MANILA, Philippines — Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go reiterated his stand that the government must use proper force to solve the drug problem in the country.

“Dapat mong patayin talaga kung kailangan. Takutin mo, patayin mo. Kung hindi mo papatayin ‘yung drug lord, wala,” Go said.

He admitted it is difficult to stop the illicit drug trade. “It is hard to eradicate totally illegal drugs due to greed for money. They can buy anybody,” he also said.

Go issued the statements  in response to Vice President Leni Robredo’s recent statement that President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs is a “massive failure.”

Robredo released a report on the war on drugs on Monday, January 6, based on her eighteen-day stint as the co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD).

“You know who is  1%? VP Leni is that 1%. The 99%, those are the Filipinos who agreed on how President Rodrigo Duterte handled the war on drugs,” said Go, referring to Robredo’s statement that the score of the war on drugs should be 1 over 100.

The neophyte senator noted that between one person using her own computation giving a grade of 1% and 79% of Filipinos who said they are satisfied with our campaign, he will choose to believe the latter.

He also emphasized that the government has rehabilitation centers for those who wish to rehabilitate themselves.

Last July 2018, Go filed Senate Bill 399 that seeks to establish drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation centers in every province in the country.  It seeks to augment the ongoing campaign against illegal drugs by adopting a two-pronged approached—subduing the criminals responsible for drug-related crimes while providing care and attention for the rehabilitation and recovery of drug dependents.

The centers shall provide care, treatment and accommodation to drug dependents; enhance drug dependents’ physical, psychological and social capability to cope up with common problems; facilitate and encourage dissemination of ideas and information on prevention, care, treatment and control of drug addiction; provide after-care and follow-up and social reintegration services.

It shall also encourage the formation of organizations composed of parents, guardians and immediate relatives of drug dependents to arouse their awareness and enhance their participation in the rehabilitation; undertake continuous training of physicians, nurses, health officerand social workers; and conduct counseling sessions and interdenominational services. (Stacy Ang/JGo/Currentph.com)