Grassroots drug war: Gov't targets small-scale peddlers

Although his "too nice" attitude has been blamed for the government's shortcomings, President Marcos said he wants to instill fear among wrongdoers as he carries out his policies, including his anti-drug campaign that will now set its sights on small-scale peddlers at the grassroots level.

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This is similar to the initial focus of the Duterte administration's war on drugs, but the one under Marcos will not resort to killing suspects especially those who are merely using illegal drugs.

"I want to be respected, but maybe fear is better," Marcos said on Monday in a podcast with Anthony Taberna.

The President admitted that his administration's crackdown on illegal drugs had prioritized major drug rings and did not deal with small peddlers in localities.

Justifying the approach, Marcos pointed out that the most difficult task is to dismantle syndicates that have backers in the police and local governments and can bribe judges and prosecutors.