By: Genalyn Kabiling
The government has started a “major rethinking” of the anti-drug operations in the wake of the mounting outrage over the recent controversial deaths of three teenagers.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella admitted that the government’s campaign against illegal drugs would proceed but the manner of execution would be reviewed.
“The fact that the PNP (Philippine National Police) is being investigated, that there are Senate hearings, this indicates that actually the whole nation is in the process of rethinking the way we do things so that is part now of the entire restructuring and renewing,” Abella said during a Palace press briefing.
“The campaign against illegal drugs is something that the President is entirely committed – his entire administration. However, the manner in which these things are carried out need to really be re-examined,” he added.
Abella said the “major rethinking” falls with the ambit of the President’s campaign on “lesser” crime, corruption, and illegal drugs.
“In other words, it’s not just one isolated event. It’s the whole process that we’re undergoing, that we can see that there is a rethinking. A major rethinking going on,” he said.
Abella’s comments came after Senator Francis Pangilinan has called on President Duterte to stop his brutal drug war amid the piling of dead bodies.