‘Don’t generalize,’ Filipino-Chinese bizmen appeal amid drug accusations

MANILA, Philippines – Don’t generalize.

This is the appeal of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCI) as the discussion on the drug war again turned to the alleged main source of shabu, which is China, and supposedly peddled here by Filipino-Chinese operators.

“We appeal to media and other sectors to refrain from generalizing that members of the Filipino-Chinese community as peddlers of illegal drugs and inadvertently besmirching our community’s reputation,” FFCCCI president Henry Lim Bon Liong said in a statement on Saturday, November 16.

Now the co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), Vice President Leni Robredo reiterated data that showed most of the supply of shabu coming into the Philippines come from China and that many of those arrested in relation to big drug raids were Chinese or Filipino-Chinese.

“Pati iyong mga nahuhuli na mga nag-o-operate within the Philippines, karamihan Chinese nationals or Filipino-Chinese nationals. So it is something that we should look into,” Robredo said on November 14, as she expressed openness to meeting with Chinese embassy officials in relation to her new job.

(Even those caught operating within the Philippines, most are Chinese nationals or Filipino-Chinese nationals. So it is something that we should look into.)

Liong said that the crimes imputed to some Filipino-Chinese nationals “should not affect the rest of the community” composed mostly of law abiding citizens.

“Let us be more careful in making public statements that may unnecessarily create rancor, conflicts, misunderstanding and promote unfair stereotypes,” said Liong, without referring to any specific personality or group.

Liong reaffirmed the group’s support to President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against drugs.

“We join the government and our law enforcement agencies in condemning and working towards eradicating the menace of illegal drugs as a moral scourge, a threat to public health, and the socio-economic stability of the Philippines,” said Liong.

Liong said that the FFCCII has been donors of rehabilitation centers for drug users nationwide.

“We believe that a holistic anti-illegal drug campaign should include rehabilitation of drug users,” said Liong. – Rappler.com