EXECUTION OF DRUG CONVICTS NOT RULED OUT, SAYS PRESIDENT

President Arroyo yesterday said she is not ruling out the possibility of
sending convicted drug traffickers to the death chamber as part of the
intensified campaign against illegal drugs.

The President made the statement amid growing calls from groups for the
resumption of executions for those condemned to death for drugrelated
crimes.

"I shall make a decision on the possible re-imposition of the death penalty
on the basis of moral principles and due process," Arroyo said.

"I am prepared to exercise utmost political will to beat this menace in
accord with a sound and just moral compass," she said.

Arroyo said she would listen to the concerns of all sectors of society
before she resumes the executions.

Any revival of the capital punishment will have to include measures to
ensure "that those who would be condemned to death are indeed notorious drug
lords and not the small-time pushers," she said.

The President on Thursday rejected proposals to resume executins to avoid,
she said, heated debate and division among Filipinos.

Arroyo said that while she backs proposals of anti-drug enforcement
officials to execute convicted drug traffickers immediately, she wants to
move slowly on the matter in deference to the stand of the Catholic Church.

Her spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the President considers the death penalty a
"divisive issue" that could trigger "extended debates" and disrupt the
campaign against illegal drugs.

The President, meantime, yesterday signed the appointment of retired Col.
Reynaldo Jaylo as a director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Jaylo is the only member of the "four aces" who has an official role in the
government's anti-drug campaign. Arroyo has dropped the appointment of
former Manila Mayor ALfredo Lim as presidential adviser on illegal drugs and
ex-Major. Lucio Margallo as PDEA director.

Last year, the President implemented a moratorium on death penalty on
heinous crimes except for kidnapping while Congress debates the abolition of
the law on capital punishment. Lawmakers have yet to decide whether to
repeal the death penalty law.

Under Section 19, Article VII, of the Constitution, the President has the
authority to grant clemency or commute a death sentence to life
imprisonment. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)

Strategies

Interior and Local Government Secretary and Dangerous Drugs Board
OIC-Chairman Jose Lina Jr. yesterday unveiled the twin strategies the Arroyo
administration will pursue in the intensified campaign against illegal drugs
in the country, namely, supply reduction and demand reduction.

In a speech at the Manila Overseas Press Club DILG Night at the Manila
Hotel, Lina said that the concept of supply and demand reduction which
complements each other has been established worldwide in the fight against
drugs.

"With this scheme of action, we now have a blueprint for a powerfully
organized fighting machinery to ensure victory in the anti-drug war," Lina
said.

Supply reduction, he explained, is the primary function and responsibility
of the Philippine National Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and
other law enforcement units to stop the production, manufacture and
trafficking of illicit drugs, while demand reduction includes such programs
as education and awareness campaigns, treatment and rehabilitation programs,
among others.

He said that one of the strategies of supply reduction will focus on
"big-fishes" and "big protectors," particularly those in law enforcement
agencies or powerful elective or appointive positions.

Other measures to be undertaken under supply reduction are: linkages and
coordination with the international community to stem the flow of illegal
drugs into the country; combination of interdiction efforts, tightened
financial controls, arrests of major drug traffickers, and attacks on the
expansion of illicit crop cultivation; and focus on the areas like the
university belt where there is a high incidence of illegal drug activities.

On the other hand, strategies under the demand reduction concept will
include: strengthened linkages between national agencies for collaborative
efforts on drug prevention/education and enforcement; tapping the support of
local government units to tackle local problems; and providin information to
the youth on the perils of illegal drug use.

"Now, more than ever, the war on drugs is definitely more organized,
systematic and comprehensive with the enforcement of this integrated
national anti-drug abuse prevention and control strategy," he said.

The National Anti-Drug Strategy was formulated by the DDB in line with the
Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and upon the instructions of the
President.

Lina also said the DDB will soon start the seminar for prosecutors, judges
and cops on the salient provisions of RA 9165, which aims to provide them
with a better understanding and appreciation of the new anti-drugs law.

He said that through this seminar, dismissal of drug-related cases,
especially those involving big-time drug traffickers and traders would be
prevented, as law enforcers and prosecutors would complement their work and
ensure the conviction of those involved in the illegal drugs trade.

The DILG chief said that the government's vision of a drug-free Philippines
by 2010 is definitely attainable, especially now that the entire government
machinery and civil society are mobilized in the war on drugs.

"We have a battle plan and we are confident that we will win this fight
because no less than President Arroyo is the leader and moving spirit of
this campaign" he said. (Rico Navarro)

Jail bureau

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jose Lina Jr.
yesterday ordered the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to
conduct an inventory of district, city, and municipal jails nationwide which
have a large number of inmates facing drug-related charges, in view of the
expected surge of the jail population due to the government's renewed
campaign against illegal drugs.

In a memorandum to DILG Undersecretary for Peace and Order Marius Corpus and
BJMP OIC-Director Arturo Alit, Lina said the inventory is necessary to
ascertain which jails should be prioritized for expansion and/or renovation,
in the light of the intensified campaign by the Philippine Drug Enforcement
Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) against illegal
drugs.

At the same time, Lina directed Alit to immediately submit to him the
listing of inventoried jails with the most number of inmates facing
drug-related charges.

He said part of the P1-billion fund set aside by President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo in the fight against illegal drugs will be used in the construction
and/or expansion of jails with big population of inmates facing drug
charges, even as he reiterated his call on Congress to provide the bureau
with a bigger budget for the construction of bigger jails nationwide.

The DILG chief said the government's strict implementation of Republic Act
9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, compels the BJMP to
find ways and means to promptly address the worsening congestion woes among
its district, city and municipal jails.

"With thousands of drug traffickers, pushers, and users arrested by the PNP
and other law enforcement agencies, we should act promptly to prevent the
further congestion of our jails, as this would be detrimental to the health
and safety of inmates as well as pose problems for us in terms of preventing
incidents of jailbreaks and escapes," Lina said.

Records obtained from the BJMP revealed that, as of May, 24 percent of the
45,227 inmates in city, municipal, and district jails face drug charges, and
the influx of inmates with such cases increased at a monthly rate of 3.44
percent, which is the highest rate of increase compared to other crimes or
offenses.

The PDEA and PNP, in recent weeks, have arrested thousands of users and
pushers nationwide, all of whom land in jails while awaiting the conclusion
of their trials.

Lina also directed all the jail wardens to closely coordinate and work with
their local chief executives, city and municipal mayors, to work out plans
for the expansion of the local jails in the light of the expected influx of
detainees with drug-related offenses. (Rico Navarro)