Preventing a Nacro-Future
Matauhan Na Tayo!
•About Us • Home • Letters.
PREVENTING A NARCO-STATE
1. Inform the citizens about the narcotics problem in the country. It is not
simply the drug victims, but more critical are the sources of traffickers,
the drug lords and syndicates, and their influences - in some government agencies
and media. We are not just a market or prohibited drugs, we are alo a trans-shipment
point.
2. Inform the citizens of the dangers of the prohibited drugs destroying our
society. According to the latest figures, over 1,800,000 Filipinos are afflicted
with the drug problem, and around half of the crimes recorded are drug related
or drug induced.
The problem is true not just in Metro Manila, but also in the provinces. Some
stories of the problem:
•In one province in Luzon, the project of a high school almuni association
is to finance the purchase and operation of drug testing facilities in the
high school.
•According to one congressman from the north, in the smallest town in
his district (population 12,000) there is a drug problem.
•Mindanao has the highest percntage of drug users.
The problem is also not limited to the rich or middle class. A lot of our
marginalized communities are afflicted with the drug curse.
• One of our employees who lives in one of the urban poor communities
of Commonwealth tells us how the entire adjacent community and his own community
take precautionary measures in the evenings when they go home from work because
of the drug addicts. The streets they used to walk in the evenings from the
main road to their houses are no longer safe, so much so that they have to
take tricycles.
•In another depressed community near our school, there is also a fear
of the drug addicts, something that we never heard of in the many years that
we have worked in the said community.
3. Our youth are prime targets. In a recent survey of your youth (age 7
to 21- representing around 33% of our population of 25,000,000), the following
are some disturbing facts:
• 13% have tried prohibited drugs of 1 out of 10.
• The precentagees by area and by socio-economic class of those who have
tried prohibited drugs are as follows:Metro manila 12%
Balance Luzon 7
Visayas 7
Mindanao 20
Urban 11
Rural
class ab
Class C
class D
class E
•The youth are prime targets.
•The Lower Clases are again the victims.
•The upper classes are also victims, but in terms of
actual numbers, classes D and E will be much larger.
•The rural areas have a higher percentage, especially mindanao.
4. We must investigate how deep the penetration is in the goverment
in terms of officials being corrupted by narcotics money.
Questions to Ask-not accusations:
a. How many have actually been convicted of drug trafficking/pushing?
What is the percentage of convictions vis-a-vis charges files?
b. How effective is our anti-drug campaign in terms of implementation by law
inforcement agencies?
c. What credence is there to the persistent impression that some men in uniform
are actually involved in drug pushing?
d. what is the influence of drug money in the outcome of past elections
?5. We will study certain parallels between the Philippines and Colombia, and see that there is a clear and present danger of our becoming a narco-state.
6. We will empower the people not to sit and have the victim mentality, but
to organize in the communties, schools, clubs and associations, parishes,
etc. and coordinate nationwide to combat this evil. We will provide logistical
support by tapping the business commuinity to support this campaign.
7. This is not just about drugs, but it also is intertwined with the problem
of poverty. The great victims of this problem are our poor fellow Filipinos
as the numbers show.
DOMINATION OF ORGANIZED CRIMINAL SYNDICATES/GROUPS
The drug trafficking, kidnapping for ransom, summary executions and money
laundering cannot happen on a wide scale without a criminal infrastructure,
so to speak, in place. In short, the influence of oranized crime has increased
due to the penetration of these elements in our institutions. Corruption in
government is very much related to the influence of organized crime.
The present allegations against Senator Lacson show the extent of this influence
or domination. For example, we must remember that a criminal case due to the
Kuratong Baleleng alleged rubout has been filed early June 2001 and the temporary
restraining order will or has expired. This is cas that has expired. This
is case that has dragged for a while now.Focusing on The investigation of
Sen. Lacson
We appeal to the senate to focus on the investigation of the allegations of
Col. Corpus with regard to Sen. Lacson's involvement in several crimes - summary
executions, kidnapping for ransom, drug-trafficking and money laundering.
WE NEED TO ARRIVE AT THE TRUTH ABOUT THESE ALLEGATIONS, AND WE NEED JUSTICE
FOR ALL. If Col. Corpus is wrong, then he should be made accountable for his
mistakes- which are serious mistakes if indeed they are. If Sen. Lacson is
guillty, then he must also be made accountable.
Member Groups/Networks:
KOMPIL II•ULRTF•AKO•BAUPO•AKKAPKA•CLC•CLCFI•AKBAYAN•E-JUST•VACC KONSENSIYANG
PILIPINO•SOCIAL DEMOKRATIC CAUCUS• EARTH SAVERS•KKK•PMDG•CNN-APC•CLAMOR
TNK•CONCERNED WOMEN OF THE PHILIPPINES•SAMAHAN NG MGA MARALITA, KABATAAN AT
SIMBAHAN KOMPIL YOUTH•PANDAYAN•MANINDIGAN•HARIBON FOUNDATION•PAKISAMA•KRISTONG
HARI FOUNDATION•ICHF-PINADAMA•PALM PILOTS•STOP TRAFFICKING OF FILIPINO
WOMEN•WAVE•CENTER FOR PEACE•PLM•INSTITUTE FOR THE URBAN POOR•ANG
KASAMA•GOMBURZA-LAYGO•JESUIT VOLUNTEERS•PHILIPPINES AWARE•THAMES
INTERNATIONAL•PAGBABAGO@PILIPINAS•ECONOMIST INTELLEGENCE UNIT
•AS OF 18 AUGUST 2001