PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte's brutal crackdown on illicit narcotics trade was intended to save the Filipino youth from the risks of drug proliferation, Malacañang said on Saturday, September 29.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. emphasized that pursuing a relentless anti-narcotics drive against the "few," seemingly referring to drug offenders, was "necessary" to protect the interests of "many" Filipinos.
"The President knows fully well that his policy on the war on drugs is necessary, even saying that he is willing to sacrifice his life, his honor, even the presidency to fulfill his electoral vow," Roque said.
"The intention of the drug war is to save the youth of this country. The President therefore has to weigh the interests of the many against those of the few," he added.
Roque made the remarks, as he clarified anew that Duterte has nothing to do with the extrajudicial killings of drug personalities in the country.
On Thursday, September 27, Duterte appeared to have admitted that his "only sin" is extrajudicial killings of individuals involved in illegal drugs sale.
"Anong kasalanan ko? Nagnanakaw ba ako diyan ni piso? Did I prosecute somebody na ipinakulong ko? Ang kasalanan ko lang 'yung mga extrajudicial killing (What is my sin? Did I steal even a peso? Did I prosecute somebody I ordered arrested? My only sin is extrajudicial killings)," Duterte said before career service professionals.
Duterte's critics have slammed his supposed admission of guilt.
Roque, however, maintained that Duterte was not owning up to orchestrating the killings of drug suspects in the country.
He even stressed that the Chief Executive even lamented the rising number of suspected drug offenders killed since he waged a war on illegal drugs in 2016.
"First, there is no admission on the part of the President. He merely wants to underscore the point that he has not been accused of corruption nor has he engaged in political vendetta. All the critics and detractors can allege are killings attributed to his drug war," he said.
"Second, the President recognizes and feels it is unfortunate the incidence and increase of drug-related deaths in the country. However, we must emphasize that most of the killings, although drug-related, did not result as part of any police operation," the Palace official added.
Around 4,854 alleged drug personalities have been killed from July 1, 2016 to August 31, 2018, based on the government's Real Numbers PH.
Roque said the police officers who killed drug personalities during legitimate anti-drug operations were merely protecting themselves from "violent resistance."
"The President remains steadfast in the belief that one of the country’s greatest ills is the rampant use, sale and distribution of illicit drugs, which is why he led with this campaign promise during the elections, for which the Filipino elected him with more than 16 million votes," he said. (SunStar Philippines)