President Rodrigo Duterte during a taped TV interview with Sonshine Media Network International in Davao City aired on March 12, 2022. (File photo from Malacañang)
MANILA, Philippines — A “resurgence” of illegal drugs is possible after his term, President Rodrigo Duterte warned on Tuesday during his weekly taped “Talk to the People” briefing.
“I do not really say it with certainty that illegal drugs will return,” he said, speaking in a mix of English and Filipino. “Maybe a resurgence a little bit. Trying to feel.”
The illegal drugs, he said, might be brought in by Chinese “businessmen” operating in other countries. He assured, however, that no Filipino-Chinese would be involved.
“Unfortunately, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. But it’s Chinese, not the Filipino-Chinese [behind it],” Duterte said.
“This is outside. This is the triad operating in Laos and Afghanistan. There’s no limit to the hectares [of land used] for shabu [crystal meth],” he said.
Duterte pointed out that it used to be harder for illegal drugs to spread in Afghanistan when Russia and the US entered it.
But now, he said: “They are ruled by despots.”
He admitted the resurgence despite his drug war, or what is also known as the “Oplan Tokhang” that he launched as soon as he was elected on June 30, 2016.
This war on drugs garnered criticisms not just across the country but all around the world due to its bloody execution almost as soon as it began.
Just last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber allowed the Office of the Prosecutor to do a full-blown investigation into allegations that Duterte committed the crime against humanity of wide-scale murder.
Both Malacañang and Duterte, however, have refused to acknowledge this, claiming several times that they would not cooperate with the probe.
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