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Don’t be tricked, Aquino tells would-be drug mules

By

President Benigno Aquino III

President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday renewed his warning to Filipinos not to allow themselves to be used to smuggle illegal drugs into other countries like China.

Mr. Aquino aired the warning as he confirmed writing a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao seeking commutation of the death penalty imposed on a Filipino man who was caught trying to bring 1.5 kilos of heroin into China. The letter is to be hand-carried by Vice President Jejomar Binay should the latter’s trip to China push through.

The Filipino, whose family in the Philippines asked that he not be identified, is scheduled for execution on December 8.

“We don’t stop issuing warnings to those who could be deceived, for instance, into becoming drug mules. In China, they really consider drugs as a very huge problem and the death sentence is quite in existence there,” the President told reporters in Malacañang.

Mr. Aquino said his administration was taking steps to improve the lives of Filipinos so that no one would find the need to smuggle drugs.

“But drugs is a problem worldwide,” he noted.

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Tags: Benigno Aquino III , China , drug trafficking , Illegal Drugs

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  • Anonymous

    In China, they really consider drugs as a very huge problem. In the Philippines, it is not?

  • Anonymous

    Isn’t it ironic, this gov’t wants the Chinese to set the guilty drug mule free..but pushes for jailtime on GMA, not yet proven guilty?

  • Anonymous

    that is the sad reality.

  • Eric Bangug

    Was about to comment the same thing. It seems that they don’t consider drugs as a huge problem here in our country. :-/

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VDMUJ6NKKCLWRMVMJRLJFI633I Rene V

    haay Pinas! dapat pinapangaralan ng DFA na hindi Pinas ang ibang lugar. NA ANG BATAS AY DEFINITE AT HINDI MAYBE! well, batas ng ibang bansa, apparently hindi batas dito sa Pinas!

  • Anonymous

    @Cruxofthematter: Minaster mo talaga ang sound bites at hindi ang logical thinking. When PNoy said a very huge problem, isa syang top priority, dapat bantayan at ang batas ay dapat masunod.

  • Anonymous

    They are NOT being tricked, they know exactly what they are getting themselves into. China is not the only country in Asia where FIlipinos are being imprisoned for drug trafficking.  Vietnam just sentenced a few and Singapore has had its share of drug mules as well.  PUT the blame squarely  on the shoulder of those drug traffickers and call it for what it is.  Aquino wants to make it sound like those innocent filipinos are being victimized by syndicates who prey on them.  Why am I not in that predicament?  If someone asks you to deliver a package to a friend in China, isn’t that your responsibility to ask about the content of the package? Besides, why isn’t the Philippine Government doing a better job at screening those passengers before they go on those suicide missions?  China should keep sending them back in a body bag every time they get caught until they LEARN.  The message is on the wall, YOU BRING DRUGS TO CHINA AND WILL BE SENT BACK TO THE PHILIPPINES AS CARGO IN A BODY BAG.  UNDERSTAND?

  • Anonymous

    Aquino is a juvenile delinquent himself. His rational is that of a 5 year old kid. No wonder why the Philippines is sinking deeper and deeper into a dark hole.  When you look at the leadership of the RP as a whole, it’s a criminal enterprise.

  • Anonymous

    HAWR! HAWR! HAWR!  Filipinos are inutile.  They are helpless economically, politically and militarily. !!!  HAWR! HAWR! HAWR!

    The Philippine Media, congressmen, senators and 99.999% of Filifinos are mum about investigating Singson who his suppliers in the Philippines are.  They get the drug supplier of Singson they get the supplier that sent the Filipinos to their doom in China.

    BUT THIS IS THE PHILIPPINES.  SO NOTHING CAN EVER HAPPEN !  HAQWR! HAWR! HAWR! HAWR!

  • Anonymous

    HAWR! HAWR! HAWR!  Filipinos are inutile.  They are helpless economically, politically and militarily. !!!  HAWR! HAWR! HAWR!

    The Philippine Media, congressmen, senators and 99.999% of Filifinos are mum about investigating Singson who his suppliers in the Philippines are.  They get the drug supplier of Singson they get the supplier that sent the Filipinos to their doom in China.

    BUT THIS IS THE PHILIPPINES.  SO NOTHING CAN EVER HAPPEN !  HAQWR! HAWR! HAWR! HAWR!

  • Anonymous

    HAWR! HAWR! HAWR!  Filipinos are inutile.  They are helpless economically, politically and militarily. !!!  HAWR! HAWR! HAWR!

    The Philippine Media, congressmen, senators and 99.999% of Filifinos are mum about investigating Singson who his suppliers in the Philippines are.  They get the drug supplier of Singson they get the supplier that sent the Filipinos to their doom in China.

    BUT THIS IS THE PHILIPPINES.  SO NOTHING CAN EVER HAPPEN !  HAQWR! HAWR! HAWR! HAWR!

  • Anonymous

    HAWR! HAWR! HAWR!  Filipinos are inutile.  They are helpless economically, politically and militarily. !!!  HAWR! HAWR! HAWR!

    The Philippine Media, congressmen, senators and 99.999% of Filifinos are mum about investigating Singson who his suppliers in the Philippines are.  They get the drug supplier of Singson they get the supplier that sent the Filipinos to their doom in China.

    BUT THIS IS THE PHILIPPINES.  SO NOTHING CAN EVER HAPPEN !  HAQWR! HAWR! HAWR! HAWR!

  • Jorrel Quilalang

    In my opinion, we should not appeal for the execution; why? Clearly those guys who went to China without knowing their existing laws, were fools. It is not that I do not care for the safety of our countrymen but…they’ve chosen that path.

  • Anonymous

    Did somebody trick Singsong into taking drugs to Hong Kong ?  Aquino, grow up and be a man, you are now the president of a country of 100 million people, this kind of rational can get you political points with the voters, but the reality is that the Philippines has become a major hub in Asia for drugs.  The US raised a red flag a couple of years ago regarding that issue, and what did the Philippines politicians do? They got upset at the United States for making such a claim and accused the US of sabotaging their economy, okay? Now, this guy is trying to make it look like those Filipinos who carry drugs to China were tricked.  Please get a life.  You really expect people to believe that?  Stick your head in the sand and ignore the problem while the Chinese send them back home in a pine box.

  • Anonymous

    Tumpak, drugs nga problema ng ating bayan, pati presidente nating Panot kailang ng drugs kasi Abnoy!

  • Anonymous

    Aquino should offer a job to potential drug mules so they can have source for support to their dependents, not just sweet nothing words. Crank up the economy and not just be busy on cheap retributory activites against the corrupt GMA.

  • Anonymous

    saan ba galing ang droga e di sa mga Intsik din na yan.  negosyo nila yan e at hinahayaan ng gobyerno natin.  kung may matino at patas na trabaho dito sa bansa natin e wala sana kumakapit sa patalim.

  • Anonymous

    Pnoy we just hope na walang boladas sa sinabi mong you are trying to improve the lives of Pinoys so that no one will find a need to smuggle drugs. Dagdagan mo na rin ng pagsisikap na mapaganda ang ekonomiya para maging kaunti na lang ang OFW na nagpapaalipin sa ibang bansa. Kahiya-hiya ang Pilipinas dahil sa lahat ng bansa, kaya lang nagpapatuloy na kumain ang karamihan sa mga Pinoy ay dahil sa tayo ang may pinakamaraming OFW kumpara sa ibang bansa dahil walang magawa ang pamahalaang Pinas para hindi na umalis ang mga kababayan natin mabuhay lamang. Nalalaman namin ang liyab ng kalooban mo sa pagaalis ng korupsyon, pero dapat din na isabay mo ang pagnanais na mapaganda ang kabuhayan ng mga Pilipino. Inip na inip na ang mga mahihirap sa katuparan ng mga pangako mo. ALAM NAMIN NA MAGALING KA SA PUBLIC SPEAKING, GALINGAN MO NA RIN SA AKSYON.

  • Anonymous

    Such a sad fate of kababayans desperate to leave for any job and anywhere overseas. It is as if they have absolutely no faith whatsoever anymore that life can be equally rewarding if they choose to remain back home and make the most of what is available for them for a living.  The call for material comfort which so often gets transformed into insatiable want and  irrational decadence continues to daze our kabayans.  And often  ‘poverty’ becomes a readily available  alibi taken to cover up an obscene trigger for a come-what-may and  do-or-die attitude of getting out of the country. Is it ‘poverty’ really or is it the burning desire to not be left behind by the trend  of having an OFW family member as spring of  financial resource from overseas even if this is at the expense of the OFW family member willing away morals, sensible  values and self-respect? The ‘drug mule’ issue seems to be turning  a phenomenon in that  would-be-victims are too often willing victims of push-over  job-contract-brokers preying on desperate-to-leave attitudes. It is therefore not enough to warn our kabayans.  The mind set of ‘must-leave-by-hook-or by-crook’  requires a concerted effort of counselling and re-training inorder for right values -to get reinforced and for the individual to get empowered to  be sensible. Until then, the ‘drug mule”  avenue will remain a lucrative resorce  for drug syndicates – meaning, we’d better brace ourselves for more kabayans to fall into the trap.

  • Anonymous

    Are even a Filipino?

  • Anonymous

    Yes, I used to !  But now, no more :)

  • Anonymous

    Then you don’t have any right to bash the people of the Philippines anymore.

  • maamongbibe

    FYI: MarianoRenatoPacifico
    lives in the U.S. with his family. He has been unemployed for a while because
    of his mental illness. That’s the main reason why he has all the time in the
    world to comment in all the blogs. Please try to be kind and understanding.
    Pray for him. He is not well, like Arroyo. Thanks, A family friend.

    Yes, MarcyPulilan,
    that is a great idea. MarianoRenatoPacifico is really not an odious person.
    Please, don’t revile him. Even though he appears to be extremely obnoxious and
    repugnant, but it is all because of his mental illness, really. The problem is,
    MarianoRenatoPacifico refused to take his medication. We should all pray for
    him and let ALL the netizens KNOW about his mental illness. Please, pass this
    message along. We have to be nice to him. May God heal him.

  • Anonymous

    If Filipinos steal, corrupt and bash in the head each other, then, it wouldn’t hurt I jump into the fray.  It’s fun !

  • maamongbibe

    FYI: MarianoRenatoPacifico
    lives in the U.S. with his family. He has been unemployed for a while because
    of his mental illness. That’s the main reason why he has all the time in the
    world to comment in all the blogs. Please try to be kind and understanding.
    Pray for him. He is not well, like Arroyo. Thanks, A family friend.

    Yes, MarcyPulilan,
    that is a great idea. MarianoRenatoPacifico is really not an odious person.
    Please, don’t revile him. Even though he appears to be extremely obnoxious and
    repugnant, but it is all because of his mental illness, really. The problem is,
    MarianoRenatoPacifico refused to take his medication. We should all pray for
    him and let ALL the netizens KNOW about his mental illness. Please, pass this
    message along. We have to be nice to him. May God heal him.

  • Anonymous

    Who invited you to jump in? Filipinos do not have a tradition of gate crashing and uninvited. This is one of the traits of the Filipino I am proud of.

  • Anonymous

    If Filipinos jump uninvited in the Americas, Europe, Canada and other civilized countries, therefore, I can jump uninvited.  Take MAAMONGBIBE.  I invited him and he broughtten along his Nanay, Tatay, Tiyong, Tiyang and the whole dowdy, loosy crowds.  HAWR~ HAWR! HAWR!

    Filipinos do not deserve respect.   “FILIPINOS DO NOT HAVE A TRADITION OF GATE CRASHING AND UNINVITED” ?  Really ?  REally ?  HAWR! HAWR! HAWR!

    WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THESE YEARS ?  

  • maamongbibe

    FYI: MarianoRenatoPacifico
    lives in the U.S. with his family. He has been unemployed for a while because
    of his mental illness. That’s the main reason why he has all the time in the
    world to comment in all the blogs. Please try to be kind and understanding.
    Pray for him. He is not well, like Arroyo. Thanks, A family friend.

    Yes, MarcyPulilan,
    that is a great idea. MarianoRenatoPacifico is really not an odious person.
    Please, don’t revile him. Even though he appears to be extremely obnoxious and
    repugnant, but it is all because of his mental illness, really. The problem is,
    MarianoRenatoPacifico refused to take his medication. We should all pray for
    him and let ALL the netizens KNOW about his mental illness. Please, pass this
    message along. We have to be nice to him. May God heal him.

  • Anonymous

    You are lost in translation. Have you taken your meds?

    Migration is different from gate crashing (‘jump in’ as you would say). You must have a passport to get to the countries you can only mention from your memory. The moment the guard let you into the country of your destination, you are welcome.

    WHILE…

    You jumping in, bashing Filipinos because you found yourself a non-Filipino, is not welcome in our house.

    I repeat, you are NOT welcome.

  • http://twitter.com/soul_jacker Mugen

    If social media can muster enough people to help the victims of calamities, it can also muster enough people to support and actually volunteer for this massive project. It would be a befitting and lasting legacy for the Pnoy Aquino administration to be the greenest president this country has ever known. 

  • Anonymous

    Bwahahaha… reforestation daw sa Bukidnon ayon sa ka autistic na Nereus Acosta… e ang mga Acosta mismo ang gumahasa sa mga bundok ng Bukidnon!



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