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Malacañang responded to the comments of former President Nonoy Aquino regarding the effectiveness of President Duterte war on drugs.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said contrary to Aquino’s comment that nothing seemed to have happened in terms of reducing the number of drug users in the country, the government has many achievements in its first year.
“Much ground has been gained in the campaign against hard drug traffickers and violators, but the mission is to end the demand, production, distribution and sale of illegal drugs,” Abella said in a statement.
"Comments like the above from past leaders imply a jaded cynicism borne of a history of political opportunism."
In an interview yesterday, Aquino said his administration did not launch an all-out war but was able to reduce the number of illegal drug users.
The data from the Dangerous Drugs Board pegged the number of drug users when he assumed office at 1.7 million, and they were able to bring it down to 1.3 million mid-term, only to see it rise back to 1.8 million in 2015 he added.
"Ang sasabihin ko lang, nung kami 1.8 million; tapos sa isang taon nito na may all-out na kampanya laban sa drugs, 1.8 million pa rin ang sinasabi ng survey at survey na nila yan," he told reporters in an ambush interview in Manila Memorial Park where a mass for his late mother, former President Corazon Aquino, was held.
"So para makita natin kung may success or failures, kailangan mai-compare natin, sa English, apples to apples: Ano ba yung status, ano ba yung statistika?," he said.
Noting again that his last statistics in 2015 said there were 1.8 million users and the statistics from 2016's end also said there were 1.8 million users, Aquino said: "Parang wala yatang nangyari."
Pressed if he believes this means President Rodrigo Duterte' anti-drug drive is ineffective, Aquino said: "Hindi ko alam pero maganda sanang maipaliwanag yung bakit parehong pareho yung mga numero."
Abella, however, presented data to back up the government’s gains in the war on drugs.
He said the President’s campaign resulted in the unprecedented voluntary surrender of more than 1.3 million drug personalities.
He also cited the 96,703 drug personalities who have been arrested in the first year of the present administration’s anti-drug campaign, compared to 77,810 drug personalities arrested in the six years of the previous administration.
Some 2,445.80 kilograms of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) has been seized in the first year of the present administration’s anti-drug campaign compared to the 3,219.07 kilos of shabu seized in the six years of the previous administration.
The Duterte administration has many times defended its drug war against critics, saying reported figures- from 7,000 to 9,000- were overblown.
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Credits to: ABS-CBN
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