PDEA proves moral ascendancy to lead drug war

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) showed it has the high moral ground to lead the government’s campaign against illegal drugs when all its 516 officers and men tested negative in a surprise

mandatory drug test Monday.

“Surprise mandatory drug testing is an effective way of catching off-guard drug users among our ranks. The test was administered during the first full working week of the year. We are trying to make a point early on that we have the moral ascendancy to lead as prime implementers of the anti-drug law and that we are drug-free,” PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino said.

The drug tests were administered by the PDEA Laboratory Service right after the regular Monday flag-raising ceremony.

Aquino said more surprise drug tests will be conducted in the agency in the future to ensure that not a single PDEA personnel is involved in the illegal drug trade. The agency, he added will further intensify efforts to cleanse its ranks and weed out the scalawags in the office in the face of issues of integrity and credibility.

Aquino likewise vowed that the fight against illegal drugs will be relentless, sustained and will have a different approach in 2018 after issuing 13 operational thrusts.

“The operational thrusts are in keeping with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s goals in the war against drugs,” the PDEA chief said citing the President’s declaration: “we will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier, and the last pusher have surrendered or put behind bars.”

13 thrusts

Aquino said PDEA will integrate efforts to launch and implement reforma- tion programs, trainings, drug education, and strengthened partnerships with other government agencies and stakeholders to achieve its goals for 2018 with the following Operational Thrusts: a. Sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to deputize PDEA to inspect maritime vessels (domestic and international), and inspect public and private ports nationwide; b. Sign a MOA with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Transportation Network Vehicles Services (TNVS) on policies to prevent the use of TNVS as drug couriers; c. Establish PDEA offices in the Philippine Ports Authority’s 13 key seaports nationwide; d. Sign a MOA with the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for joint anti-illegal drugs operation in Philippine high seas and stop shipside smuggling; e. Strengthening of Financial Investigation Unit by providing additional manpower and intensified trainings to be able to freeze the assets of known drug lords and eradicate corruption in other government agencies; f. Launch and implement the SAGISAG NG TAGUMPAY LABAN SA DROGA AWARD, which will be given to Local Government Units, which successfully implement a harm reduction program, including the creation of BALAY SILANGAN reformation Centers and drug clearing operations; g. Creation of BALAY SILANGAN reformation centers for drug surrenderers nationwide to help them have a renewed life;

h. Regular conduct of advocacies in elementary, high-school and colleges nationwide not only to warn students of the ill effects of illegal drugs but to educate them on the new psychoactive drugs;

i. Procurement of 100 Narcotics Detection Dogs (NDDs) to be deployed in the country’s major seaports and airports; j. Rehabilitation and improvement of PDEA K9 Kennel Facility in San Jose del Monte Bulacan; k. Conduct trainings for both handlers and NDDs for the detection of additional New Psychoactive Drugs; l. Train PDEA Agents to man x-ray machines of different international and local couriers’ cargoes to prevent illegal drugs from entering the country via mail and delivery services; and m. Train employees of courier companies in determining illegal drugs such as ecstacy. “PDEA will strive further to implement a more intensified action in the accomplishment of its thrusts for 2018, in keeping with its mandate beyond what is expected of us in the war against illegal drugs”, Aquino concluded.

13.8-B illegal drugs

In its accomplishment report, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said it seized some 13.8 billion worth of illegal drugs in 2017, mostly shabu weighing 755 kilos. The crime volume likewise dropped by almost 18 percent last year.

“Our accomplishments on the war against illegal drugs have been notable, which resulted in the voluntary surrender of another 29,087 and arrest of 17,487 drug offenders,” NCRPO Director Oscar Albayalde said.

Crimes against persons, he said, decreased by 13.87 percent, or from 8,841 in 2016 to 7,305 in 2017, while crime against properties decreased by 20.58 percent, from 13, 200 to 10,483.

Nothing wrong

Meanwhile, Malacañang has no plans of stopping Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Martin Diño from asking barangay officials nationwide for a list of suspected drug and criminal personalities in their areas of jurisdiction.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque agreed that Diño is simply doing his job but reminded the DILG to verify the drug allegations against certain persons.

"What's wrong with that? Because people should know by way of general reputation who are involved in drugs. I think communities know but it's not enough for anything, you have to investigate on the basis of these leads," he said.

Roque said “there is absolutely nothing wrong (in asking for a list) for as long as it will entail conduct of an investigation to verify the information,” Roque said in a Palace news briefing.

Diño allayed the fears of human rights groups saying there will be checks and balances in the list that will be submitted by the barangays.

As a former barangay captain in Quezon City, Diño said he included his brother and relatives in his drug list stressing no one is above the law. Diño said his brother is now a barangay kagawad after undergoing rehabilitation.

He assured he will not base his information solely on the list given by the barangay. He said he will also use information coming from non-government organizations and the church. (With reports from Aaron Recuenco and Genalyn D. Kabiling)