PDEA opens 1,395 agent slots

To make a greater mark on the drug enforcement activities in the country, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 is recruiting additional agents to help in the anti-drug war.

PDEA-7 Director III Emerson Margate said that their agency needs more personnel to conduct raids and operations in Central Visayas.

“The agency opened new slots that can accommodate 1,395 drug enforcement officers. That is our quota for this year,” Margate said.

As of now, the PDEA-7 has 55 agents guarding more than 3, 000 barangays in the region.

“The first batch is set to start their training by the end of February while on September this year will be the second batch. By February of next year, we will have new agent who will be deployed in all the provinces of the Philippines,” he said.

Margate said the agency envisions to recruit 5,000 agents in the next five years.

“We have 1, 300 agents nationwide. In Cebu, I have 55 for the whole Region 7 and that’s really challenging like in Siquijor, we only strike because we don’t have a permanent agent there. In Bohol, only a few including Negros Oriental,” he said.

Margate said that the additional agents will benefit the agency especially because of the government’s crackdown on illegal drugs.

“It’s really a problem when it comes to manpower. We are now multi-tasking, but it would be better if there were more of us so that the agency can reach to the provinces to orchestrate the fight against illegal drugs there,” he said.

Interested applicants can visit the official website of the PDEA at pdea.com.ph. /