MANILA -- The sustained implementation of the Philippine Anti-Drugs Strategy (PADS) focusing on enforcement, justice, rehabilitation and reintegration, and advocacy have been credited with the largely improved response against the illegal drug problem, according to the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD).
In its year-end report for 2019 released on Dec. 13, ICAD announced that 15,894 barangays nationwide have been declared as drug-cleared, alongside the 27,918 anti-drug operations conducted within the year that resulted in the arrest of 41,947 drug personalities.
Out of the drug personalities arrested, 2,422 are considered high-value targets, while 976 of the operations have been classified as high-impact in nature.
The committee cited that the coordinated efforts of its 45 member-agencies, adherence to the PADS and implementation of the Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP) paved way for the stronger law enforcement activities on illegal drug proliferation and use.
In a press briefing in Malacañang on Dec. 12, PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said the inter-agency committee is “still crossing our fingers by 2022 (so that) we can accomplish to clear all barangays of drugs.
Aquino said the PDEA's targets was “doable” but admitted that the challenges remain “so high”.
“The remaining barangays are the most notorious barangays in terms of drug affectations,” Aquino said.
Rehab efforts
Aside from conducting anti-illegal drug operations, ICAD has also enhanced its rehabilitation and advocacy efforts which include drug-free workplaces in government and private offices, strengthening partnerships with local governments for monitoring Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (ADACs), and establishing more rehabilitation, reintegration, and reformation facilities and programs in all regions.
Highlighting the continued fight against illegal drugs are hallmark initiatives such as the launch of the 'Rehabinasyon' campaign, which advocates for a holistic approach through providing information on drug-related statistics, medical treatment of drug dependents, and reintegration through livelihood and employment programs.
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Ramon Cualoping detailed the activities of the campaign, noting that in 2019, the office staged the First Rehabinasyon National Anti-Drugs Summit, “which laid the premise of the gravity of the illegal drug problem, and how the government aims to achieve a drug-free nation through a holistic and harmonized strategy.”
“In 2020, Rehabinasyon will continue to dismiss the disinformation spread by malicious parties, saying that the campaign against illegal drugs is a failure and that the government does not follow a strategy. Next year, we will reach out to more of our stakeholders, especially the academe, youth leaders, and faith-based organizations,” he added.
Web-based info system
Another initiative that was launched is the Anti-Illegal Drugs Information System (AIDIS), which is a web-based centralized information system that consolidates data from agencies involved in tackling the illegal drug problem to formulate better strategies as well as generate statistics that can be provided to the public.
Lastly, the 'Yakap Bayan' intervention framework of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), together with the 'Balay Silangan' reformation program and the 'Project Sagip Batang Solvent' youth reformation facility of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) comprise the initiatives launched for rehabilitating drug users.
ICAD was created on March 6, 2017 under Executive Order 15 to suppress the drug problem in the country, which was initially composed of 18 agencies and departments with PDEA being designated as its chairperson. (PNA)
