Pubdate: Sat, 27 Aug 2016
Source: Philippine Star (Philippines)
Column: From a Distance
Copyright: PhilSTAR Daily Inc. 2016
Contact:  http://www.philstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/622
Author: Carmen N. Pedrosa

LET US MOBILIZE FOR DUTERTE'S WAR ON DRUGS

It is obvious that Duterte's reforms are being blocked by his 
enemies. Their objective is to blacken his image and make his 
campaign against drug lords difficult and frustrate government 
reform. They are not bothered that if the drug lords and their 
backers (politicians mostly) are not stopped the drugs will 
proliferate and the problem will be impossible to solve. It is a war 
between criminals and their victims. Before that happens Filipinos 
must stop them or it will go out of hand. I am reprinting here the 
post of BayanKo's adviser Jose Alejandrino which is now viralling in 
social media. We should not waste time with so-called congressional 
investigations from the very senators accused of protecting drug 
lords. Instead we should mobilize as we did in Duterte's Luneta rally 
to spare our country, the poor and especially the young, from the 
evil that confronts us.

* * *

The Alejandrino post calls the people to mobilize before is is too late.

"Our nation faces imminent danger from the invasion of illegal drugs 
by foreign cartels. It has infected 93 percent of our barangays. It 
has impaired physically and mentally six million of our youth. It has 
corrupted many of our politicians at the national and local levels, 
and some police and judges.

Since the start of anti-drug operations until Aug.1, some 1,800 were 
killed in drug-related operations, 10,153 were arrested, and over 
600,000 pushers and addicts have surrendered. Of this total, 712 were 
killed since July 1. Many of these were cases of syndicates killing 
their own members to prevent them from talking to the authorities.

Compare this to the statistics of the Colombian and Mexican drug 
wars. In Colombia, 220,000 were killed. In Mexico, 165,000, of which 
12,500 were members of the drug cartels.

In Thailand, 2,500 were killed, 280,000 pushers and addicts 
surrendered. The sale of illegal drugs dropped by 50 percent. 440 
politicians and local officials were arrested.

In June 2015, during the time of President Aquino, the crime rate in 
the Philippines rose by 46 percent. Mar Roxas was DILG secretary and 
Leila de Lima DOJ secretary. In July 2016 under President Duterte the 
crime rate dropped by 49 percent.

These statistics came from official police sources. They speak for themselves.

It is clear that the accusations of vigilante killings and human 
rights violations against President Duterte are greatly exaggerated 
by the Opposition like Leila de Lima, Frank Drilon, and Antonio 
Trillanes who have a political agenda, by human rights activists like 
Cookie Diokno, by foreign media like CNN and Australia's 60 Minutes. 
It is also clear that those in the New York rally calling Duterte a 
mass murderer were not given the true facts.

All this is directed towards weakening Duterte's program to deny the 
billions of pesos drug lords earn from their trade. It is a concerted 
and coordinated campaign by these groups and individuals to destroy 
Duterte's reputation, obstruct his program, erode his popularity, and 
replace him with Leni Robredo who said during her US tour that her 
role as VP was to wait for something to happen to the president.

There are Intel reports of assassination plots against the president 
financed by drug lords, some rich oligarchs, and some members of the 
previous Aquino government who fear being tried for corruption by the 
Duterte government. This is not surprising. It is no secret the 
established order considers Duterte a bigger threat than drug lords 
because it risks losing its power and privileges.

The president has vowed to dismantle the oligarchy responsible for 
the ills of this country.

So the country faces not only imminent danger from foreign cartels 
but also imminent danger to its dulyelected president from rich 
oligarchs and especially LP members. These are the scums and traitors 
of the nation who deserve to be jailed.

The only way to defeat this threat is to pre-empt it. To strike the 
enemies of the State before they strike. We have therefore 
reactivated plan B. This call for general mobilization of all the 
president's supporters who by now comprise the vast majority of our 
people is the first step to make them aware of what is happening to 
our country.

We will let you know D-Day. Please spread around. Be ready."

* * *

Not a few were shocked that President Duterte said we will quit the 
UN if it continues meddling in the internal affairs of the country. 
Many did not know that threatening to quit the UN has precedents.

Although withdrawal from the United Nations is not provided for in 
its charter, other countries have done or threatened to do so.

The UN Charter deliberately made no provision for the withdrawal of 
member governments, largely to prevent the threat of withdrawal from 
being used as a form of political blackmail, or to evade obligations 
under the Charter.

Japan threatened to withdraw from the League of Nations in March 1933 
when the League condemned Japan's invasion of China. The same with 
Germany and Italy. Nearer our shores Indonesia threatened to withdraw 
from the UN in 1965. So is it possible for a country to withdraw from the UN?

"Rebus sic stantibus (Latin for "things thus standing") is the legal 
doctrine allowing for treaties to become inapplicable because of a 
fundamental change of circumstances) has been narrowly construed 
(although not referred to by name) in Articles 61 and 62 of the 
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Therefore, under either 
customary international law or the Vienna Convention, it is unlikely 
that a state may unilaterally withdraw from the UN unless some 
fundamental change has occurred."

Therefore this column does not share Rep. Harry Roque's opinion when 
he said that Duterte's threat to withdraw from the UN is "impulsive, 
imprudent, and contrary to the interests of the nation." Even an 
international body like the UN can err.

What President Duterte meant when he threatened to withdraw from the 
UN is to show how seriously he takes his obligation as the President 
of the Philippines. When leaders of countries falter in their war on 
drugs because of outside interference it endangers the whole world 
because illegal drugs are an international menace. Moreover, 
interference by individuals, even if they are from UN, is often being 
done out of the context of what is happening in the country involved. 
It must be borne in mind that United Nations individuals do not 
necessarily speak for the whole body.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom