PRESIDENT Duterte on Wednesday night said he intends to “go hard” against crime in the last two years of his term as he expressed alarm over a reported increase in street crimes, including robberies as the economy is being reopened.
“I really intend to go hard within the last two years of my term including against these criminals. We have seen an upsurge of holdups, street crimes, again it’s because of the liberality being offered by the opening of the economy. And of course, people are now allowed to roam freely and to travel,” the President said in mixed Filipino and English during his weekly “Talk to the People” address.
He said he recently saw a footage of a motorcycle-riding criminal who, after getting close to a private vehicle, shot the passengers inside before fleeing.
“This is very hard to control. I understand the nightmare the police are facing on how to control the mobility of the criminal right after committing a crime,” he said.
Duterte said he plans to discuss the crime situation further with Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano, including possible measures like purchasing more motorcycles and providing additional training for the police including those in the Highway Patrol Group to enable them to go after motorcycle-riding criminals.
Ano on Wednesday night reported to the President that more than P816 billion worth of shabu that had been seized by the government had been destroyed as ordered by Duterte.
Duterte said there should be closer coordination between the Department of Justice, Office of the Solicitor General and the courts to expedite the destruction of the illegal drugs that were seized during police operations.
He reiterated that only a portion of the seized illegal narcotics should be kept while the rest should be destroyed to avoid reselling in the market.
