Bato: Terror law to boost drug war

The new anti-terrorism law will help law enforcers go after drug traffickers who evade arrest with the help of extremist groups, Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa said Wednesday. 

When President Rodrigo Duterte launched the anti-narcotics campaign in 2016, some drug lords in Metro Manila fled to southern Lanao provinces and "sought refuge" in groups that had pledged allegiance to the ISIS militants or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, said Dela Rosa, a former national police chief. 

"We have observed that there seems to be a symbiotic relationship between the drug lords and the terror groups, lalong-lalo na dito sa (especially here in) Mindanao," he told ANC. 

"Itong mga (these) drug lords, they are feeding the terror groups with drug money and in return, itong mga terror groups are providing these drug lords with protection and safe haven... Mag-i-impact ito sa drug situation, itong Anti-Terror Law na ito dahil symbiotic relationship (the anti-terror law will have an impact on the drug situation because of this symbiotic relationship)," he added. 

The Anti-Terrorism Act, which the President signed last Friday, would allow terror suspects to be detained for up to 24 days without charges. 

This is "more than enough" to gather evidence against them, instead of mere intelligence reports that have "no investigative value" and "will not stand in court," said Dela Rosa. 

• 'Why fear possible abuse?' Dela Rosa tells terror law critics
• Bato: 'Dissolve' PNP, gov’t if we don’t trust drug war statistics
• Bato twits UN rights chief: Who is she to criticize drug war?

ANC, July 8, 2020