The tougher war

There is a renewed inertia in the Philippines’ drugs war that puts President Rodrigo Duterte under the spotlight once again.

The Chief Executive said it will be harsher this time. But his statement is not without merit.

Mr. Duterte has admitted to his failure in making true to his vow to stop the country’s illegal drugs trade in just months. He manned up to the fact that he is facing a Goliath bigger than what the country’s police and military force could stop in one blow.

Illegal drugs are a global problem that cannot be fully eliminated by just one country. The Philippines, an archipelagic nation, will find it hard to stop the trade completely, as it is proved now.

The Philippines has been put under the spotlight for the President’s serious commitment to halt the spread of illegal drugs. In three years, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported some 5,000 deaths related to violent arrests of suspects who fought back and of more apprehensions made with some resulting in the prosecution of pushers and users.

Rehabilitation of users is also being encouraged.

But while the government is on it, illegal drugs continue to proliferate. The Philippines, like its neighboring countries, remains hot on the chase of the local and international drug syndicates spreading the illegal substances wherever there’s a market.

In the month of February that just closed, more and more bricks of cocaine have been found floating in Philippine waters and along its coastlines.

The find was more than the total cocaine haul from last year. That makes it troubling as the country is serious in its drive against illegal drugs, much more the highly-valued cocaine, preferred drugs of the wealthy bunch.

In just six discoveries, 92.78 kilograms of cocaine blocks valued at P491.25 million have been fished out of Philippine seas.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said the haul is more than the 2018 seizure of 90.58 kilograms of powder and liquid cocaine valued at P417.81 million.

These bricks have been fished out of the waters near Vinzons in Camarines Norte; on the shoreline of Sitio Habongan, Barangay Poblacion, Cagdianao, Dinagat Island; in Barangay Bagumbayan, Paracale in Camarines Norte, and in Quezon province.

The PNP surmised these bricks were on transport towards Australia.

Aaron Aquino, the PDEA chief, said the rise of cocaine coming into the country could be a diversionary tactic by the syndicates. He did not elaborate.

Other government talking heads, however, point to successful police and military operations that made the transport of these cocaine bricks to wherever they were meant to be disposed of as unsuccessful. This is proof to government’s no-nonsense drive against illegal substances.

While the Philippines is composed of 7,107 islands, making it the hardest for its Navy and Coast Guard to cover day in and day out, its relentless pursuit of possible drugs shipment is proving to be effective.

But drug syndicates will use all possible means of shipment and doors to get their contraband into the country.

And while the Philippines had proved hard against illegal drugs, its Southeast Asian neighbors are also dealing with the drug menace as hard as our country can.

Despite the implementation of the capital punishment of death in other SEA countries, the drug trade continues to be unabated as the arteries of its vast underground network remain hard to cut. And find.

If anything, the regional illegal drugs problem is still on the rise, according to a report on global trends from the United Nations.

While Colombia is still the world’s top cocaine source, Asia is becoming the hub for both transportation and consumption of the drug. That explains the latest cocaine seizures by Philippine authorities.

But Southeast Asia is not a heavy cocaine destination. Methamphetamine (shabu) remains as the most consumed illegal drugs in the region.

It is due to the ease of methamphetamine production. The synthetic drug is cooked rather than planted and cultivated as cocaine is from coca plants.

Cocaine is geographically restricted, methamphetamine is not much.

Security officials in countries around the Mekong region have seized 65 tons of methamphetamine in tablet and crystalline form in 2017, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said. The haul marked an increase of nearly 600 percent from those seized a decade ago.

In the same report, UNODC executive director Yury Fedotov said the findings “show drug markets are expanding, with cocaine and opium production hitting record highs, presenting multiple challenges on multiple fronts.”

And if it is, then the market for the more affordable methamphetamine should be higher.

The tougher, harsher approach against illegal drugs can only be effective if and when the main sources of these substances are cut off and eliminated.

Author Johann Hari says crackdowns drive up prices of illegal drugs as buyers pay sellers a premium for the legal risk. Criminalization also eliminates the weaker rivals with only the big players left standing firmly.

Drug dealers have also found new ways to transact with their suppliers through the dark web of the Internet. Transactions and payments can now be made through online dealings using cryptocurrency payments.

The anonymity of these new currency makes it harder for governments, including the Philippines, to completely stop the illegal trade.

Cryptocurrency dealings are not just for drugs but are also used to purchase weapons and arms and for other spurious businesses that endanger governments and leaderships.

The Philippines and Mr. Duterte should not be alone in this fight. He could lead Southeast Asia in coming together to insulate the region from the drug menace, even if new illegal drug infusions will still poke its sides.

Besides, other nations’ leaders are looking up at him and following his lead against the drug menace. It’s a good start for the region and perhaps the world.