Majority of Filipinos approve of Duterte’s War on Drugs

duterte_license_to_kill

Here’s the elephant in the room the Yellow Camp seems to be ignoring. For all the complaining and criticism they lob onto the government of President Rodrigo Duterte, none of them seem to be considering that much of what makes up the challenges being faced by the newborn administration today are problems either created or that festered under previous governments. In the case of the highest-profile issue these days — Duterte’s “war on drugs” — there is no denying, even from among the most rabid members of the Yellow Camp, that the drug menace reached critical proportions under the watch of former President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III.

Indeed, it is common knowledge nowadays that Aquino’s key people who were in the best position to control that problem were duds. The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) under then Secretary Mar Roxas seems to have been snoozing while tens of millions of pesos worth of drugs exchanged hands under the noses of his police generals. Roxas himself did not know the whereabouts of his own elite police troops — not even until after 44 of them were massacred by Islamic terrorists in Mamasapano. The Department of Justice (DOJ) under then Secretary Leila de Lima was worse than useless. Its chief was alleged to have actually contributed to the problem, allowing Bilibid Prisons, the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa City, to be used as a comfy bastion of the drug lords themselves.

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Yet despite all that, Duterte looks forward, rather than backward. This is in stark contrast with Aquino who spent the better part of his term blaming his predecessor, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, reminding Filipinos of the evvviiiilll of the Martial Law regime of former President Ferdinand Marcos, and citing the heroism of his parents Cory and Ninoy. Duterte, on the other hand, is all about the future and proves this by holding himself accountable for the tough objectives he had set for himself. With objectives like these, there is no time for vendetta, no time for video games, no time for ancestor worship, and, yes, no time for Noynoying.

More importantly, it seems Duterte reportedly has no time to make friends with both local and foreign media either…

“Media, wala akong pakielam, [kahit] unpopular sa international press [I don’t care even if I am unpopular with the international press,” Duterte told reporters after visiting the wake of a cop killed in an ant-narcotics operation.

The president also cursed foreign media, as he emphasized that he needs to crush the drug problem in the Philippines.

“Wala akong pakielam, p*******a ninyo. May problema ako sa bayan ko [I don’t care, son of a b*tch. I have problems in my country],” Duterte said.

It all makes sense. After all, popularity counts when you are in the midst of an election campaign. But Duterte is now President, and presidents make unpopular decisions if necessary. Then again, what is unpopular to corporate news media does not necessarily spell unpopularity amongst the Filipino masses. Outside the self-styled “human rights” activism that pervades Philippine society’s mainstream journalism circles and liberal social media cliques, it seems people no longer buy the emotionalist softly-softly of the Yellow Camp. Evidently, Filipinos now have a big appetite for giving badass a chance.

The important thing, then, is that Duterte not squander the immense political capital he currently enjoys. He’s the James Bond president, a man with a license to kill issued by the Filipino people. And why not? The irony that flies over the chattering heads of the Yellow Camp is that this is the very principle they held dear for 30 years, that the power of the people trumps all else — so much so that when called to the streets in big enough members, “people power” could unseat a president extra-constitutionally. Duterte’s license to kill, in principle, draws from the very same concept held as sacred dogma by the Yellow Camp.

Like most licenses, of course, this one can be revoked. Duterte has to ensure that he uses it well and delivers results. Wars against formidable enemies exact a huge toll on the societies that wage them. Duterte’s “war on drugs” is one such war. The challenge is to prove the long-term benefits far outweigh these costs — before the license expires.

14 Replies to “Majority of Filipinos approve of Duterte’s War on Drugs”

  1. Next stage, mandatory drug test to all schools. And if students are found to be positive, they should be sent to the chopping block.

  2. Our country needs an overhaul in its operating system. Aquino destroyed the operating system. Mar Roxas pretends that he did no know anything about it. Why? He was just there as a decoration in his position? Mar Roxas is a liar. De Lima was an active participant , with the Drug Lords, in the proliferation of Shabu , in our country. She was even in the Birthday Party of a Shabu Drug Lord.

    If we cannot remedy this Drug problem, thru aggressive means…it will fester , until we become like Columbia. We are already a Narco Politics country. Politicians became Drug Lords and Drug Traffickers! The War on illegal Drugs, must be won !

    1. The Chinese cartel (local and foreign) and its well-bribed politicians are the two biggest problems in this country. Exposed and get rid of these fuckers and the Philippines will solve 99.9% of its problems.

  3. “Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.”—Sun Tzu (The Art of War)

    President Duterte needs to keep winning the hearts and minds of the armed forces and law enforcement personnel, including the general population–with a better quality of life–so they will help him fight his wars against the triad of Chinese National drug smugglers, the Chinese business cartels, and well-bribed politicians who are corrupting and destroying the very fabric of life in this country.

  4. you know, I must admit that whenever I hear about drug related deaths, I feel happy. Its strange and its giving me a “high?. This is truly disturbing. That said, I overwhelmingly approve of this war and these deaths, at least, those deaths connected with legitimate police operations. I approve of what Bato said to some policemen during a speech: “If the criminals want a fight, give them a fight, just make sure that you’re the one standing when the dust settles.”

    1. Let’s all hope Duterte lives long enough to win the armed forces and law enforcement to his side, so he will have the necessary force go after the corrupt lawmakers (lawbreakers) and Chinese cartels who are really destroying this country.

  5. It’s not just “war on drugs”, it’s war on all enemies of the state –> like the ASG.

    We just lost 15 soldiers (1/3 of the fallen SAF44), but unlike during Noynoy’s term there is no public condemnation of Du30.

    No administration has ever been able to defeat ASG. Looks like badass Du30 is hell bent on achieving the “impossible”…

    http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/811061/govt-deploys-2500-more-soldiers-to-fight-abu-sayyaf

    ASG is just a bunch of kidnap-for-ransom criminals, no different from drug lords. Why aren’t the same bleeding heart Yellow activists crying out for human rights for ASG? Why do they approve of their “murder” without a trial? By their silence they approve of the extra-judicial killing of ASG members.

    1. The ERAP Gov’t in their time was able to effect the fall and capture of Camp Abubakar, the biggest of the MILF camp, and raised the Philippine Flag there!

      1. I remember during an interview where Erap said that after he announced the all-out war attack against these terrorists, former US President Bill Clinton sent one of his staff to the Philippines to give a personal message to President Erap, basically asking him RETRACT his order with the all-out war. Bill Clinton asked Erap NOT to pursue the war with the MILF, Abu Sayyaff. Erap didn’t want to be dictated by any Western power, so of course a year later he got “impeached”. Hehehe

  6. SPAM: maraming salamat Pres. Duterte for releasing the 4.7B pese to the WWII veterans and 3.7B to the widows.
    plus your 250k directly from your office!

    maraming salamat sa pagmamahal sa bayan!

  7. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s aim, in his 6 year Presidency, will be to lead this challenge, to show that the Philippines (no longer the Failippines) can function in a mature and responsible way, to start delivering tangible results that his government are taking people’s concerns seriously.

  8. The ASG who beheaded the young son here is of course INNOCENT until proven guilty in a court of law.

    http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/811217/we-beheaded-your-son

    Take note of the text message exchange:
    Parent: How are you son?
    ASG: Oh your son is already dead. His head is already gone. We cut off his head yesterday.
    Parent: You have no conscience.

    IF ever they are caught, get convicted and land in jail, this is what happens next: JAIL BREAK…

    http://www.news24.com/World/News/23-inmates-escape-phillipine-prison-in-mass-jailbreak-20160828

    And the circus goes on. This is why Du30 just loves to simply gun these living dead on sight and do our society a favor.

  9. Filipino’s that approve of Duterte and his THUG tactics are too stoopid to realize that they are giving up their CIVIL RIGHTS.

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