Pubdate: Wed, 14 Jan 2009
Source: Philippine Star (Philippines)
Copyright: PhilSTAR Daily Inc. 2009
Contact:  http://www.philstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/622

A NEW ANTI-DRUG CZAR

As tension rose between government prosecutors and agents of the 
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, President Arroyo announced 
yesterday that she would temporarily take over the anti-drug 
campaign. She risks being blamed if the drug problem is perceived to 
worsen or remain the same during her takeover. But by the time she 
relinquishes supervision of the campaign, the inter-agency tension 
should have subsided and there should be better coordination among 
all the law enforcement agencies involved in fighting drug trafficking.

While she is micromanaging this campaign, the President will be 
expected to do several things. One is to weed out misfits and plug 
opportunities for corruption in the prosecution service. This will 
require speeding up the resolution of the controversy surrounding the 
arrest and proposed release of three drug suspects apprehended by 
PDEA agents, and to impose punishment where appropriate.

Resolving the case must include making PDEA agent Marine Maj. 
Ferdinand Marcelino identify his fellow Philippine Military Academy 
alumnus who supposedly offered a bribe. That person should face 
criminal charges for bribery, but Marcelino said he knew his "mistah" 
to be a good man and refused to identify the briber. PDEA officials 
also admitted that they had made up the story about a P50-million 
bribe to prosecutors, which was leaked to the press.

Inventing stories, planting evidence and hurling fake accusations is 
hardly the way to conduct an anti-crime campaign, whether it is 
against corruption or drug trafficking. As anti-drug czar, President 
Arroyo should require PDEA agents to have full knowledge of all laws 
governing illegal drugs, as well as all laws and regulations 
governing arrests, searches, raids and confiscation of evidence. As 
indignant prosecutors have pointed out, many drug cases are dismissed 
not because of corruption but because anti-narcotics agents do not 
know the law and bungle the operation. The PDEA itself has had its 
share of controversies in the past, from corruption to the pilferage 
of confiscated drugs and direct involvement of its agents in drug trafficking.

A serious anti-drug campaign should also strengthen the capability of 
the Philippine National Police, whose members have more knowledge of 
the Dangerous Drugs Act and the rules governing the conduct of 
anti-crime operations than the military officers and ex-coup plotters 
assigned to handle police work at the PDEA.

Finally, the anti-drug campaign should include improving facilities 
for rehabilitating drug offenders. The harshest penalties should be 
reserved for large-scale traffickers, most of whom seem to elude 
those much-hyped raids on shabu laboratories. Drug abuse is a social 
problem that requires a coordinated social response.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart