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Marcos Jr.: 'Extermination' never part of drug war strategy

Article (news)

Rowegie Abanto

ABS-CBN News

<div><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"></span><br/></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 9px;line-height:21px;overflow-wrap:break-word;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"></span><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172163937528920230316-pdea-destruction-seized-drugs-MT-9.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">Agents from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and workers load confiscated illegal drugs into an incinerator during the destruction of illegal drugs in Trece Martires, Cavite on March 16, 2023. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 9px;line-height:21px;overflow-wrap:break-word;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) that &quot;extermination&quot; has never been a part of his administration&#x27;s anti-illegal drugs campaign, stressing that the drive will remain &quot;bloodless.&quot;<br/></span></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 9px;line-height:21px;overflow-wrap:break-word;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">&quot;Our bloodless war on dangerous drugs adheres and will continue to adhere to the established... effective anti-illegal drugs strategy. Extermination was never one of them,&quot; he said.</span></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 9px;line-height:21px;overflow-wrap:break-word;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">He added that in more than 71,500 drug operations so far under his term, more than P44 billion worth of illegal drugs had been confiscated.</span></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 9px;line-height:21px;overflow-wrap:break-word;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">Authorities also arrested over 97,000 drug personalities, including 6,000 high-value targets, 440 government employees, 42 uniformed personnel, and 77 elected officials, he said.</span></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 9px;line-height:21px;overflow-wrap:break-word;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">A &quot;drug war&quot; declared by Mayor Sebastian Duterte in Davao City led to the relief of police officers involved in operations in May that ended in the deaths of seven drug suspects.</span></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 9px;line-height:21px;overflow-wrap:break-word;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/regions/2024/3/26/5-dead-after-mayor-baste-declares-war-on-drugs-in-davao-city-1022"></a><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/regions/2024/3/26/5-dead-after-mayor-baste-declares-war-on-drugs-in-davao-city-1022">READ: Baste Duterte questions relief of Davao cops over bloody anti-drug operations<br/></a></span></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 9px;line-height:21px;overflow-wrap:break-word;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><strong>DRUG KILLINGS CONTINUE UNDER MARCOS ADMIN</strong></span></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 9px;line-height:1.5;overflow-wrap:break-word;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">Since assuming office, Marcos has sought to veer away from his predecessor&#x27;s deadly anti-narcotics campaign and emphasized a &quot;bloodless&quot; approach to solving the problem.</span></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/3/22/philippines-drug-war-what-changed-under-president-marcos-1605" id="isPasted">READ: Philippines drug war: What changed under President Marcos?</a></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">However, according to University of the Philippines-based Dahas PH, which monitors drug killings in the Philippines, drug-related killings continue under the Marcos Jr. administration, saying state agents are still &quot;prominently involved&quot; in these deaths.</span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">It said drug-related deaths in the Marcos administration&#x27;s second year exceeded those it documented in the previous year.</span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">From July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, Dahas PH recorded 359 drug-related killings. </span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">It logged 342 drug killings in the year before that. </span></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/4/16/-walang-namatay-marcos-touts-bloodless-drug-war-after-historic-drug-bust-1224" id="isPasted">RELATED: &#x27;Walang namatay&#x27;: Marcos touts &#x27;bloodless&#x27; drug war after historic drug bust</a></div>

<p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) that "extermination" was never a part of his administration's anti-illegal drugs campaign, stressing that the drive will remain "bloodless."</p>

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) that "extermination" was never a part of his administration's anti-illegal drugs campaign, stressing that the drive will remain "bloodless."