Prominent daily NEWSBITS: “P6.8M SHABU NASAMSAM SA DALAWANG TULAK SA MARAWI CITY,” “P6.9M SHABU NASAMSAM SA HIGH VALUE INDIVIDUAL SA CEBU,” “P6.8M HINIHINALANG SHABU NASAMSAM SA PAMPANGA,” “P1.7M SHABU NASABAT SA HIGH-VALUE INDIVIDUAL SA BUTUAN.”
Why so much shabu still proliferating nationwide today? Note that it was promised more then six years ago by former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte that his “War on Drugs” campaign with the then Davao City Police Director Bato dela Rosa’s “Operation Tokhang” (and supported by Sara Duterte as Davao City Mayor then, and now pursued by the current Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte) will solve the country’s Drug Problem in six months or within a year. What’s the truth in the Dutertes’ words, or for that matter, along with his rabid fellow dynasty supporters in the Senate, House of Representatives, LGU public officials and the lead law enforcer institution PNP? The people are at a loss as to why the drug lords are still around, apparently running circles around the PNP, and the Uniteam administration of Bongbong Marcos and Sarah Duterte, and their dynast followers.
It looks like our public officials at the top of the government bureaucracy are primarily focused on “who said that this official is “bangag” or “addict,” or that there is an exchange of “bad shots” among certain public personalities, or that there are too many Chinese students in Cagayan or in Palawan, or that a senator is questioning the DSWD Secretary about his name being unmentioned in the department’s social services program,” etc.
Shouldn’t these public officials concentrate on their mandate to “serve the people”? Couldn’t they find and arrest the Drug Lords who are smuggling in the illegal drugs? Or shouldn’t they face head-on the aggressive bullying of China’s Coast Guards vessels against our legitimate maritime activities in our own West Philippine Sea and Ayungin Shoal? (A former top public official has been named in social media as having forged a traitorous agreement with China’s president.) There are urgent gut-people issues to be addressed: economic recovery; availability of P20/kg of rice; jeepney drivers’ right to ply Philippine public roads, as their livelihood, and to serve the thousands of commuters; the rigging of the may 9, 2022 elections by Comelec/Smartmatic (as claimed by the TNT and other IT professional groups); the corruption in government; the decade-long problem of El Nino pestering our farmers’ plight as food producers for our people; the long-awaited justice to be enjoyed by the families of the 30,000 EJK and red-tagged victims, including more then 700 political prisoners languishing in jail; the investigation of questionable arrests of youthful environmental activists or innocent youths, or even the recent killing by the army of a youth, KALISKA DOMINICA C. PERALTA; and many other issues brought up by civil society groups and citizens concerned with good governance.
When will the country find itself blessed with servant-leader public officials as the majority in government? And that is, instead of self-serving dynastic leaders lording over the people, using the people’s money practically for their own personal vested interests, and worse, to exploit and oppress the marginalized and voiceless in society. When will our people cherish the reign of Truth, Justice, Peace and real Progress in our beloved Philippines?
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonColumn #ColumnbyBoniMacaranas #PoliticsIsLife