BEFORE handing over the presidency to Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., former president Rodrigo Duterte has a clear wish for the new leader — to continue the government’s no-nonsense anti-drug campaign.

In an earlier interview, Marcos said Duterte advised him to sustain the campaign in his own way and apply some changes if necessary.

“Pero huwag mong iiwanan yan (referring to drug campaign), dahil kawawa ang kabataan natin, masisira ang buhay nila (Don’t abandon it. Our young people’s lives are at stake. Their lives might be ruined),” Marcos said, quoting Duterte’s remarks.

Heeding his predecessor’s advice, Marcos is expected to make some shifts in priorities in the anti-drug campaign — pursuing it within the bounds of due process and rule of law.

While the past administration has focused on the enforcement side, Marcos said drug abuse prevention and education and the improvement of rehabilitation centers will be the focus of his administration’s anti-drug campaign.

The new leader also said he is open to tapping Duterte as drug czar but the latter turned it down.

Marcos’ pronouncements were welcomed by the international community, with one envoy praising his commitment.

“We also touched upon political affairs — the importance of a strong commitment that has been expressed by the President-elect (Marcos) to conduct the war on drugs within the framework of the law and with respect for human rights and with the focus on rehabilitation and socio-economic development,” Swedish Ambassador to Manila Annika Thunborg said in an earlier press briefing after meeting with Marcos on June 10.

However, this shift in policy does not mean the country has softened its stance toward the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) bid to launch a probe into the government’s anti-narcotics campaign.

Marcos earlier said he will allow members of the ICC to go to the country but only as tourists and not as investigators, stressing that the country already has a “functioning judiciary” and is capable of conducting investigations by itself.

Last July 14, the ICC gave the Philippines until Sept. 8 to provide observations on its request to reopen the probe on the anti-drug campaign of the country’s previous administration.

The Office of the Solicitor General earlier said it is still considering its available options in the investigation by the ICC.

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said he will also hold consultations with other government offices on lingering questions on the matter, including whether there would be undue encroachment on the country’s sovereignty and the powers of its functioning judicial system.

Marcos is taking over the past government’s anti-drug campaign whose scope is reflected by data which was presented by various government agencies through ‘Real Numbers’.

Based on the latest data as of May 31, authorities have seized a total of P89.79 billion worth of narcotics which include P77.01 billion worth of shabu.

A total of 15,271 high-value targets (HVTs) across the country were arrested since July 1, 2016.

The figure includes 6,873 high-value targets arrested from high-impact operations, 4,052 target-listed suspects, 1,719 drug den maintainers, 800 drug group leaders/members, 533 government employees, 406 elected officials, 364 foreigners, 295 included on wanted lists, 127 uniformed personnel, 78 armed group members and 24 prominent personalities. Philippine News Agency