Support Duterte's war on drugs, Alvarez tells ASEAN lawmakers

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Wednesday called on his fellow legislators from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to support President Rodrigo Duterte's widely criticized campaign against illegal drugs.

"We stand firmly with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in the war against illegal drugs. He has called on the leaders of ASEAN Member States during the 30th ASEAN Summit to join him in this campaign," Alvarez said.

Alvarez was speaking at the opening of 13th Meeting of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Fact Finding Committee (AIFOCOM) to Combat the Drug Menace held in Pasay City.

"I take this opportunity to urge you to do the same. With political will and cooperation, we will dismantle the massive illegal drug trade apparatus," he said.

Bloody drug war

Though government officials have lauded Duterte's anti-drug campaign for putting thousands of drug dealers behind behind bars and crediting it for a drop in crime, a growing chorus of critics —  human rights activists, lawyers and the Catholic Church — dispute the claims of success.

Critics, which also include United Nations officials, say police have summarily executed drug suspects with impunity, terrorizing poorer communities and exacerbating the very lawlessness they were meant to tackle.

Since Duterte took over on June 30 last year, thousands of drug suspects have been killed, most of them by vigilante groups supposedly emboldened by Duterte's tough rethoric against drug lords.

Major security concern

In his speech, Alvarez, who currently sits as AIPA president, said drug trafficking is a major security concern in the ASEAN community as the region "has become a major transhipment hub form illegal drugs by transnational organized crime groups to meet the demand of an increasingly growing international market for illegal drugs."

"We cannot ignore the impact of drug use on society—especially to the family and the youth. Financial difficulties are just some of the challenges a family may face. We simply cannot stand idly by as our region succumbs to the debilitating effects of illegal drugs," he said.

Alvarez also said the ASEAN community has already taken steps to face the drug problem, as they adopted last year the ASEAN Work Plan on Securing Communities against Illicit Drugs in 2016-2025.

"As legislators, we support this vision by introducing measures that could strengthen mechanisms to sop the production, trafficking, and abuse of illicit drugs in our countries,” he said.

"I also call upon our AIPA Member States to enhance cooperation in the field of law enforcement and the criminal justice system, to raise awareness and educate all sectors of society especially the youth, and engage our local communities, schools and the media to commit their support to the realization of a drug-free ASEAN," he added.

Ace Barbers

At the end of speech, Alvarez appointed Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers as the chairman of the 13th AIPA AIFOCOM meeting.

In his acceptance speech, Barbers, who also heads the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, challenged the participants to be more aggressive in addressing the drug problem.

"I say it is time to take bold, courageous steps, and to bring more of our collective weight into forging a tighter, more decisive collaboration against illegal drugs," he said.

"In so doing, the world will again witness the tenacity of the ASEAN spirit, our unity of purpose and our leadership in Asia," Barbers added. —KBK, GMA News