President Rodrigo Roa Duterte shakes hands with Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eduardo Ao. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO <\/p>\n
Outgoing military chief Eduardo Ao said Friday he would apply the rule of law in a campaign against drug syndicates when he takes over the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). <\/p>\n
Ao made the pledge as President Duterte personally set June 2 for the DILG to be turned over to the 55-year-old Ao who reaches the military retirement age of 56 in October. <\/p>\n
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he tried on Thursday to persuade Mr. Duterte to extend Aos tour in the military but the President rejected the idea. <\/p>\n
(The President) said No, no, no, no. Lets have the turnover by June 2, Lorenzana quoted Mr. Duterte as saying. <\/p>\n
When told of the Presidents remarks at the closing of the Philippine-US Balikatan exercise at Camp Aguinaldo, Ao said he was still awaiting official instructions. <\/p>\n
I have not received an official order. I will just have to prepare, he said, conceding that Mr. Duterte might be in a hurry to have him transferred because the DILG is a big agency. <\/p>\n
The DILG is big. It has big responsibilities. Because the DILG plays a big role in (Mr. Dutertes) program, he needs a permanent and regular secretary to take over immediately, Ao said. <\/p>\n
But the general, who spent most of his military career as an intelligence officer, said he understood the challenges he is facing. <\/p>\n
Many ways <\/p>\n
I believe I have enough knowledge and information on how to run the team in the DILG. There is already an existing team in the DILG. I will just be joining the team, he said. <\/p>\n
He also recognized that one of the problems in the war against drugs was the local and international criticism it had been getting. <\/p>\n
Ao said the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency would lead the antidrug campaign with the support of the Philippine National Police. <\/p>\n
Well find many ways to defeat the (drug menace) using and following the rule of law, Ao said, adding that the PNP should retool its image. <\/p>\n
Its very important that the image of the PNP should be morally high so that we can get the cooperation of the public, he said. <\/p>\n
From users to syndicates <\/p>\n
Ao said he would also shift the focus from street dealers and users to drug syndicates. <\/p>\n
What we will do is really focus on the drug syndicates that supply these drugs to the communities. You really need to go to the source, Ao said. <\/p>\n
Its like the insurgency. We have to address the root causes. It is also the same in the war on drugs. We will work together on that. We will make a good holistic approach on the war on drugs, he added. <\/p>\n
Asked about the transition at the Armed Forces, Ao said the Board of Generals has yet to submit to the President the names of his possible successor. <\/p>\n
We will recommend at least three names and then the President will decide who is the possible successor as the next Chief of Staff, he added. <\/p>\n
However, his early retirement should not have a bad effect on the AFPs plans and programs. <\/p>\n
Theyre not centered on one personality, he said. <\/p>\n
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Rule of law in war on drugsAFP chief - Inquirer.net<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" President Rodrigo Roa Duterte shakes hands with Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eduardo Ao Continue reading