No nation has eradicated illegal drugs —Palace

Malacañang on Tuesday justified President Rodrigo Duterte’s continuing fight against the drug menace even as it admitted that no country in the world has successfully eradicated illegal drugs. 

Duterte on Monday urged parents to be more involved in their children’s lives to save them from drug addiction, citing a recent report by the Dangerous Drugs Board that 1.67 million Filipinos aged 10 to 69 are current users of illegal drugs. 

The President earlier said there were around 4 million drug users in the country. 

“Talagang mayroon pa rin talagang maiitim ang budhi na patuloy ang pagkita nila dito sa pag-supply ng pinagbabawal na gamot,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque told a news conference.

“Wala naman po talagang bansa na nagiging 100% drug free pero ang sinasabi ng Pangulo, iyan ay cornerstone ng kaniyang administration. Habang siya’y nagiging banta not just as an ordinary criminal act, kung hindi it is already a threat to national security eh bibigyan po iyan ng highest priority ng ating Presidente,” he added.

Duterte rose to power in 2016 on a campaign platform to rid the Philippines of illegal drugs, criminality and corruption. 

He did not meet his target of ending the drug war in six months as he slammed the involvement of government officials and policemen in the illegal drug trade. 

The President had also said illegal drugs had been "swallowing the country" as he lamented the influx of drug shipments that were seized by the authorities. 

The Palace has repeatedly said the deaths attributed to the war on drugs were because of lawful police operations, thus these could not be regarded as attacks against civilians. —KG, GMA News