Outlook bouyant, says DTI chief

President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody crackdown on illegal drugs might be getting a lot of flak from human rights groups but it is winning approval from investors and consumers, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

During a congressional hearing on the DTI’s 2017 budget yesterday, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez told lawmakers that notwithstanding the high body count, police operations against drugs have led to a generally buoyant outlook among investors and consumers.

Lopez disagreed with a lawmaker’s opinion that reports of alleged summary killings of 1,900 drug pushers, half of which were made during police operations, had cast dark clouds on the Philippine economy, as he claimed that confidence was at an all-time high.

“For me it’s a blessing, there is much peace and we are lessening the number of illegal drug traders. Now it’s safer out there in the streets. Even from investors, we’re receiving a lot of investment missions. We see the confidence here,” said Lopez.