EX-PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte’s hardline anti-drug campaign led to a rise in crimes during his administration, a congressman said on Wednesday, attributing the increase to revenge killings.
“An action has a corresponding reaction. When you kill a drug suspect, and if an innocent family member or civilian gets caught in it, then more often than not, someone from the bereaved family will seek revenge,” Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers, who heads the House of Representatives dangerous drugs committee, said in a statement in Filipino.
Mr. Duterte’s campaign against the illegal drug trade left thousands dead, prompting an investigation by the International Criminal Court.
The Philippine government estimated that 6,252 died under the campaign, according to a Facebook infographic report published on June 21, 2022, by RealNumbersPH, which is operated by the Inter-agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs. Human rights groups say the death toll could be as high as 30,000.
In the same statement, Sta. Rosa City Rep. Danilo Ramon “Dan” S. Fernandez said the Marcos administration’s efforts to curb illegal drugs will likely not elicit “a desire for revenge.”
“It focuses on apprehending suspects and rehabilitating them, instead of ‘neutralizing’ them,” Mr. Fernandez, who heads the House public order and safety panel, said.
Index crimes in the Philippines from July 1, 2022 to July 28, 2024 dropped to 83,059 from 217,830 in the same period during the first two years of Mr. Duterte’s term, he added, citing a report from the Philippine National Police. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
