The Duterte administration has scored big in fighting criminality, particularly the proliferation of illegal drugs, during the past two years.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel II made this assessment yesterday as President Duterte marked the second anniversary of hiws assumption to office.

“In terms of showing political will, the performance of the President was very strong, in terms of peace and order, especially in fighting illegal drugs. The administration made a mark and continuous to make a mark,” said Pimentel.

According to Pimentel, while other administrations promised to combat criminality, they apparently did not have the focus exerted by the Duterte administration.
“At least now, we see that fighting criminality is a priority, the focus really is there to fight illegal drugs,” said Pimentel.

Pimentel, who served as Senate President from July 2016 to May 2018, also stressed that the administration also delivered on most of its legislative promises.

“In terms of enacted laws, we have delivered almost all of those promised by the President…except maybe for three,” said Pimentel, who is a partymate of Mr. Duterte from the Partido Demokratiko ng Pilipinas.

Duterte’s political will was very evident when he decisively declared martial law in Mindanao barely hours after Islamic State-inspired terrorists laid siege on Marawi City.

In the campaign against criminality, he has ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to sustain the campaign, particularly against illegal drugs.

Duterte said that the campaign will continue until the last druglord is jailed.
So far, more than 4,000 drug personalities had been killed during actual police operations from July 1, 2016 to May 2018.
Several high–profile individuals, with links to the illegal drug trade, were also killed during the past two years.
Those killed included former Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and Albuera, Leyte ex-Mayor Rolando Espinosa, and Melvin Odicta, alias Dragon—tagged as a big-time drug lord in the Visayas.
Pimentel, however, urged the government to train its sights on big-time sources of illegal drugs like the importers and manufacturers.