Presidential candidate Isko Moreno Domagoso on Thursday vowed to continue the Duterte administration’s war against illegal drugs, but he will put an end to the controversial “Oplan Tokhang” that have been implemented by law enforcers in pursuing drug suspects unless armed with a search or arrest warrant.
“As long as there is search warrant and warrant of arrest. Under the law you can do that any time of the day. As I have said, the war on drugs will continue, then we will recognize the laws that exist and that is what we will implement,” Moreno said.
He was interviewed in Pilar, Bataan before the start of the motorcade going to Balanga City where he paid a courtesy visit to Bishop Ruperto Cruz Santos of the Diocese of Balanga.
The 47-year-old standard bearer of the Aksyon Demokratiko made the pronouncement when asked if he will continue “Oplan Tokhang” as part of his war against illegal drugs if he becomes president.
Under Oplan Tokhang, which translates to knock and plead, authorities visit suspected drug users’ homes and ask them to stop using illegal drugs. Tokhang, however, drew criticisms because of thousands of killings, mostly of small-time users in impoverished areas.
But more than going after users and street-level pushers, Moreno said he will focus government resources to go after the big-time distributors of the illegal substance.
“For me, the war on drugs will continue. In this war on drugs, we do not tolerate the sale of drugs. But the thing is we must go to the source. We’ll go after the source,” Moreno stressed.
While President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war has stopped syndicates from manufacturing illegal drugs in the country, Moreno noted that the Philippines remains to be flooded with illegal substances.
“If it is true that there is no manufacturing here, it means it enters our borders. That is probably part of the smuggling of products into our country. And they enter us, if they used to be able to produce one kilo, only two kilos in a plant, now if they can enter, tons,” he noted.
“So, there must be something wrong with our port of entry, whether it is air or water. And remember we are an archipelagic country, and we don’t have enough resources to guard our country’s more than 7,000 islands. So most likely here he enters. So we have to watch, we have to tighten,” Moreno said.
Among the things Moreno intends to do to address the issue once elected is to appoint a retired Navy flag officer who has the expertise in guarding the country’s borders and preventing the entry of illegal drugs as Defense secretary.
The Manila city mayor also wants to strengthen the capabilities of the Navy and the Coast Guard in terms of ships, personnel and firepower to serve both objectives.
At the same time, the Moreno administration will also adopt a public health approach in the drug war to rehabilitate chronic drug dependents and prevent relapses.
“We will take care of drug victims. I mean, health-wise. Doc Willie said it already,” Moreno said.
Aksyon Demokratiko vice presidential candidate Dr. Willie Ong has always maintained that drug dependency is a public health issue and should be thus addressed in a science-based approach.
“Our focus should be science-based. We need to lessen the stigma on users, increase the free medicines because there are medicines to cure or solve addiction,” he said Saturday during CNN Philippines’ Vice Presidential Debate.
“They can’t be imprisoned, then come back, they will be addicted again. The number of psychologists, psychiatrists will be increased and the drugs will be released here,” the 58-year-old cardiologist and internist said.
If elected president, Mayor Isko has vowed to wage a national anti-drug campaign that is based on the rule of law and due process, similar to what he has been doing in the Philippine capital for over two years now.
It would be noted that in Manila’s anti-drug campaign, 97 percent of drug suspects arrested were captured alive because Moreno does not tolerate extra-judicial killings.
“There are no EJKs in Manila. Unless the suspects threatened the lives of our policemen, the suspects were properly apprehended and that their human rights were respected in the process of the entire drug operations,” Moreno said.
“Eliminating drugs is a priority, but it has to be done in recognition still of every individual’s human rights. I believe that human rights are fundamental and that every person has the right to defend themselves before the courts,” he added.
Meanwhile, in San Fernando, Pampanga, Moreno said he will pursue government’s program intended to provide additional benefits, particularly in healthcare, to workers in the various economic and industrial zones in the country.
“I’ve heard about the few requests of our workers in economic zones. What additional benefits they can get from the national government in terms of tax share or from the taxes that generated from the area. So, I will look into it. In fact, one of the requests is for healthcare,” Moreno said during a press conference at the Provincial Capitol here after a courtesy call with Governor Dennis Pineda.
“But If my figure is correct at 3 and 2 — two percent goes to the local government unit and 3 percent goes to the national government. We will study how I can reduce, and actually reduce, but to focus on a particular x percent from the 3 percent that the national government gets to be returned to the workers inside Clark, for example,” Moreno said.
The 47-year-old presidential aspirant was referring to the provisions of the Special Economic Zone Act (RA 7196) as amended, wherein the 5 percent special tax paid by ecozone enterprises shall be distributed as follows: 3 percent to the national government; and 2 percent to the local government unit where the registered enterprise is located.
Moreno made the pronouncement when asked what solutions he can provide to address the issues that Kapampangans have voiced during his past visits to various parts of the province.
This is the third time that Team Isko visited the province: on October 28 and December 3 as part of his “Listening Tours” to hear the real issues affecting the people in the countryside; and Wednesday as part of his official campaign.
Moreno said this benefit is not only for Kapampangans, but will also be true to the thousands of workers in all economic and industrial zones in the country.
“If I do that in Pampanga, it will also happen in Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Cagayan, Bataan and any area that has this kind of economic zones. So, that is what we are studying, what extra social services if a particular geography in the locality produces more economic returns to the national government,” he said.
“The only thing that is important to me is the benefit of the people, in this case, the particular sector, the workers. Because the life of those factories, or those industries, are the skilled individuals, which are Filipinos, who in turn give life to our economy. And I’m for jobs,” Moreno added.