Aguinaldo State Dining Room, Malacañan Palace
November 6, 2018
“Drugs is really killing my country and I have to protect my country,” remarked President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as he presided over the 31st Cabinet Meeting held at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room in Malacañan Palace.
During the first part of the meeting, President Duterte delivered a ‘Lecture on Drugs and Lawless Violence as a National Security Problem’ wherein he talked about his order to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to temporarily take over in the Bureau of Customs (BOC) operations to address corruption and smuggling of illegal drugs.
“… I’m just trying to control crime … This is a national security issue,” he said.
As the President discussed other measures of the administration in eradicating the aforementioned challenges together with his Cabinet members, he also cited the issuance of a Memorandum Circular directing all government offices ‘to mobilize their assets and take an active role in the government’s Anti-Illegal Drug Campaign nationwide’, and the activation of the National Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force that could provide necessary personnel complement in carrying out the government military takeover in the BOC.
“I’m ready to do anything at all, anything. Basta mahinto na ito,” the Chief Executive ended.
Following the lecture, the meeting’s agenda included governance updates presented by the Cabinet members.
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