Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo on Saturday, November 22, said the country’s anti-drug campaign under the Duterte administration failed to curb illegal drugs, arguing that the problem in Naga worsened despite years of aggressive enforcement operations.
Robredo said the surge in drug cases from 2016 onwards proved that the strategy “did not solve the problem,” even as thousands were killed under Oplan Tokhang.
“Sa totoo lang, lumala tayo dahil doon. Dahil napakaraming taong namatay, hindi naman nila nasolusyonan ‘yung drug problem,” Robredo said in Bikol Naga.
“Halimbawa, ang problema sa droga sa Naga, lumala ‘yan noong panahon nila. Hindi naman ‘yan malaking problema dito sa atin dati, kayo ang makakapag-patunay. Pero noong mga 2016 onwards, lalong lumalala despite Tokhang,” she stressed.
Robredo emphasized that focusing almost entirely on enforcement had been ineffective both locally and nationally, citing global lessons that punitive-heavy approaches rarely succeed.
“Ang pagsugpo sa problema sa droga nakatutok sa enforcement. Hindi ’yan gagana,” she said.
While rehabilitation programs existed, the Naga City Mayor argued that implementation had been shallow: “Medyo mababaw dahil compliance lang.”
“Kung nakatulong siya, sana wala na tayong problema sa droga. Pero ang sinasabi ko lang, ang diperensya dito sa atin, pareho ng diperensya sa national: ang pagsugpo sa problema sa droga nakatutok sa enforcement. Hindi ‘yan gagana. Ang mga leksyon sa buong mundo, ipinakita na ‘yan na kapag enforcement lang ang tutok mo, wala talaga,” Robredo said.
“May sinasabi man na rehab, pero kapag tiningnan mo, medyo mababaw dahil compliance lang. So, ngayon na apat na buwan pa lamang akong nakaupo, sinimulan na nating mas tingnan ‘yung prevention side,” she said.
The Mayor said that in her first four months in office, the city government began shifting toward a stronger prevention-driven strategy, which she believes is essential to tackling the roots of the drug problem.
“Ngayon na apat na buwan pa lamang akong nakaupo, sinimulan na nating mas tingnan ‘yung prevention side,” she said.
Her comments followed earlier warnings issued on Tuesday, November 18, when she revealed that some police “assets” assigned to barangays were emerging as the main drug personalities in their areas.
Robredo said she has repeatedly relayed such reports to Naga City Police Chief Col. Gilbert Fariñas, stressing that the current anti-drug framework “is not doing enough” and that coordination between the Philippine National Police and City Hall must be tightened.
“Grabe ang problema sa drugs dito, kahit sa City Hall mismo,” she said during a local radio interview earlier in the week, adding that residents had filed complaints implicating certain police informants.
“Ang pinaka-problema nila ay ’yung asset mismo ng pulis—siya pa ’yung nagiging main drug personality sa barangay,” Robredo earlier said.
Robredo also described as “alarming” the growing involvement of high school students in illegal drugs, based on community reports compiled by her office.
“Parang nasanay na lang; pati mga high school students, involved na sa drugs,” she lamented.
