P10.41B illegal drugs seized last year: PNP

THE Marcos government seized around P10.41 billion worth of illegal drugs from January to December 2023 and cleared more than 27,000 barangays of illegal drugs, a PNP report to President Marcos Jr. revealed.

The PNP said 56,495 suspects were also arrested in more than 44,000 anti-illegal drug operations last year.

It added that through the consolidated efforts of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the PNP, the government cleared 27,968 barangays of illegal drugs while 23 provinces, 447 municipalities, and 43 cities established their community-based drug rehabilitation programs (CBDRPs) as of December 27, 2023.

It also said that 50 provinces, 1,160 municipalities, and 30 cities have functional Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (ADACs) implementing anti-drug priorities at the local level, while 74 in-patient treatment and rehabilitation facilities were also established.

The Marcos government’s anti-illegal drugs campaign focuses more on rehabilitation, reintegration, and preventive education programs, specifically for the youth.

The DILG, in 2022, partnered with other national government agencies (NGAs), local government units (LGUs), the private sector, faith-based and civil society organizations to implement its “Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Iwasan (BIDA) Program,” while the DDB continues to implement the Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP) aimed to attain 100 percent drug-free or drug-cleared barangays by 2028.

The administration also targets to reduce the target-listed drug personalities by 10 percent of the annual target list and establish CBDRPs and ADACs in all provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays by June 2028, and establish a 1:1 ratio of established treatment and rehabilitation facilities per province by 2028.