President Duterte has pledged to continue the war on illegal drugs until end of his term even though attaining a drug-free country might be “impossible.”
The President said he faces a “formidable group” of enemies in the drug war but vowed to enforce the law against “everybody who violates the law.”
“I will fight the drug problem to the last day of my term. It will not stop,” the President said during the birth anniversary celebration of House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez in Davao del Norte. “But really, to make it drug-free is something which is really impossible,” he said.
In pursuing the anti-drug campaign, Duterte also said he would not spare poor drug offenders from the crackdown since it will be considered “selective justice.”
“I cannot say that this law is only for the rich but not for the poor,” he said.
He pointed out that all persons involved in the drug trade share the same criminal responsibility. “The law says that the one who cooks, the one who distributes, and the one who peddles the drugs are equally guilty. The act of one is the act of all because it is a conspiracy. That is the law,” he said.
“And my oath of office says that I have to enforce the law against everybody who violates the law,” he added.
The President admitted though the drug war faces tough challenges, such as the involvement of certain government officials, cops, and Customs agents.
Duterte said he was wrong to assume he could stop the drug problem within the first few months in office.
Soon after gaining access to “all information about drugs and its dimension” in the country when he became the country’s leader, Duterte realized the enormity of the problem. “So doon ko nalaman na kalaban ko na pati pulis, kalaban ko na ‘yung Customs, kalaban ko na lahat and I was up against a formidable group,” he added. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)