Arroyo appoints herself narcotics office czar

Manila: President Gloria Arroyo has appointed herself head of the anti-narcotics office, saying she will boost her country's judicial system and law enforcement agencies to start a new three-pronged strategy to fight illegal drugs.

"I will temporarily act as the czar, or overseer of the war against illegal drugs," Arroyo said in a statement after a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace.

Three aspects

"The war shall be waged from three fronts, a trinity against illegal drugs. The three components will be law enforcement, judicial action, and policy-making," Arroyo said, adding her new approach will be an "unyielding and unrelenting war against illegal drugs."

"My next step is to turn over the job to the Dangerous Drugs Board Chairman Vicente Sotto III and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Dionisio Santiago," Arroyo said.

Corruption

Explaining her moves, Arroyo said, "Governments that delay action against illegal drugs, or regard it as a routine police matter, do so at their own peril."

"A country awash with illegal drugs is a country compromised, its law and order institutions tainted and corrupted."

The Philippines has a law that imposes life term for convicted drug traffickers. But corrupt officials and law enforcers have allegedly prevented accused drug traffickers from serving a jail term, lawmakers have complained.

A UN report said the Philippines has the highest rate of drug users among ten-member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).