“Sa kainutilang sugpuin ang droga sa bansa, marapat lamang na magresign na si Rodrigo Duterte sa pagkapangulo ayon sa kanyang paulit-ulit na sinasabi sa bayan.” (Owing to his ineffectual campaign to suppress illegal drugs, President Duterte should resign in keeping with his oft-repeated promise to the people.)

This, in essence, was the message of a statement issued by the New People’s Army Melito Glor Command’s Southern Tagalog wing.

The statement was attributed to Jaime “Ka Diego” Padilla, Spokesman of the

Melito Glor Command–New People’s Army Southern Tagalog on Tuesday.

Part of the statement reads:

“Tahasan nang inamin ni Duterte ang kawalang kakayahan ng kanyang rehimen na iwaksi ang malaganap na iligal na droga sa buong bansa. Walang kahihiyang inako niya ang kainutilan ng kanyang rehimen na sugpuin ang droga matapos ang mala-trapong pulitikong pag-aastang lilipulin ang problema sa droga sa unang tatlong buwan niya, sa anim na buwan at hanggang ngayon. Dahil dito, marapat lamang na magresign na siya sa pagkapangulo ayon sa kanyang paulit-ulit na sinasabi sa bayan. (Duterte has utterly acknowledged the inability of his regime to eliminate the widespread scourge of drugs in three months as he initially bellowed like a traditional politician, then six months, then until now after 12 months. Because of this, he should resign.)

The statement went on to say that President Duterte lacked the pluck and grit to face up to the narco-politicians that he frequently bashed in public. “Patunay rito ang kawalan ng naaarestong malalaking drug lord na nasa mahabang listahang ipinagmamalaki niya (Proof of this is that hardly has there been a big drug lord arrested out of the long narco list that he has flaunted about).”

Even his own son, Paolo Duterte, has been implicated, as was his favorite ex-military officer running the Bureau of Customs where billions of pesos worth of shabu (crystal meth) had slipped by, whom he could not seem to hold accountable, Ka Diego said.

Only suspects who are not close to him are getting the heat, the statement noted.

The statement also remarked that it’s mostly the small citizens who are unable to face up to him that become victims of the campaign. (Walang tinutugis ang kanyang rehimen kundi ang mga walang kalaban-labang mga mahihirap na mamamayang biktima ng iligal na droga.)