‘KILL KILL KILL’ (9)

HINDI batid ng sambayanang Filipino na mambubudol ng nahalal bilang pangulo sa halalan ng 2016. Budol-budol ang Filipinas ni Gongdi. Pekeng war on drugs ang ibinigay ni Gongdi sa bayan. Iba ang nangyari noong 2022, ang buong akala ni Gongdi bibigyan siya ng proteksyon ni BBM. Si Gongdi ang nabudol ni BBM

Kung ikaw si BBM, bakit mo bibigyan ng proteksyon si Gongdi laban sa ICC at iba pa? Walang silbi Gongdi at walang idudulot na kabutihan ang anumang alyansa kanya. Gusto ni Gongdi siya ang bida kahit wala na sa poder. Gustong siya ang hari kahit may iba ng nakaluklok.

Mahirap kaalyado si Gongdi dahil wala siyang katapatan kahit sa sinuman. Ang katapatan niya’y sa sarili lang. Ipagkakanulo ni Gongdi ang sinuman. Makapili si Gongdi at tanging sa China ang kanyang katapatan. Hindi sa bayang Filipinas. Siya ang alipin ng China at kasama niyang naglilingkod sa Peking ang mga utusan paris ni Bong Go, Bato, Francis, Robin, at iba pa.

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KATAPUSANG bahagi ito ng unang tsapter ng aking unang aklat “KILL KILL KILL Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines; Crimes Against Humanity vs. Rodrigo Duterte Et. Al.” Bahagyang tinalakay ko ang pandaigdigang sitwasyon ng kalakalan ng bawal na droga.

GLOBAL DIMENSION OF DRUG TRADE

DISCUSSIONS of illegal drug trade would not be complete without mention of its global dimension. While globalization has triggered freer trade and better communications among interdependent trading countries, its dark side has loomed, as shown by the rise of illicit drug trade over the last four or five decades, encompassing the four main stages of economic activity – cultivation, production, transshipment and distribution to various points of consumption. Their cultivation, production, and transport have transcended national boundaries, becoming a multi-billion dollar industry. Drug syndicates are ever present in every continent except Antarctica. Estimates vary on its magnitude, from a low of US$500 billion to a high of almost a trillion US dollars. Drug syndicates have formed multinational alliances to ensure free flow of illegal drugs.

Illegal drugs like cocaine are cultivated and produced in the South American forests in countries like Colombia and Venezuela. Methamphetamine, or “shabu” are produced in laboratories in China, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines, among others. Marijuana leaves are grown and processed in the forests in Myanmar, Thailand, Central Asia, and South America. Opium and its derivatives like heroin are grown and produced in the “Golden Crescent,” or the mountainous peripheries of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and “Golden Triangle,” or the overlapping mountain areas in Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. West Africa is also pinpointed as another source of illegal substances. An intricate web of couriers and illegal traders transport them, using every conceivable means of transshipment including mules, or human carriers.

Drug trafficking is the most problematic aspect of illicit drug trade. Most countries have adopted strong anti-drug policies to stop illegal drugs from entering their boundaries. These nations have involved their police and military forces to seize illegal drugs. Violence is the usual result of clashes between illegal drug traders and law enforcers. Deaths and injuries for either side are the common occurrence of the drug trade. Smuggling is the usual recourse for the forcible entry of illegal drug substances into the market. Many countries have come out with multilateral accords to stop drug trade. The first pact is the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which was approved in 1961; second, Convention on Psychotropic Drugs, in 1971; and third, United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, in 1988. Experts have described these multilateral agreements as “marginal” to stop illicit drug trade.

The use of illegal drugs took a high profile mainly as a countercultural reaction to the political ferment of the 1960s and 1970s. At first, the consumption level was largely recreational, but emerging drug syndicates took the demand seriously, triggering regional and, later, global trade. The emerging consumption pattern has caused the rise of drug syndicates, which catered to the needs of a new class of users, or addicts. Demand for illegal drugs has been described as inelastic mainly because of the addictive property of most illegal substances. The classic law of demand and supply does not seem to apply. Drug prices have no consequences for users. Their main preoccupation is their availability in the market.

A noteworthy quality that distinguishes drug trade from other industries is that drugs are illegal. Most countries have made their cultivation, production, distribution, and consumption a criminal activity, which is punishable under their laws. Hence, an underground market exists to cater to their users. The risk of imprisonment has made illegal drugs expensive in the market. Drug syndicates have to avoid detection. In most cases, they have to bribe the law enforcers to turn a blind eye on their illegal activity. By rule of the thumb, illegal drugs, upon reaching their market destinations, are priced at least 300% of their original price.

Illegal drug trade has grown by leaps and bounds over the last four or five decades. Although its magnitude is difficult to discern because of its illegal nature, its estimated annual value of at least US$500 billion, which is on the low side, is comparable to Switzerland’s economy. It has an estimated 200 million users worldwide, representing 3% of the world population.

UNIVERSAL LEGALIZATION. Amid the chaos and violence emanating from illicit drug trade, scholars have proposed its universal legalization, which is essentially revolutionary in a sense. Matthew Jenner, in a published paper, said: “Every week, hundreds of people are murdered in incidents directly related to trafficking. While several global efforts to end the drug trafficking problem have occurred, they have yielded only marginal success. Still, forty years later, one strategy has yet to be fully tested: universal legalization. Although counterintuitive at first glance, legalization could provide a successful framework for destabilizing the global market and solving the drug trafficking problem”

Jenner argued that the globalization of the world economy has likewise fostered underground markets for arms trade and human trafficking for prostitution and slavery. But the illicit drug trade has created a network that could reach US$500 in its net worth. Jenner said: “The most efficient way to affect the global market is to legalize drugs, as prohibition acts as a catalyst in building up the market. It attracts criminals, incentivizes violence, and makes the drug trade one of the most profitable industries in the world. Universal legalization would reverse these trends. It would take the profits out of the industry and put a stop to violent trafficking, possibly ending the drug trade as we know it.”

Jenner continued: “The concept of legalization entails legalizing every aspect of the drug trade, from production to consumption, worldwide. The immediate benefit of legalization would be a reduction in the violence associated with the drug trafficking aspect of the trade. Prohibition creates the opportunity for self-help violence in the drug trade by driving the market underground. Legalization would create a legitimate market for drugs, allowing conflicts to be settled in courts of law and attracting commendable market players rather than criminals, much like what happened after the prohibition of alcohol ended in the United States in the 1930s.” (Itutuloy)

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MGA PILING SALITA: “In the case ni Sen. Risa Hontiveros, talagang she’s in the thick of the action. Pinamumunuan niya kung saan dapat pamunuan. Kaya ‘yun ang gusto nating mga katangian ng isang leader.” – Sonny Trillanes