Hindi mahihirap lamang ang target ng giyera kontra ilegal na droga ng gobyerno, sinabi ng Malacañang kahapon at idiniin na pursigido si Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na purgahin ang mga drug pusher anuman ang kanilang estado sa buhay.

Ito ang sagot ni Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella sa pahayag ng isang opisyal ng Human Rights Watch (HRW) na bumabatikos sa anti-drug campaign ni Duterte bilang “a war on the poor.”

“The war on drugs is not targeted at any particular segment of society,” ani Abella.

“As the President said, he has to clean up the streets of drug users, pushers and dealers, regardless of their socioeconomic status in life,” aniya pa.

National

50.78% examinees, pasado sa Nov. 2024 Licensure Exam for Agriculturists

Kung ganoon bakit maraming mahihirap na suspek ang nahuhulog sa pinaigting na operasyon ng pamahalaan laban sa ilegal na droga? Ipinaliwanag ni Abella na ito ay dahil sa popularidad ng shabu sa mahihirap.

“The most prevalent drug in the Philippines is shabu, dubbed as poor man’s cocaine. The supply, largely from outside the Philippines, is in great demand from users and distributors both coming from poor families,” aniya.

Sa isang mensahe na ipinaskil sa Twitter, pinuna ni Phelim Kine, HRW Deputy Asia Director, na karamihan sa 7,000 biktima ng anti-illegal drug campaign ng pamahalaan ay mga maralitang tagalungsod, pinakadukha at pinakamahina sa lipunan.

“Nothing can be farther from the truth than the HRW accusation that President Duterte has ‘contempt for lives.’ In fact, eight out of ten Filipinos living in Metro Manila now feel safer and more secure under his administration,” kontra ni Abella. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)