Gov't invitation of Media to cover anti-drug operations, welcomed

 
 

For Transparency sake.

 

Philippine Star columnist and newly appointed Philippine ambassador to the United States of America Mr. Babe Romualdez in his Philippine Star (9/7/17) column states that the Manila Overseas Press Club has welcomed the move of government to include media in the Philippine National Police anti-drug operations.

 

Article is quoted below:

 

MOPC chairman Antonio "Tony" Lopez welcomes the order of Pres. Duterte to allow members of the media to cover anti-illegal drug operations as it would promote transparency in all police operations. (photo credit to owner)

The Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC), through its chairman Antonio “Tony” Lopez, welcomed the order issued by President Duterte to allow members of the media to cover the anti-illegal drug operations of the Philippine National Police as it would promote transparency during such police operations. The President had instructed the PNP to “bring the media and let them go first so they can get the story from the beginning to the end,” seeking to dispel allegations of extra-judicial killings in the government’s crackdown on illegal drugs. 

Much earlier, the President debunked accusations that the administration has made it an official policy to kill drug offenders, as criticism mounted over the killing of 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz and 17-year-old Kian delos Santos.

There is no question, however, that the problem of illegal drugs has become so deep and widespread, especially with illegal drug traffickers making use of the country’s porous borders to smuggle prohibited substances. A case in point is the P6.4 billion shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) shipment from China that slipped through the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

At the last Senate hearing, Senator Richard Gordon blamed China for the proliferation of illegal drugs, saying it is “shabulizing” the country, with 60 percent of the drugs coming in the Philippines sent by people of Chinese descent. Much earlier, US Ambassador Kim also urged China to take stronger legal action to stop the shipment of dangerous items used in the production of shabu, stressing that it would be the right thing to do. “My understanding is that most of the precursors that go into (manufacturing) shabu come from China,” the US diplomat said. *

Trafficking in illegal drugs has become such a lucrative business, with a report from Global Financial Integrity – a Washington-based organization that conducts research on illicit financial flows – that the estimated market on drug trafficking has an annual global value estimated at $652 billion – although no one would be surprised if the figures are actually higher because the “operations and transactions are covert.” The GFI report also reiterated that production and trafficking of “amphetamine-type stimulants” and the so-called “new psychoactive substances” thrive in regions with “porous borders and/or weak controls on precursor chemicals.”

from Philstar columnist and newly appointed Philippine ambassador to the United States of America Mr. Babe Romualdez in his Philippine Star (9/7/17)