Malacañang reiterated its rejection to the suggestion of former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark to decriminalize the use of drugs as an alternative to the drug war.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said, that the suggestion of Clark which is similar to the proposal by the European Union made two years ago, had already been thumbed down by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Panelo asserted that decriminalizing the use of drugs in the Philippines will not only aggravate but multiply the problem.
“We live in a country where the illegal drug industry is a billion-peso industry, where 97% of barangays, or small villages, have or had already been infiltrated. Take out the criminal liability of those involved and you induce and encourage others to be a part of the dreaded evil,” Panelo said.
The Palace spokesman noted that the government’s campaign against prohibited narcotics is anchored on national security and on public health as well while “more than 7 out of 10 Filipinos are satisfied with the way the government handles the campaign.”
Panelo further stated that observers, especially those in foreign countries should understand fully the Philippine government’s strategy in dealing with illegal drugs before being persuaded by one-sided information and crafting unwise “if not cerebrally challenged commentaries based thereon.”
