SENATOR Joel Villanueva on Tuesday said it cannot be denied that the administration鈥檚 ongoing drive against illegal drugs was effective, as evident in the number of people turning in themselves to authorities.
Villanueva said calls for an inquiry into the rising death toll of suspected drug perpetrators should not break the 鈥渕omentum鈥� of the government鈥檚 relentless war against drugs and criminality.
鈥淪a ngayon po siguro wala namang magsasabi sa atin na hindi ito epektibo. In my own hometown alone, mahigit 700 ang sumuko na sila鈥檡 gumagamit ng iligal na droga. So para sa akin this is a welcome development,鈥� Villanueva said in an INQ&A interview on Tuesday evening.
鈥淎ng question is about investigations, etc. Marami na pong nag-iinvestigate eh so why not wait for them. Baka naman po masayang yung momentum nitong paglaban natin sa evils of illegal drugs,鈥� he said.
As of July 25, the Philippine National Police said 289 suspects were killed, 3,974 arrested, and 130,014 voluntarily surrendered amid the campaign against illegal drugs.
A count by 黑料社鈥檚 鈥淜ill List,鈥� however, notes 411 deaths between May 10, the day after President Rodrigo Duterte聽 won the elections, and July 21.
But Villanueva noted that the government should uphold the rule of law amid the spate of killings to ensure that innocent lives would not be put at stake.
鈥溾�楶ag hindi po natin na-control po ito, then 鈥榶ung rule of law na gusto nating i-espouse, ang mangyayari niyan magka-crumble din 鈥榶ung rule of law. Importante yung pagbalanse po nito,鈥� he said.
鈥淪a ngayon ang masasabi ko lang po napakaganda nung nangyayaring drive. In the end pag tinitignan natin yung dulo, siguro we need more time for profiling these cases and yung mga reports na naririnig natin. Madali po kasing magsabi na ganito yung nangyari eh,鈥� Villanueva added.
