‘There were abuses’ linked...

statement as basis for not sending out invites to ICC probers on behalf of the panel.

New strategy

Marcos said in the forum that illegal drugs continue to be “the source of much criminality” in the Philippines, remarking that “syndicates have grown stronger and wealthier and more influential.”

“But instead of going after everyone, we have tried to identify the key areas that we have to tackle, the key areas that we have to attend to so that we can see a diminution of the activity of the drug syndicates,” Marcos said. He said this includes a purge among the top brass of the police force who were asked by the government to submit courtesy resignations and be subject to investigations on their links to the illegal drug trade, which has so far led to the dismissal of two police generals and two police colonels.

Apart from this, Marcos also stressed the need for rehabilitation of people who use drugs and a “reeducation” campaign aimed to steer the youth away from drug use. 