Malacañang said Sunday that Pope Francis’ stand against illegal drugs only validates President Duterte’s resolve to end the illegal drugs trade in the country.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo made the statement after Pope Francis urged governments to combat drug addiction and courageously undertake the fight against those who “deal with death.”
According to Panelo, the Pontiff’s remarks are exactly why Duterte is keen purging the illegal drugs trade. “The remarks of Pope Francis…are not only relevant but also timely when it comes to our country’s present situation,” he said.
“This is precisely the rationale behind the President’s war on illegal drugs in the Philippines: To save the young and future generations of Filipinos from the drug scourge,” he added.
“We consider Vatican’s remarks as a boost in our campaign as we battle the twin evils of crimes and drugs.”
Panelo also said that laudable developments have been achieved by the Duterte administration regarding the drugs war despite the criticism “from the loud minority composed of his detractors and critics here and abroad.”
Duterte’s vow to end the illegal drugs trade in the country within three to six months catapulted him to highest seat in the government.
In a Vatican conference on drug addiction on Saturday, Pope Francis decried the “pathological forms derived from a secularized cultural climate, marked by the capitalism of consumption.”
The Pontiff also noted “existential emptiness” and the “precariousness” of human ties, and urged everyone, particularly the government, to build up the courage and fight “traffickers of death.” (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)
