Duterte 'Miserably Failed' In Drug War, Philippine Senator Urges President To Admit Fault      

Philippine Senator Leila de Lima, a well-known critic of President Rodrigo Duterte and his infamous war on drugs, is calling for his administration to admit that it has “miserably failed” to put an end to the illegal drug activities in the country. Her sentiments echoed those of Amnesty International (AI), an international rights group that has repeatedly called for Duterte to end his drug war.

De Lima made her statements Monday when she said, “The Duterte administration should now admit that it has miserably failed in stopping the scourge of illegal drugs in the country, and therefore, should make amends by holding these police drug protectors accountable for their crimes. They should reassess their approach and strategies in combating the scourge of illegal drugs.”

The senator also called for government accountability for the thousands of executions and extrajudicial killings of suspected drug offenders in the country often perpetrated by state authorities under the directive of Duterte.

Combating drugs with the drug war was one of the reasons Duterte was elected in 2016 based on his claims that he similarly “cleaned up” Davao City, his hometown, and where he served as mayor prior to winning the presidency. The global community may frown at his tactics, but he remains popular with his countrymen and women.

De Lima’s comments follow the resignation of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Oscar Albayalde over allegations of corruption dating to a 2013 drug sting under his watch in Pampanga, a province near Manila. The general and 13 police officers were accused of selling confiscated drugs for their own profit and then under-reporting the amounts in their police reports.

What irks some is that Albayalde’s resignation was made only a few weeks before his planned retirement and that his pension would not be affected unless formal charges were brought against him which appears unlikely. Duterte has also said he will be given the due process of law on any charges, something that human rights groups say was not given to those killed in the drug war.

Amnesty International calls the resignation the “last blow to the credibility” of the drug war and has pleaded with Philippine authorities to end “this lawless and murderous campaign” and make sure “justice is served.”

The rights group added, “This scandal shows that impunity is entrenched in the institutions supposed to uphold human rights and the rule of law. The authorities must urgently expand their probe into General Albayalde to cover the wide-ranging police abuses that continue up to this day.”

De Lima has called on her colleagues at the Senate to join her in defending human rights and demanding accountability for “all the state-led killings in our country.”