Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 14) — Senate President Tito Sotto will head the anti-illegal drug operations in the country if he wins the vice presidency, but the campaign will undergo a huge turn from the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs, Sotto’s running mate Sen. Ping Lacson said on Thursday.
The presidential aspirant said Sotto personally volunteered to take over the daunting task of overhauling the program if they win in next year’s elections. He added that Oplan Tokhang will no longer be continued since it has been carried out “indiscriminately.”
“Sabi niya masyadong focused ang Duterte government sa law enforcement kaya nagkaroon ng maraming issue. Under his management style, law enforcement will only be one component. Ang mas gusto niya i-focus ang prevention and rehab. Ito ang nakakaligtaan, dapat holistic ang approach,” Lacson said in a forum.
[Translation: He said the Duterte government focused too much on law enforcement, which encountered a lot of issues. Under his style, this is just one of the components. He wants to focus on prevention and rehabilitation, which were ignored. The approach must be holistic.]
Lacson, a former chief of the Philippine National Police, expressed full confidence in Sotto since he previously chaired the Dangerous Drugs Board.
Aside from the drug war, Lacson also said he will introduce changes to the pandemic response, which focused too much on lockdowns. He also vowed to put an end to the “double standard” shown by President Rodrigo Duterte during corruption investigations.
