President Duterte warned yesterday that the Philippines is in “trouble” as two international triads are now behind the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country.

The President bared that the ”Bamboo” and the “14K” triads have taken over local drug operations, even turning the country as a transshipment point of the illegal substance to the United States.

Faced with such threat, Duterte pushed for closer cooperation between the Philippines and the United States to combat the organized crime syndicates behind drug trafficking.

“We are in trouble and this is the first time that I would reveal it because we’re talking about the Constitution and the interest of the country and, of course, the Bill of Rights and due process,” the President said during the 56th anniversary of the Philippine Constitution Association (PHILCONSA) at the Manila Hotel.

“The Philippines today is a client state of the Bamboo Triad. They have taken over the operations, sad to say, Chinese but I do not mean the country and the people. (In a) sense that they are, most of them are really into this kind of business,” he said.

The President, in an earlier speech at the anniversary rites of the Department of Justice, claimed that the Taiwan-based Bamboo triad and another group, the 14K triad based in Hong Kong, were running the drug trade in Southeast Asia.

“Itong drug ngayon [The drug trade] is being operated by the 14K, Bamboo Triad. They have taken over. They are cooking the shabu in the high seas,” he said before the DOJ assembly before proceeding to the PHILCONSA event on the same night.

He claimed those cooking illegal drugs were given a “franchise in distribution.”

At the PHILCONSA event, the President acknowledged that it was imperative for Manila and Washington to work closely against the illegal drug traffickers.

“I said they have decided to go international. (The) Philippines is a transshipment of shabu to America and it behooves upon America to work closely with the Republic of the Philippines, especially on this serious matter,” he said.

He admitted that the country has been “flooded” with illegal drugs, adding drug traffickers are “happy” selling the illegal substance “because they are protected.”

“We have become a narco state a long time ago,” he said, citing that 40 percent of barangays have been infected with illegal drug trades.

The President however issued a stern warning to the drug syndicates against operating in the country.

“I’m warning — a lot of guys have taken over. Do not do it here. If we meet in one corner, I’m sorry. I am really sorry. I’m saying it to God, not to anybody else. I will not offer apologies or excuses. I have to do what I must do,” he said.

He noted that illegal drugs were being cooked on ships and thrown overboard for eventual pickup by local drug lords. A global position system unit is installed on the  contraband so it could be traced by the syndicate.

The President, meantime, vowed that there would no letup in the campaign against illegal drugs but assured that due process must be observed.

“When it comes to this country, I could be the most brutal but I do not lose sight of the Constitution,” he said.

“I have been a prosecutor, I know what due process means…I do not want killing innocent Filipino people,” he added.

The President also pledged that he would enforce the country’s laws without fear or favor.

“I am a worker of government who swore before the people and God that I will enforce the law. And it is part of that oath that I do not have to favor anybody and that the laws of the land will be applicable to all, the rich and the poor,” he said.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Genalyn Kabiling

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