SEN. Ronald dela Rosa on Wednesday urged Philippine Ambassador to Colombia Adrian Bernie Candolada to study Colombia’s “successful” war on drugs so the country may learn from it.
Candolada was one of the eight Philippine envoys with pending confirmations from the Commission on Appointments (CA). The eight appointees were all confirmed by the bicameral panel.
Candolada told the CA Committee on Foreign Affairs that he would travel to Bogota, Colombia’s capital, within the month.
Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN
Candolada said there are about 100 Filipinos spread across Colombia.
“I would just like to request you when you’re already in Bogota, please help us find out why is it that the war on drugs in Colombia was so successful. Please find out and share it with our government so that we can study it and perhaps copy it,” dela Rosa, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, told the envoy.
He added that, compared to the Philippine drug campaign during the Duterte administration, Colombia’s war on drugs resulted in 220,000 deaths.
“But they are very successful. So, please find out,” dela Rosa asked Candolada.
Candolada agreed to the request.
He said the Philippine government is opening an embassy in Colombia.
“We don’t have any presence at all in the northern part of South America. We have strong historical hispanic links as well as the potential for a bilateral cooperation because these countries in the northern part of South America are emerging economies,” Candolada said.
“We have a strong partnership with Colombia. We have established relations with them since 1946, and yet it was only in 2017 or 2016 that both our countries agreed to strengthen bilateral partnership with the opening of the resident embassies in both capitals,” he added.
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