T H U R S D AY : J U LY 7, 2 0 1 6
A10
OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph
THEY ARE NOT DRUG LORDS TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO
AFTER reading newspaper reports and watching television clips on the allout campaign against illegal drugs, which President Rodrigo Duterte vowed would be eradicated within six months, I now have a few questions. Are those being killed in alleged shootouts with the police real drug lords, or just plain pushers or drug addicts turned pushers? It is impossible
Can drug lords be found in squatter areas?
that drug lords live in shanties. Why are law enforcement agencies packing already-congested jails with drug dependents when these are supposed to be victims of the drug menace? Or, are they actually pushers pretending to be addicts? With what we are seeing now, does it not seem that the BS Aquino administration simply tolerated the proliferation of illegal drugs, not doing anything to stop it? And with the alleged involvement of at least five police generals already named, and with at least 35 heads of local government units also involved, but not yet named, could it be possible that people around BS Aquino himself are the true drug lords? I have no ready answers to these questions, but it does seem the real drug lords are in the higher echelons of society. I advise the President and his Chief of Police to also go after movie and TV celebrities instead of targeting the poor. It is an open secret in the entertainment industry that users can easily buy drugs.
*** The police generals, two of them already retired, and the other three already deactivated, are luckier than the dealers and pushers who are being targeted by the police and other law enforcement agencies. The latter are simply killed. The five police generals still have to be investigated by the National Police Commission if they are still members of the PNP. If not, they have to go through the normal process required by law. First of all, there must be positive proof and evidence of their involvement considering the fact that a person is presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. Their names made public by the President is not proof. Then they must be tried. For those still in active service, they must be tried by the Sandiganbayan. And for those already retired, by regional trial courts. My gulay, that can take months or even years! And if they have good lawyers, that can even exceed the six years of the Duterte administration. Look at the Ampatuan massacre case. It has been years since the alleged culprits were indicted. To this end, Duterte himself may be realizing that his vow to end criminality, illegal drugs and corruption could not be achieved in six months. Being a lawyer himself, he knows what is legal and not legal. *** Vice President Leni Robredo says that with or without a cabinet position, she’ll continue to support President Duterte. Does she has any other choice? After all, members of BS Aquino’s Yellow Army are now gravitating to the Duterte camp. This brings up the question of whether Robredo as vice president is still relevant. I believe she has become irrelevant for two reasons. First, because her vice presidency is under question. We all know how she won it. We also know that Sena-
BIGGER FISH TO FRY JUST this Tuesday at the 69th anniversary of the Philippine Air Force in Clark Freeport, President Rodrigo Duterte named five police generals allegedly involved in illegal drug operations. They have since been relieved of their positions. President Rody even said that he had been hearing the names of those generals and their alleged involvement in illegal drugs even when he was still mayor of Davao City, which only means that the previous administration had these supposed scoundrels under their noses all this time— whether knowingly or unwittingly, we may never know, but there is blame to be placed either way. The President was in fighting form, as always, and was particularly feisty in front of PAF officers. What he said after winning the presidential race was right: this is going to be a dirty fight, and this is going to be a bloody fight. An astute student of the law, he said he would not apologize for his fight against illegal drugs, and that he is taking full legal responsibility for it. It’s a refreshing thing to hear a president who knows what he is doing, one that has a sense of righ-
MINORITY REPORT DANILO SUAREZ teous but responsible indignation. It is refreshing because the stark difference was made apparent immediately after he assumed office. On the same day, 35 members of the Quezon City Police District were relieved from their respective duties. They have been assigned to regions in Mindanao. Five of them were from the Anti-Illegal Drugs Division, while the others were from the Special Operations Unit. We have seen in the past few days President Rody’s promise to eradicate illegal drugs in the country slowly coming to fruition. We have heard of foreign crime lords turning tail right after the presidential election results came out, and we have read about seizures, arrests, and defeats of drug suspects from Metro Manila and beyond. Of course these small fry have led critics to cast doubt on the new administration’s sincerity and ability to
fulfill its promises, but now that officials are clearly on their way to reel in the big fish, the critics can take their yellowing feet and shove it down their own mouths. Let us remember that the drug menace would not have become the pandemic it is today where it not for the coddling of the past administration’s narco-politicians and narco-generals. We await with bated breath for lady justice to catch these big fishes. For generals down to the PO1s living beyond their means, sporting SUVs and residing in multimillion-peso houses and condos, without a care in the world because of the impunity afforded by Daang Matuwid, their time has thankfully come to an end. After the first few days of the new administration, pessimists of the yellow kind have been critical of the status quo in various issues, particularly on the crusade against illegal drugs. My answer to them is this: If President Rody is able to solve the problem of drug syndicates, then this will be a lasting legacy for future generations, to remember him with honor and respect.
BREXIT DEMONSTRATES THE POWER OF THE OLD By Narayana Kocherlakota BRITAIN’S decision to leave the European Union should serve as an important reminder for the leaders of all democracies with aging populations: Pay more attention to what older folks think, and learn how to communicate with them. Of all age groups, people 65 and over voted most overwhelmingly in favor of Brexit. This demonstrates that seniors have a unique set of interests and understanding of economic tradeoffs—all of which policy makers ignore at their peril. Consider, for example, how governments respond to economic shocks, such as the potential fallout from Brexit. Economists typically advise them to rely heavily on central banks, which seek to support growth and keep inflation near target primarily by taking actions detor Bongbong Marcos should be the vice president, not Leni, who is trying hard to stick like a leech. If only to get into the news, Robredo makes herself look humble and pro-poor, like taking the bus to go to Camarines Sur. She attempts to identify herself with Duterte, coming from the ranks of the poor.
signed to lower interest rates. Older folks, however, have ample reason to oppose such monetary stimulus. They have more net worth, and hence more to lose when investment returns decline along with interest rates. They hold a lot of annuities and bonds that benefit when inflation is unusually low. And they tend to be retired, meaning that they’re less interested in boosting employment and wages. (In all those areas, the US Federal Reserve’s policies over the past few years have actually benefitedseniors at the expense of the broader economy.) Economists have also argued that, with interest rates low, the government should borrow money to invest in infrastructure projects such as road repair, which would create jobs while increasing the economy’s longer-term potential. But older folks have less incentive to support such fiscal measures, which are designed to pay off in
It has become “overacting” on the part of Robredo, making her “plastic” in more ways than one. Somebody identified with the Duterte camp told me that the President is just humoring her when she wants to see him. *** The yearlong lifestyle checks of all government workers by the Duterte
large part when they’re long gone. All this suggests that the people charged with managing the economy should rethink how they do their jobs in older societies. There may, for example, be ways to offset the political pressures that work against effective monetary policy. In the UK, social security payments are partially indexed to wage growth, giving seniors more reason to support the goals of full employment and higher pay. Even with such adjustments, though, I suspect that many seniors will still push back against easy money. This will require more reliance on fiscal policy, with tools tailored to garner the support of older citizens. Measure such as public investment in medical facilities and training, or increased subsidies for long-term care and pharmaceuticals, might be more palatable than spending on roads and bridges while being no less useful economically. Bloomberg
administration is supposed to flush out corrupt government workers. This should have been done a long time ago considering since many in government have lifestyles beyond their means, or what get from their government post as salaries and other perks. The problem with this move of the President is that he will still have to
depend on chiefs of government, like at Customs, BIR and LTO. My gulay, even security guards at Customs have flashy cars as Nick Faeldon, newly appointed Customs chief will soon find out. Duterte must realize soon enough that it takes more than honesty to stop corruption. The lifestyle check is long overdue.