When people begin to deal in drugs they waive their human rights

I tried to send this to the Philippine Inquirer direct, but unravelling that is impossible. Why you print these letters when we can’t rebut them direct is a mystery to me, but that aside, let me answer her letter and maybe you can get it to the Inquirer. 
Theresa, if President Duterte were to continue his war on drugs for another 10 years and drug suspects were to continue dying at the same rate that they are, the toll still wouldn’t get even close to the toll of people who have died of drug overdoses over the decades. The day that an individual makes the decision to get into the drug trade is the day that he is effectively signing a waiver on his human rights. 
Obviously you have never buried a child, brother, sister or close friend due to an overdose. I hope you never have to join the millions that have. 
What your President is doing is the right thing to do using the correct method. It is all drug dealers understand.
Years ago, the Thai PM [Thaksin Shinawatra] initiated a similar programme. Drug suspects began to die while resisting arrest. Obviously the police didn’t want the suspects reaching a courtroom where they might begin talking about who was involved. 
Like yourself, the human rights advocates came out of the closet to put a stop to it. This was sad, because during the anti-drug push, the price of a “yaba” pill went from Bt100 to Bt500 and the entire drug network, including its police involvement, went into chaos. I stopped hearing complaints from neighbours about their kids being high all the time and peace settled on the city. Needless to say, now things 
are back to normal and the young kids are all high or in trouble.
Theresa, you talk about morals, but “morality”, like 
“justice”, these are ambiguous word, words that can be used to circumvent true justice. 
Leave your President alone and let’s see where the drug situation in the Philippines is in six months.
John Arnone
Yasothon, Thailand