Critics proved wrong

“Despite the much-hyped deaths of teenagers during a drugs crackdown, a Pulse Asia survey also showed that 88 percent of Filipinos supported the war on drugs.”

What is becoming a tough task for President Rody Duterte’s critics is disputing the wide support that his war on drugs is getting even from abroad and that Rody is becoming a rockstar among anti-narcotics advocates.

The support among Filipinos for the war on drugs is expected since the previous administration did nothing and may have even profited from the illegal drugs trade but the support, some tacit, from other nations is becoming phenomenal.

Indonesia and Bangladesh, while not fully acknowledging that they are adopting the Philippine model, have launched their own campaigns against drugs similar to the Tokhang of the Philippine National Police (PNP) that uses persuasion for drug dependents and suppliers to quit.

In launching a strengthened campaign against drug traffickers, Indonesian President Joko Widodo in July last year told his police force, “Be firm, especially to foreign drug dealers, who enter the country and resist arrest. Shoot them because we, indeed, are in a narcotics emergency position now.” Many noted that the remarks could just as easily have come from Rody.

Bangladesh also launched an anti-narcotics campaign last May with a striking similarity to the Philippine effort.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced her own “war on drugs” in early May 2018 after a reported rise in methamphetamine or shabu sales and use.

“You might think that this is a violation of human rights, but when an incident like this happens, we try to focus on the wrongdoers,” the Bangladeshi leader said.

“Out of all these incidents, could you show me one innocent person who has gotten stuck in the middle?” she asked.

Her administration said the anti-drug campaign will continue until the problem was under control.

Even the United States’ Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the agency directly involved in the US government international anti-narcotics policies, has vowed to support Rody’s war on drugs.

Rody is also becoming a sensation in Taiwan, which is in the midst of a campaign period for local elective seats.

A candidate, Chen Renzhi of Hualien, Taiwan, used Rody and his war on drugs as a campaign booster.

The international response on Rody’s determined campaign is expected as surveys done on the war on drugs showed overwhelming support from the public.

A survey of the Washington-based think tank Pew Research Center found 86 percent of Filipinos approved the president’s war on drugs despite the constant “vicious noises” from his yellow critics.

Despite the much-hyped deaths of teenagers during a drugs crackdown, a Pulse Asia survey also showed that 88 percent of Filipinos supported the war on drugs.

The surveys would show only minimal periodic drops in public support to the campaign, but it remains high by any standard.

The survey of Pulse Asia’s rival pollster SWS in March showed 78 percent were satisfied with the campaign against illegal drugs, indicating that majority of Filipinos do not want Rody to stop the campaign.

The latest outcry of the usual critics on Rody’s anti-narcotics drive is the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) plan for mandatory tests on students starting from grade 4, whose age are from nine to 10 years old.

The usual critics said the proposal would drag the innocents into the war on drugs slaughterhouse. The claim of extrajudicial killings (EJKs), however, has already been debunked as a mere yellow concoction.

A Senate report stated that there was no proof on allegations of state-sponsored EJKs and that the allegations were merely the result of Rody’s patented rants.

The threat on the children, however, exists as the police noted that candies laced with addictive substances were discovered among schools.

Also, PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino reported the arrest of a 10-year-old allegedly using illegal drugs.

Rody said he will not relent in his vow to end the drugs menace and he is backing his words with actions.

Such determination and political will on the war on drugs won him the wide support that he is currently enjoying.