Minority Floor Leader Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez gave a perfect score to the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte in its war against drugs, amid a rising body count of suspected criminals who were killed by alleged vigilante squads.
In the weekly press briefing of the bloc on Wednesday, Suarez said he would give a grade of 鈥淎鈥 on the administration鈥檚 war on drugs and criminality in the first 100 days of Duterte鈥檚 presidency.
搁贰础顿:听Duterte won鈥檛 shut his mouth in antidrug war聽听触听Bato: PNP 鈥榳inning war on drugs鈥 in Duterte鈥檚 first 100 days聽
Since Duterte waged his war on drugs, at least 3,000 suspected drug criminals have been killed, mostly vigilante murders of suspected pushers whose bodies were dumped on the streets of the metropolitan with their faces covered in tape beside a poster declaring 鈥淗uwag tularan (Don鈥檛 emulate).鈥
鈥淚 give him an A in his fight against drugs and criminality. And I think all of you will agree with me,鈥 Suarez said.
搁贰础顿:听THE KILL LIST
Suarez, however, scored the failure of Duterte鈥檚 Cabinet officials to coordinate with each other.
鈥淲e are in full accord of the President Duterte on what he鈥檚 doing. Pero yung lapses ng executive, hindi natin dapat palampasin (But we cannot let the lapses of the executive pass). The President cannot be helped for 100 percent kung mahina ang kaniyang executive agency (if his executive agency is not performing well). It has to be harmonious working relations,鈥 Suarez said.
He added that some members of Duterte鈥檚 Cabinet have ties with businesses which posed possible conflict of interest.
鈥淗indi maiiwasan na ang kanilang loyalty, pag hiningan ng tulong ang mga nagma-may ari ng kumpaniya, napakahirap hindi-han (Their loyalty will be put to a test. When the owners of the companies ask for a favor, it would be difficult for them to reject it),鈥 Suarez said.
For his part, Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque hit the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for being too focused on asking Congress to grant the President emergency powers to solve the traffic crisis.
搁贰础顿:听Solon hits Duterte emergency powers as 鈥榖lanket authority鈥櫬
Roque also slammed the failure of the Department of Health (DOH) to contain the spread of the Zika virus.
READ:聽Zika infects pregnant woman in Cebu
鈥淏eyond asking for emergency powers, in the 100 days, walang kahit anong ini-ntroduce ang DOTr. Gusto lang nila special powers (DOTr has not introduced anything. All they asking for is the special powers). I鈥檓 also disappointed at the performance of the DOH鈥 Hindi pwedeng ang ating (It鈥檚 not appropriate that our) Secretary of Health does not know the exact nature of how Zika becomes a threat to the Philippines,鈥 Roque said.
Roque advised the President not to completely give his trust to his Cabinet secretaries.
鈥淗igh marks on the part of criminality, but he should pay attention to his secretaries, and should not completely trust the secretaries in doing their jobs,鈥 Roque said.
Last Monday, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez lamented that the administration in its first 100 days failed to resolve the breakdowns of the railway systems and the traffic crisis in the metropolis. RAM
搁贰础顿:听Alvarez says traffic, railway breakdown still a problem in Duterte鈥檚 first 100 days聽