Manila: President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to kill two imprisoned Chinese drug lords who have been going in and out of the Philippines with the help of prison wardens while serving time at the national penitentiary.
A Filipino drug lord who is married to a provincial vice-mayor will also be killed if he attempts to shuttle to and from the country while incarcerated at the New Bilibid Prison in Metro Manila’s suburban Muntinlupa, Duterte said as he presented a list of drug lords composed of Chinese nationals, Filipino mayors and policemen late on Thursday night, the transcript of which was released to the media on Friday.
The list of active drug lords included Wu Tuan, alias Peter Co, a member of China’s Triad who was imprisoned but has continued drug operations in northern and southern Luzon; Chinese national Peter Lim, alias Jaguar, also imprisoned but who has been a major drug operator in Visayas, central Philippines; and Herbert Golangco, son-in-law of Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog of Ozamiz City, southern Philippines.
“Retired police Marcelino Garbo is indicated in the line of hierarchy of drug lords,” said Duterte, referring to the former head of the Police Regional Office of Central Visayas from 2011 to 2013. Gardo retired in March 2016. Before the May 9 polls, he and three other police officers were seen in a meeting with a staff member of presidential candidate Mar Roxas of the ruling Liberal Party. Garbo was one of five police generals whom Duterte named earlier as protectors of drug lords.
“Peter Lim goes in and out of the Philippines. The moment he lands at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, he will die,” warned Duterte, adding, “I’m sure that Chinese authorities are listening. Better tell him, ‘do not come back to the Philippines anymore.’” Duterte did not reveal if Lim had escaped prison.
Issuing the same warning to Co and Golangco, Duterte said, “Do not escape from prison; never try to go out of prison, or you will die.” He assigned the department of interior and local government to investigate Garbo.
“There are mayors [on the list]. One is a mayor in Mindanao [southern Philippines]. There is even a woman mayor [involved in illegal drug trade],” said Duterte. He promised to make the list public after he has reviewed the dossiers and intelligence-gathering reports that were the bases of the list, the content of which he has partially revealed.
“These drug people are trashing us. They are destroying the country; they are destroying the youth of the land. My appeal to them, since they are beyond redemption, is to stop and commit suicide. I will not allow these idiots to run their show, not during my watch,” said Duterte.
Noting how drug lords operate, Duterte said, “Drug lords can always run the show even outside of our country. Most of the operators, most of the shabus [drugs] come from outside. They [suppliers of shabu] are jettisoned in the high seas. They have GPS to facilitate the location where the drugs are thrown overboard.”
Philippine National Police spokesperson, Superintendent Dionardo Carlos said that from May 9 to July 3, 103 suspected drug lords and pushers were killed; while 5,000 other suspects were arrested.
Mexican and West African drug cartels have been smuggling shabu into the Philippines for distribution to Southeast Asian countries. Chinese nationals have also established shabu laboratories in the Philippines. Illegal drug trade in the Philippines reached $8.3 billion (Dh30 billion) in 2013.
