A SENATOR on Monday asked the government of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to end the war on drugs started by his predecessor, in line with a United Nations (UN) call for the international community to replace punishment with policies that protect human rights.
“I am with the international community in the call to end the war on drugs of the government,” opposition Senator Ana Theresia “Risa” N. Hontiveros-Baraquel said in a statement.
The Philippines’ anti-illegal drug campaign started by ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte focused on heavy law enforcement that has been proven to be ineffective, she said.
“It only creates opportunities for human rights abuses and violations, and further aggravates the situation of marginalized communities living in poverty,” she added.
More than 6,000 suspected drug dealers had been killed in police operations, according to data released by the Philippine government in June 2021. Human rights groups estimate that as many as 30,000 suspects died.
UN human rights experts on June 23 asked the international community to focus on health and human rights in addressing the global drug problem.
“The ‘war on drugs’ may be understood to a significant extent as a war on people,” it said in a statement. “Its impact has been greatest on those who live in poverty, and it frequently overlaps with discrimination directed at marginalized groups, minorities and indigenous peoples.”
The UN issued the statement as the world commemorated International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
UN experts said more than 30 countries allow drug-related crimes to be punishable by death, raising concerns about its “discriminatory impact on minorities.”
They also noted that only one of eight people who are dependent on drugs have access to treatment. “Criminalization results in significant barriers to access to health services.”
Human rights group Amnesty International said in a March 27 report that drug war killings have continued under the Marcos Jr. administration.
There were 324 drug-related killings in the Philippines last year, 175 of which occurred after Mr. Marcos Jr. took office in July, it said, citing a study by the University of the Philippines and Belgium’s Ghent University.
“Some high-ranking state operatives are also allegedly linked to the drug trade,” Ms. Hontiveros-Baraquel said.
The Interior and Local Government department has filed charges against 50 police officers for their involvement in a haul of P6.7 billion worth of crystal meth.
“As we continue to seek justice and accountability for the victims of the war on drugs, we are expecting the current administration to help in giving justice to the victims of the war on drugs,” Ms. Hontiveros-Baraquel said.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected a Philippine government plea to suspend its investigation of Mr. Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.
In an eight-page decision dated March 27, the court’s Appeals Chamber said the Philippines had failed to persuade the court to suspend the probe.
The Hague-based tribunal said its investigation would not prevent the Philippines from continuing its own probe of rogue cops.
Mr. Duterte canceled Philippine membership in the ICC in 2018. Mr. Marcos has said the Philippines would not rejoin the international tribunal, noting that the probe is a threat to Philippine sovereignty.
The tribunal, which tries people charged with crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes and aggression, suspended its probe of Mr. Duterte’s deadly drug war in 2021 upon the Philippine government’s request.
It was also set to probe vigilante-style killings in Davao City when Mr. Duterte was still its vice mayor and mayor. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz