILA – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday announced she was taking over direct command of the government’s campaign against the growing menace posed by of the illegal drugs trade, especially on the country’s youth.
The President made the announcement during a Cabinet meeting in Malacanang where one of the main issues tackled was illegal drugs.
Malacanang officials explained President Arroyo decided to take over as the country’s “czarina†against illegal drugs following a briefing conducted by former senator Vicente Sotto 3rd, the chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).
Sotto stressed the urgent need for a more coordinated and aggressive government action against illegal drugs which have grown to alarming proportions and which have now posed a major threat to national security.
The President’s first marching order was for the holding of mandatory drug tests for all students in the country’s public schools, including state-owned colleges and universities in the wake of Sotto’s report that drug dealers are targeting the Filipino youth.
Her second order was for officials of the Department of Justice and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority (PDEA) to stop their “word war†and instead coordinate and cooperate by resolving their differences soonest to show the government is serious in the campaign against illegal drugs.
In particular, President Arroyo issued the order to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez and Dionisio Santiago, who was appointed the PDEA director general following his retirement as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The rift between officials of the justice department and the PDEA erupted into the open following allegations of widespread corruption, especially involving state prosecutors, that has weakened the drive against illegal drugs.
The scandal was highlighted by claims that bribery involving as much as the equivalent of $1 million allegedly occurred in exchange for the recommendation of state prosecutors for the dropping of charges filed by the PDEA against three scions of rich and influential families that have “direct connections†all the way to Malacanang.
The suspects were arrested by PDEA agents during a buy-bust operation in Metro Manila in September 2008, which saw the recovery of several illegal drugs, like Ecstasy, reportedly used by yuppies and scions of prominent families in their “pot sessions.â€
On Sunday, President Arroyo directed DOJ’s Gonzalez to order two ranking department officials and three state prosecutors to go on leave, pending the completion of the investigation on the bribery scandal.
Affected by the President’s order, Gonzalez said, were Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor, Jovito Zuno, the chief state prosecutor, and three of their subordinates assigned to handle the controversial case.
Zuno protested the order as he pointed out that it should also have been directed at the PDEA agents allegedly involved.
State prosecutors as well as their counterparts in the various cities and municipalities nationwide supported Zuno and staged a “silent protest,†highlighted by the wearing of red armbands on Monday.
This developed as Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. lamented that in appointing herself as the anti-illegal drugs campaign “czarina,†the President was taking advantage of the situation to repair her “tattered image.â€
Moreover, Pimentel said the President was taking on another major assignment instead of focusing her attention on how to ease the adverse impact of the global financial and economic turmoil, particularly on the ordinary and poor Filipinos.
Pimentel made the observation despite an assurance from President Arroyo that her new assignment was temporary and that she would eventually turn over the job to the PDEA and the Dangerous Drugs Board.
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[...] Mayor Alfredo Lim explained the revival will signify his support for the government’s renewed campaign against “drug lords” and illegal drug dealers following the decision of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to take over direct command of the campaign. [...]
[...] PDEA disclosure followed the recent decision of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to take personal command of the anti-drug campaign due to the growing drug menace in the country, especially as it affects the [...]