MANILA -- The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) welcomed the move of Surigao Del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers to transfer the PHP900-million fund of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Oplan Double Barrel to the agency.
“We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Rep. Barbers for pushing the transfer of the Oplan Double Barrel fund to PDEA now that the campaign plan is suspended and PDEA being the lone authority to lead the country’s war against illegal drugs,” PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino said on Monday.
Barbers, Chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, wrote a letter to Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, appropriations committee chairman, dated October 23, 2017 appealing for the budget of Oplan Double Barrel to be transferred and allocated instead to the 2018 operating budget of PDEA.
The Senate Finance Committee is set to allocate an operational budget of P2.6-billion for PDEA in 2018.
PDEA has requested for an additional P934 million budget in 2018 to finance several projects in the pipeline, including the establishment of 81 provincial offices, five district offices and 33 highly-urbanized city (HUC) offices nationwide; establishment of 13 seaport inter-agency drug interdiction task groups (IADITGs) and six airport IADITGs; recruitment and training of 500 drug enforcement officers (DEOs); acquisition of equipment (move, shoot, communicate and protective gear) for DEOs to be deployed in the regions; acquisition of 13 narcotics detection dogs (NDDs) with training; and procurement of three units of incinerator machines intended to facilitate the destruction of seized dangerous drugs, among others.
“Additional budget allocation for PDEA will go a long way in enhancing the agency’s capabilities by hiring more agents and personnel and purchasing modern equipment, additional firepower and protective equipment to keep pace with drug syndicates,” Aquino said.
Aquino added that the establishment of PDEA Provincial/District/HUC Offices “will accelerate and improve our delivery of public services across the regions and more centralized anti-drug efforts mean more effective drug law enforcement.”
He said that the presence of incinerators will result in the speedy disposition of confiscated drug evidence, allaying accusations of recycling and pilfering.
“If approved, the fund will surely make PDEA more sufficiently equipped and numerically upgraded to carry the brunt of the country’s all-out war against illegal drugs,” the PDEA chief said.
Meanwhile, with only 1,038 agents, Aquino said the agency would coordinate with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and local government units (LGUs) for the continuation of drug-clearing efforts in barangays.
“The obvious lack of personnel is indeed a point of concern since our presence is only on the regional level and with some skeletal provincial offices. But we will closely link up with the barangays for the continuation of the barangay drug-clearing program,” he noted.
“PDEA is obliged to do more with less amd though undermanned, under equipped and inadequately funded, we will not let the public down. We will deliver what is expected of us,” the PDEA chief said.
Aquino said that PDEA continues to encourage the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) of every community to get more involved in the anti-drug campaign by reporting suspicious illegal drug activities in their neighborhood.
The BADACs were deputized and empowered to plan and implement strategic policies, and evaluate programs and projects on drug prevention and control, given the political and police powers of the barangay to administer the affairs of the community.
Earlier, Aquino announced that PDEA needed highly qualified professionals to fill up 373 vacancies.
PDEA has an approved 2,271 regular positions, 1,898 of which are filled up and deployed nationwide.
The list of vacant plantilla positions is published in the agency’s official website. (PNA)
