Man-child in Malacañang

By: Artchil B. Fernandez

PIQUED by criticisms on his flagship program, the war against illegal drugs, Du30 unleashed again his infamous tantrum this week. This time his specific target is Vice President Leni Robredo.

Earlier, Reuters interviewed Vice President Robredo and she gave some observations on the pet project of Du30, his war on drugs. In the interview, she lamented the rising number of people killed in the war, mostly poor.

“A lot of people have died and the numbers are still rising. It needs to be assessed,” she said.  (Official figures indicated 5,526 deaths while human rights groups estimate 27,000 casualties in the war on drugs.)

Aside from commenting on the slaughter of thousands in the name of anti-illegal drug operations, the Vice President also noted that the war failed to achieve its objective. “The President has already made very serious threats to drug syndicates, to drug lords . . . and yet it’s still very prevalent, so obviously it’s not working,” Robredo observed. This implies that if the war is not attaining its goal, then it is a failure.

Furthermore, Vice President Robredo keenly sees one major reason why the war against illegal drugs is failing if not a failure. “We have seen a lot of police [who] have abused their powers and not been penalized so this is where the International Criminal Court (ICC) could come in, if we do not show the world that we can take care of our own mess,” she remarked. This is an obvious dig at the role of ninja cops in the tenacity of the illegal drugs trade.  Many in the police force are involved in the trade of illegal drugs.

Irritated by the observations of Vice President Robredo on his most beloved project, Du30 again publicly displayed his signature paroxysm. Like a child denied his favorite candy, Du30 let loose a mouthful against the vice president.  Talking to reporters in Malacañang, he decried the observations of Robredo. “I said if she wants, I can commission her to be the drug czar. She has many complaints out there. She said you have to redirect your… or whatever.”

“Now if you’re better than me, I’ll hand to you full powers over the drug [war]. I’ll give you six months. Let’s see if you can handle it,” Du30 said, addressing Vice President Robredo. “I will surrender my powers to enforce the law. I will give it to the Vice President. I will give it to her for six months,” he taunted. “Let’s see what will happen. I will not interfere. You want it? You’re more bright? Then try it,” he said.

It does not take one to be a professional psychologist to see that we have a man-child in Malacañang.  These rants are certified childish. Du30 is like a child angry at someone who gives unpalatable comments on his favorite toy or shirt.

In the first place, it is the right of every Filipino including Vice President Robredo to hold Du30 and his administration accountable for the solemn promise he made to the nation while asking for votes in the last election. He firmly pledged. “Give me three to six months and I will end the problem of illegal drugs in the country.” On the basis of this promise, he won the election. He is now more than three years in office. The nation is asking, what happened to his promise? The Vice President is merely echoing the sentiment of the Filipino people in this regard.

Du30 made the promise on his own volition. Nobody forced him to make that pledge to the nation.  He has to take account of that promise. Instead, he got mad.

But scratching deeper, the anger of Du30 is actually an expression of frustration and an admission of failure of his war against illegal drugs. He is piqued whenever people raise questions on the outcome of his flagship program because he knows it is a failure. More than three years after he made the promise with thousands of Filipinos butchered he has nothing substantial to show of progress.

As early as a year in office Du30 already felt that his war against illegal drugs is headed to a debacle. In a speech in Ozamiz City in August 2017 he admitted he overestimated the problem. “I feel so bad [about] all of these things. Kasi nalaman ko, paano ko makontrol in three to six months, ang mga generals na pulis nandiyan. Tapos ‘yung mga Bureau of Customs na inaasahan ko, p*******ina nasa droga. How will I succeed, e nasa droga,” Du30 acknowledged.

“Sabi ko, tama iyang silang mga kritiko ko. ‘Eh sabi mo, noong nag-Presidente ka, three to six months.’ Hindi ko alam pagpasok ko, eh Davao lang kasi ako, so ang template ko Davao… May droga, pero sabi ko, maglaro ka doon, patay ka talaga,” he added.  “Alam ko na nagkamali ako. Nagkamali talaga ako,” Du30 confessed. In the same speech Du30 extended his drugs war until the end of term.

Du30, in his own words in 2017, has already recognized that his war on drugs is not gaining traction.  Why is he is now angry at Vice President Robredo for saying the same thing? What the Vice President observes now, Du30 already knows two years ago.

It is right that Vice President Robredo ignored Du30’s tease and refused the drug czar post he dangled. It is a trap and could just be a joke. Had she shown any inclination to accept, Du30 might withdraw the offer and laugh at her expense. Robredo is wise enough to see the entrapment and did not bother to entertain the game the man-child in Malacañang wants to play.

The war on drugs is a failure because it only offered a one-track, one-sided solution to the illegal drugs menace. Du30 wrongly assumed killing people will solve the problem. Worst, he targeted only the small-time pushers and drug users, leaving the big drug lords untouched. He even made a deal with some of the drug lords – protection in exchange for false testimonies against Sen. Leila de Lima. Given the wrong premise, the result is not just epic failure but a catastrophe to the nation.