UNITED States assistant secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs William Brownfield arrived in Manila on Monday to meet with the leaders of the Justice department and the Supreme Court.
The US State Department said Brownfield will be in the Philippines until Wednesday to advance INL support for the rule of law and fair, efficient justice institutions.
“He will also discuss US support for maritime security and effective, humane drug treatment in the Philippines,” the department said in a statement.
Brownfield’s official visit comes amid President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war against alleged drug users and dealers, which has resulted in the killing of some 3,000 people since he assumed office in June.
His visit is part of his 10-day trip to Asia, where the Philippines is his first stop followed by Burma and China.
He will be in China on Nov. 21 to 22 to co-lead the US delegation to the 14th US-China Joint Liaison Group on Law Enforcement Cooperation, a high-level exchange between senior American law enforcement officials and their Chinese counterparts on the pressing criminal threats affecting both countries.
The INL has allotted at least $6.7 million or P320-million assistance to boost law enforcement in the Philippines.
The $6.7-million assistance in law enforcement aid pledge, however, may be diverted to other countries if Manila and Washington fail to agree on how it will be used.
Both countries are still discussing to reach an agreement on where and how the money would be spent.
The INL bureau aims to combat crime and help foreign governments build effective law enforcement institutions that counter transnational crime, including money laundering, cybercrime, intellectual property theft, and even trafficking in goods, people, weapons, drugs and endangered wildlife.
