{UAH} Duterte’s passion to help the poor

Duterte's passion to help the poor

By NESTOR MATA

January 19, 2017

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Roa Duterte has shown his love and passion to help millions of the poor Filipinos.

The President showed this soon after the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) turned over to him P5-billion from which P1 billion funds to allot P1 billion to provide free medicines for the indigents while another P1 billion for the medication of drug addicts.

In his first public statement this year when he inducted into office newly-appointed officials in Malacañang, Duterte said that if he had a choice, he would have given the other billion to feed the hungry poor.

In his own words, "Imagine, P1-billion which could be used for something like feeding the hungry, spent for these fools (referring to the drug addicts). I don't like this!" 

In the same statement, Duterte also assured that he will be harsher now in eradicating illegal drugs and corruption in government. 

Then President sarcastically told his critics and human rights activists that "if you want the drug-related killings (a.k.a. 'extrajudicial killings' to be stopped immediately, go to them and say just shabu, turn your back and walk from the shabu industry, and tomorrow it will be heavily peace." 

One recalls that during his campaign for the presidency, Duterte promised to put an end to drug addiction and put behind bars all drug lords, drug providers and drug addicts in his first six months in office.

Eventually, when President Duterte found out that the drug problem was so enormous, spreading from Luzon to the Visayan islands and Mindanao, has called for more time to fulfil his promise.

He has also realized that corruption in government and criminality are just as widespread as the drug menace that it may take more the six years of his term in office to put them to an end, as he had promised, too.

Soon after, Duterte warned that if the drug problem would become "virulent" he would impose martial law.

His remark startled some members of the Senate and cautioned him against making such a statement that might cause public fear, while his allies allayed such fear, saying the President was just showing his anger and frustration over the drug menace.

As Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa put it, "it was an angry expression of the President and the public and the media should not be surprised at all such an outburst."

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez also said that the remark of the President was "merely his style of issuing dramatic statements to show his resolve to end the scourge of illegal drugs in the country."

Actually, recalled Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, the President has already stated categorically his view against martial law because it would not improve the lives of Filipinos at all.

*** 

Quote of the Day: "We can beat the illegal drug problem if both the government and society work together to extinguish it." --- Rafael Alunan III

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