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Castillo, Jascha - Problem-Solution Essay

The document discusses President Duterte's war on drugs in the Philippines. It launched in 2016 with a focus on law enforcement and targeting drug users and dealers. Over 4,000 people have been killed in police operations. There are concerns about extrajudicial killings and human rights violations in the anti-drug campaign.

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Jascha Castillo
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30 views2 pages

Castillo, Jascha - Problem-Solution Essay

The document discusses President Duterte's war on drugs in the Philippines. It launched in 2016 with a focus on law enforcement and targeting drug users and dealers. Over 4,000 people have been killed in police operations. There are concerns about extrajudicial killings and human rights violations in the anti-drug campaign.

Uploaded by

Jascha Castillo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Castillo, Jascha Richer L.

Section:FIN212 Date:01/31/22

Country: Philippines
Agency/Department: Philippine National Police(PNP)
Problem: War on Drugs

After a triumphant victory in June 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines quickly
started a campaign on guarantee and actuates a so-called ‘war on drugs.’ He freely supported the capture
and slaughtering of suspected medicate clients and dealers, indeed going so far as to guarantee the police
there would be no repercussions for their activities.

In the 2016 presidential race prioritized the problem of illicit drugs front and center of the
national agenda. Candidate Rodrigo Duterte ran, and won, on a platform of fixing the drug problem,
which he claimed and quote would destroy the country. According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement
Agency (PDEA), some 1.8 million Filipinos were using drugs in 2015, less than 2 percent of the
population. Over 95 percent of drug arrests that year were linked due to the use of crystal
methamphetamine, popularly known as shabu. Once in office, the Duterte administration launched a
nationwide campaign against illegal drugs that was focused on law enforcement. The Philippine National
Police (PNP) was deployed to implement Oplan Double Barrel, aimed largely at finding and
incapacitating users and distributors of illegal drugs at the base. Police efforts were intended to address
both the supply of, and demand for, illicit drugs by targeting both low-value drug users and high-value
drug suspects. The intense campaign against illegal drugs has been controversial because of the large
numbers of Filipino citizens killed during police raids, the spread of vigilante-style killings, and
allegations of extrajudicial summary executions of drug suspects. Barangay officials, along with law
enforcement agencies, have also been criticized for employing tactics that violate the privacy and other
rights of citizens. These tactics include mandatory house-to-house surveys on drug use, compulsory drug
tests, and the compilation of drug watch lists that make residents the target of arrests or killings.

The government reported that between July 2016 and May 15, 2018, 1.3 million drug suspects
surrendered to the authorities; 143,335 drug personalities were arrested; 99,485 police operations were
conducted; and 2,678.61 kilos of shabu were seized. In all, 4,279 drug suspects have been killed in police
operations. In addition, there are 22,983 deaths under investigation by the police that are apparently
related to drugs. By reviewing international experience and generating an empirical evidence base of
credible information, the government’s antidrug policies can be monitored and evaluated for
effectiveness. There is a growing body of evidence from all around the world that suggests that drugs
should be dealt with as a public health, rather than law enforcement, issue. The Philippines needs antidrug
policies, approaches, and tactics that are responsive to the emerging evidence from around the world and
to the changing contexts of drug use. Instead of punitive approaches, Drug abuse in the Philippines is
multifactorial, and there is a need to study these different factors. Furthermore, there is an immediate need
to do an epidemiologic study of the extent of drug abuse, which will significantly help fulfill the need for
policy, treatment, and prevention.
References:
Social, Political and Economic Context of Illegal Drug Abuse in the Philippines | National Institute on
Drug Abuse (NIDA) (nih.gov)
The search for humane, effective, and evidence-based solutions to the drug  problem (drugarchive.ph)
In Examining the Philippines’ Drug War, the ICC Takes a Positive but Challenging Step | Chatham House –
International Affairs Think Tank

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