Recommendations for PDEA

Dear Mr. President,

The Filipino nation cannot question the wisdom of your decision in ordering that the PDEA shall be the sole agency in the enforcement of the anti-drugs law. If your Cabinet and all your presidential advisers cannot argue with your decision, neither will I (taga-Carbon Law School ko, unya ikaw taga-San Beda). Thus we have to support your decision and respectfully make the following suggestions:

1.) Establish PDEA satellite academy

Since the creation of PDEA in 2002, we have established an academy presently located at Silang, Cavite. The academy is a squatter inside the PNPA and the latter has been for years asking for the eviction of the academy. The first graduates of the academy was in 2007 and so far we have produced less than 2,000 agents. With the gargantuan task of the drug war, we have to produce more agents. We could achieve this by establishing satellite academy in Visayas (preferably in Cebu) and Mindanao (preferably in Davao). With this we could produce agents thrice what we have yearly produced.

To support the training of our agents, you must order the CHED to come with a course called: Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Major in Drug Enforcement so that our prospective cadets in the PDEA shall have been properly trained for four years, so that the six months training in the academy would only strengthen and would be the culmination and refining of our cadets.

2.) Deputize PNP drug enforcement units

The PDEA cannot do it alone, we have to be humble enough to acknowledge that PDEA needs the help of the PNP. If the issue is accountability and responsibility, the president has to order the PNP to allow its officers to be detailed with the PDEA, not to be physically transferred but on paper. So that the operations with PNP will be under the supervision of the PDEA with funds provided by the latter's office. This is so if there are instances of hulidaps, shenanigans and irregularities, it is the PDEA that will be accountable. Anyway, this is what Republic Act 9165 mandates, the PDEA as the lead agency.

3.) Court duty allowance/pay

When the president assumed office up to the present we have around 70,000 drug cases and majority of it were filed by the PNP. Let us be reminded that the end of the drug war is in the conviction of the drug accused. Even if the president decides that the PDEA shall be the sole agency, we have to ensure that these cases must end in conviction and thus to support our operatives who pays its own fare and meals, at times provide food for its detainee, the government must support them via the giving of Court Duty Allowance.

Lastly, if the PDEA is the sole agency, the PNP's proposed budget for next year under the Operation Double Barrel in the amount of almost P1 billion, it would be realigned with the PDEA.

Drug free Philippines, my duty, your duty, everybody's mission. Ug mabuhi ang bantugan nga Bisaya.

Respectfully yours,

Clarence Paul V. Oaminal

Vice Chairman, Dangerous Drugs Board August 8, 2008 to March 5, 2010