During the first televised presidential debate organized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Sun, Feb 21, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said that if he is elected as President then he would stop corruption, crime, and the illegal drug trade in three to six months.
“Former Sen. Ping Lacson — who served as director general of the Philippine National Police (PNP) for two years — said that Duterte’s promise is not doable,” reports Philippine Daily Inquirer.
In a radio interview, Lacson said, “Without taking anything away from Mayor Duterte, knowing he had proven his ability in Davao City, I think that promise would be difficult to fulfill. It’s not doable.”
The report noted: “Lacson, who is running for senator as an independent candidate, said solving crime entails strategic and tactical planning. The police, he said, must employ strategies to suppress and prevent crimes and this would need massive police visibility. He said this would be a huge task, what with only 150,000 policemen protecting 100 million citizens spread across the country.”
Lacson further stated, “Once you assume the presidency, you cannot just pull an Armalite rifle and shoot all drug lords, gun down all criminals. That is not how the democratic system works. We have to respect due process.”
