Since then, the Philippines has once again made headlines across the globe for the notorious Duterte drug war. I have written before (See “Duterte, drugs, and the dregs of society,” The Manila Times, Nov. 1, 2019) that while our drug war may seem absurd and obscene to folks abroad, here it is quite understandable — even necessary. But the war about the drug war — that has turned partisan —between Duterte and Robredo is not about drugs per se, nor is it about extrajudicial killings. Think here of IS and the brutality that some have likened to the pointblank killings of the drug war. If Robredo be our new czar, let us hope that what she addresses is not the drug war, or the drugs, or the users, but the society that gives rise to these failed recalcitrant citizens.

Source: Manila Times November 14, 2019 16:10 UTC