When Rodrigo Duterte campaigned for president, he claimed that drug dealing and drug

addiction were major obstacles to the Philippines’ economic and social progress. And when
he became President, he launched the war on drugs program or also known as Oplan
Tokhang. Since then, the Duterte Administration received a lot of criticisms from local and
international human rights groups. However, as Filipinos, we all must know how to weigh
these criticisms and understand why this program is beneficial to our country.

Ladies and gentlemen, this house believes that President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs in
the Philippines is legally unjustifiable. Why? Let me present to you my main points this
morning.

First, the use and trade of illegal drugs is very rampant in our country hence the need for
the state to create a mechanism to protect itself, which leads me to my second point that the
conduct of the War on Drugs Program or Oplan Tokhang is an exercise of the State’s police
power, and third, the Oplan Tokhang has, for its operation, regulatory measures and
procedures which are bound by law.

Going back to my first point, in 2012, the United Nations said the Philippines had the highest
rate of the use of methamphetamine hydrochloride, which is locally known as shabu, in East
Asia, and according to a U.S. State Department report, 2.1 percent of Filipinos aged 16 to 64 use
the drug. In Metro Manila, most barangays are affected by illegal drugs. The Wall Street Journal
reported that in some communities (called barangays), over 30% of the citizens are either pushers
or users. In larger cities like Metro Manila, they estimate that 92% of the population is affected by
drugs in some way. Economically, the drug problem causes the Philippine somewhere in the
neighborhood of $6 billion per year on a GDP of $272 billion. The UN again raised their concerns
by stating the the illicit drug problem has a “broad impact on development, fueling corruption,
compromising elections and hurting the legitimate economy.” Additionally, the world body
emphasized that, “in all cases, criminal influence and money are having a significant impact on
the livelihoods and quality of life of citizens, most particularly the poor, women and children.”
This alarming situation gives rise to the need of the state to create a mechanism to protect itself
hence the Oplan Tokhang.

The first legacy of the war on drugs has been to shine a national spotlight on the Philippines’
drug problem.
To Duterte’s credit, his government has not shied away from inconvenient truths like the fact
that the Philippines is becoming a trans-shipment point for the global drug trade, and the high
number of 1.8 million drug users in the Philippines.  
Duterte has also courageously and rightfully identified the involvement of politicians in the
drug trade. Long before his arrival in the national scene, government officials have been
implicated in participating or protecting the drug trade, but previous presidents have turned a
blind eye.
Duterte’s attention on drugs has also challenged health officials to offer rehabilitation services
and even consider targeted and sustained community-based interventions. In 2016, Philippine
Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial declared drug use a “public health concern”.

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and-the-ugly-of-rodrigo-duterte-s-9211678