Anti-terror law will have impact vs. drug lords, says Bato

The anti-terror law will also have an impact on the illegal drug trade in the Philippines, Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa said on Tuesday.

Dela Rosa said terrorist groups and drug lords shared a "symbiotic relationship."

"The drug lords feed the terror groups with drug money while the terror groups provide protection, shelter, and safe haven to these drug lords lalong lalo na pag sila ay nagigipit," said Dela Rosa, a former chief of the Philippine National Police.

Dela Rosa said many drug lords in Metro Manila went to Lanao and sought refuge among the Maute Group and other ISIS-inspired personalities in the middle of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs in 2016 and 2017.

"Just like what happened when we launched the war on drugs in 2016, 2017 we had intel reports indicating that mga hina-hunting nating mga drug lords sa Metro Manila can no longer be found dahil sila ay tumakbo at pumunta sa Lanao at nag-sought refuge sa mga terror groups like Maute and ISIS," he added.

Dela Rosa, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, said that huge sums of cash that were believed to be drug money had been recovered by troops during the height of the Marawi siege in 2017.

"Mayroon talagang effect itong Anti-Terror Act na ito sa ating drug situation. Hopefully makakatulong ito in a positive way," Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa was the chief of the PNP when Duterte launched controversial war on drugs which claimed the lives of over 5,000 drug suspects in the country.

The anti-terror law was signed by Duterte last Friday as the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several groups challenged the constitutionality of the newly signed measure before the Supreme Court on Monday as they maintained that the law may be abused to trample on human rights and silence the dissenters of the government.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Panfilo Lacson, among the proponents of the anti-terror law, welcomed the filing of the critics' petitions as they stood firm that the provisions of the measure are constitutional. -NB, GMA News