President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday issued a stern warning to drug syndicates operating in the country that while he wouldn’t engage in issuing threats — as his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte was predisposed to do — they would nonetheless be caught eventually.

In a media interview during his inspection of seized illegal drugs in Batangas, Marcos said his administration would prosecute even “powerful politicians” who are involved in the illegal drug trade.

“I’m not engaging — do what you want, it’s up to you what you’re doing, as long as we continue, we’ll catch you eventually. The Philippines is just small,” Marcos warned drug dealers.

“Whoever we see involved in the drug trade, anyone at all, whether a politician, a powerful politician, a police officer or anyone else, we will really investigate them,” Marcos said.

The President cited the need for a multi-pronged approach against illegal drugs, including intelligence gathering, collaboration with international agencies like Interpol, and disrupting drug trafficking at the source.

“We will just keep operating and keep gathering intelligence. That’s the key to bringing down the drug syndicates here in the Philippines,” he said.

Marcos acknowledged the financial incentive for drug syndicates who view occasional busts as a “cost of doing business.”

He said the financial losses from the illegal drug trade are factored into their calculation, saying that drug syndicates will continue with their activities since the profits are “substantial.”

Global problem

The President emphasized the importance of following the law to build strong cases against the syndicates and ensure convictions. He compared the Philippines’ struggle to that of wealthy nations, highlighting the global nature of the drug problem.

“Look at us here in the Philippines. Look at the problem. Even the wealthy countries in America and Europe still have a drug problem,” he said. “We cannot expect a single solution. There’s no silver bullet.”

The President expressed confidence in the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), emphasizing their experience and the importance of their continued operations.

“Our police force is already accustomed to this,” he said. “We just keep operating and gathering intelligence. That’s the key to dismantling the drug syndicates here in the Philippines.”

Take the test, Marcos told

As this developed, former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez on Tuesday urged the President, his former boss, to take a “credible hair follicle drug test” to put an end to allegations of his drug use.

In a television interview, Rodriguez said that Marcos should heed the call and clamor of Filipinos for government officials to be tested for drug use. He, however, did not say on what he based his claim of a clamor for the President to take the test.

Rodriguez said his call was his answer to people who didn’t believe the results he showed in 2021 that Marcos wasn’t using illegal drugs. He said he agreed with that outcome.

“I got dragged into this. Supposedly, I showed a fake result in 2021. I will tell everyone that I stand by the result I showed in 2021 that then-candidate BBM tested negative,” Rodriguez said.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte had previously said that Marcos was always “bangag” or high, with the President retorting that it was Duterte who was known to use fentanyl.

Likewise, Duterte had claimed that Marcos was on the list of drug users in the country, citing purported information from PDEA. Duterte added that a supposed PDEA report showed Marcos was among the targets of an anti-illegal drug operation in 2012.

PDEA has denied both claims by Duterte.

Marcos had said that he would not take seriously any reports that he was involved in drugs. He appointed Rodriguez as his executive secretary, but the latter resigned in September 2022, saying he was “completely exiting” the government for personal reasons.