WAR ON DRUGS. President Rodrigo Duterte remains under fire for his war on drugs that has killed thousands in the Philippines. Malacañang file photo

MANILA, Philippines – Two US senators filed a bill restricting the export of certain weapons and equipment from the United States to the Philippine National Police (PNP) as a consequence of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.

The proposed Philippines Human Rights Accountability and Counternarcotics Act of 2017 was filed by Democratic Senator Benjamin Cardin and Republican Senator Marco Rubio on Thursday, May 4.

This is a bill "to restrict the exportation of certain defense articles to the Philippine National Police, to work with the Philippines to support civil society and a public health approach to substance abuse, to report on Chinese and other sources of narcotics to the Republic of the Philippines, and for other purposes."

Cardin is a ranking member of the US Senate foreign relations committee.

"President Duterte has unleashed a campaign of extrajudicial killings in his country that has horrified the international community," the senator said.

"Mr Duterte must handle criminal issues through the rule of law and allow drug addicts access to the public health services and treatment they deserve. In the absence of such actions, this legislation is clear in its support for the Filipino people and the importance of our alliance, but also the consequences if Mr Duterte's actions continue," he added.

Cardin earlier said, as well, that he was "deeply disturbed" by US President Donald Trump's "cavalier" invitation to Duterte to visit the US.

Rubio meanwhile described the war on drugs implemented by the PNP as "deeply alarming."

"This is not the right way to conduct an anti-drug campaign, and our legislation reflects our sincere desire to work with the Philippines to support human rights, expose narcotics networks emanating from mainland China and other countries, and use a public health approach to responsibly counter the dangers that drugs pose to our societies," Rubio said.

In November 2016, Duterte ordered the PNP to cancel the purchase of assault rifles from the US after Cardin reportedly wanted to block their sale.

In the same month, however, PNP chief chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said that the PNP has "the blessing of the President to continue the transaction as long as it's not barred."

Duterte's war on drugs has killed at least 7,000 people, from both legitimate police operations and vigilante-style killings. – Rappler.com</s>It's as good as in the bank.

"Marco Rubio will have the resources necessary to run a first-class campaign, that’s already been determined," said billionaire Florida auto dealer Norman Braman, a former Jeb Bush supporter who is now one of Rubio's highest-silhouette donors.

Annandale Capital founder George Seay, who is hosting a Rubio fundraiser with the moneyed Dallas elite at his 7,000-square-foot, seven-bath home on Tuesday, said: "Marco has had zero trouble raising money."

At least seven other Rubio mega donors say their candidate has already received monetary commitments in excess of the $40 million he will likely need to battle through a presidential primary season that will feature a crowd of seasoned Republican candidates with strong financial backing.

Rubio’s whirlwind money-raising comes after a network of Senator Ted Cruz super PACs raked in $31 million following Cruz's announcement in March that he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination.

The breakneck pace of the 2016 fundraising, most notably characterized by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush's reputed aim to raise $100 million, is emblematic of how much the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision unleashed an era of unfettered political spending by for-profit corporations and the rich, altering the financial calculus of campaigns.

At a time when a band of billionaires can single-handedly bankroll the politician of their choice through a super PAC, in some ways it's never been easier to raise money, signalling a phase that campaign-finance reformers fear will further concentrate political power in the hands of the deep-pocketed few.

The commitments to Rubio, Cruz and Bush ensure this Republican primary season will be long and bruising given that raising money is no longer the issue it once was.

It also makes the climate more perilous for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who will be a target of criticism for a parade of Republican foes.

The Clinton campaign is said to be raising $2.5 billion, even while Clinton herself is calling for campaign finance reform

After his announcement on Monday, Rubio took off for a series of fund raisers, including elegant soirees in New York. It had been reported that New York hedge fund manager Paul Singer was among Rubio's early top money men.

But a Singer spokesperson denied those reports, telling Reuters, "Mr. Singer is enthusiastic about the strong GOP field, but has not yet settled on any one candidate."</s>The two first-term senators - one from Texas and the other from Florida, both the 44-year-old sons of Cuban fathers and both rising conservative stars in the party - made it evidently clear that they see the other as the primary obstacle to securing the nomination if Trump, the current front-runner, falters.

As such, they engaged in an arm-wrestling contest for most of the evening, sparring on Middle Eastern policy, national security and immigration.

“The Cruz-Rubio battle is now a defining dynamic in this race,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist.

Both largely left Trump alone - and in fact, when Cruz was invited by debate moderators to attack the real estate mogul, he demurred.

But Cruz had no such restraint when it came to Rubio. Among other criticisms, he accused him of being soft on immigration policy because he helped craft a comprehensive reform measure in the Senate.

“He was fighting to grant amnesty and not to secure the border. I was fighting to secure the border,” Cruz said.

For his part, Rubio charged that Cruz had helped make the United States more vulnerable to a terror attack by supporting a bill that scaled back the reach of U.S. surveillance programs.

“The next time there is attack on - an attack on this country, the first thing people are going to want to know is, why didn't we know about it and why didn't we stop it?” Rubio said. “And the answer better not be because we didn't have access to records or information that would have allowed us to identify these killers before they attacked.”

The public spat has been brewing for weeks, with each campaign regularly criticizing the other in the media as Cruz has surged. A recent opinion poll by the Des Moines Register had Cruz leading Trump in Iowa, which holds the nation’s first nominating contest on Feb. 1, 2016. Trump, however, still leads in national polls.

A win by Cruz in Iowa could severely damage Trump’s bid, as the real estate mogul’s political message is largely grounded in his current dominance of opinion polls. It could also hand Cruz the kind of momentum that could derail Rubio’s bid to be the candidate around whom anti-Trump voters rally.

“They’re (both) trying to reach as wide a swath of non-Trump voters as possible,” O’Connell said.

They are, however, doing that in different ways.

In Las Vegas on Tuesday evening, Rubio articulated a muscular national security outlook, both abroad and at home, defending his support for U.S intervention in Libya in 2011, calling for an increase in the number of U.S. ground troops in Syria and Iraq in the struggle against Islamic State, ramping up military spending, and intensifying domestic surveillance programs.

“There are serious policy differences between Marco and Senator Cruz, especially on defense issues, and we’ve been pointing those out for the last couple of weeks,” Rubio’s spokesman, Alex Conant, said following the debate.

Cruz, conversely, advocated a more restrained foreign policy, arguing that a bombing campaign against Islamic State would suffice. He contended that the U.S. government had been allowed to collect too much data on Americans in the name of foiling terror attacks.

“This is an area where the American people deserve to see contrast," said Chad Sweet, Cruz's campaign manager.

In that sense, the two senators were addressing disparate elements of the Republican electorate in Iowa and elsewhere, said Matt Strawn, a former chairman of the state's Republican Party, who said, because of that, there was “no real blood spilled” between the two.

“Cruz's comments on (phone call) metadata help him with a significant share of Iowa's libertarian-oriented vote, while Rubio's responses are exactly what traditional national security conservatives in Iowa want to hear,” Strawn said. “Little happened to alter the dynamic of the race as we approach Christmas.”

But both men’s gambits on Tuesday may have had an unintended consequence.

Republican strategists told Reuters that Cruz and Rubio’s relentless focus on each other may have opened a door for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to gain a stronger foothold in the race by allowing him to contrast their relatively scant time in the Senate with his five years as a state executive.

At one point Tuesday, the two-term governor mocked them as they groused at each other about their Senate records.

“If your eyes are glazing over like mine, this is what it’s like to be on the floor of the United States Senate,” Christie said. "Endless debates about how many angels on the head of a pin from people who've never had to make a consequential decision in an executive position.”</s>FYI – U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) are urging the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to extend this year’s red snapper season for recreational fishermen. In a letter sent today to NOAA Acting Administrator Benjamin Friedman, the lawmakers cite concerns for angler’s safety and the economic impact such a short season will have on local communities.

“We are writing regarding this week's announcement that the 2017 Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishing season will be nearly a week shorter than last year's season,” the senators wrote. “For the anglers, boat captains, and related industries dependent on access to this fishery, this is deeply concerning.”

The lawmakers’ letter comes after NOAA’s recent announcement that the 2017 red snapper recreational fishing season would be just three days long, nearly a full week shorter than last year’s season.

“We ask that you consider incorporating all available reliable data to ensure anglers can safely fish for an appropriate season, which contributes valuable tourism revenue to coastal economies and ensures access to this public resource,” the senators wrote.

Here is a copy of the letter:

We are writing regarding this week's announcement that the 2017 Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishing season will be nearly a week shorter than last year's season. For the anglers, boat captains, and related industries dependent on access to this fishery, this is deeply concerning.

According to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the 2017 Gulf of Mexico red snapper federal season will be limited to just three days for recreational fishermen and 49 days for charter fishermen. We also understand that NMFS is likely to keep the South Atlantic closed for another season as well.

In years past, we have raised concern that setting a rigid fishing season of consecutive days may put anglers in harm's way due to Florida's unpredictable and frequent summer storms. We continue to believe that allowing more flexibility in the season to accommodate dangerous weather would help fishermen avoid hazardous conditions.

Once again, we ask that you consider incorporating all available reliable data to ensure anglers can safely fish for an appropriate season, which contributes valuable tourism revenue to coastal economies and ensures access to this public resource.
United States senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) file a bill restricting arms sales to the Philippine National Police over its drug war.