Interior Secretary Eduardo Año (Screengrab from Pre-SONA Forum Facebook live video)
MANILA – The government has institutionalized the fight against illegal drugs and crime under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said on Friday.
Speaking at the Pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) Forum of the Participatory Governance Cluster, Año said this is the realization of the President’s commitment to curb the illegal drug menace which is among his key campaign promises.
“Naka-institutionalize na ang ating mekanismo para ito ay magtuloy-tuloy, magkaroon man ng pagbabago ng administrasyon sa susunod na taon (Our mechanisms have been institutionalized for these to continue, even if there would be a change in administration next year). In fact, we have institutionalized our campaign through our peace and order council in the LGUs (local government units) as well as the formation of anti-drug abuse councils from provinces down to the barangay. We conduct an annual audit on their functions and likewise out of the 42,000 plus barangays nationwide, 41,950 or about 99.69 percent have organized BADACs (Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils). Because of that, out of this 42,000 plus barangays, about 21,891 barangays have been cleared from illegal drugs,” he said.
Año added that the campaign led to the arrest of over 289,000 drugs users and peddlers, including over 12,000 high-value targets.
“We have destroyed 757 drug dens and laboratories. It has a direct effect on peace order and out of these operations against illegal drugs, we have confiscated a total of PHP59.14 billion worth of shabu, cocaine, marijuana and other illegal drug substances. It caused also the surrender of about 1.3 million all over the country,” he said.
He added that regional drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation centers, the biggest of which is the Mega Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, is among the thrusts of the Inter-Agency Committee against Illegal Drugs (ICAD) which aims to reduce not only the supply of illegal drugs through law enforcement operations but also curb demand through reformation programs.
He said peace and order in the country also improved due to the relentless anti-drug drive of the government.
“That on the peace and order, from second semester of 2016, we have a crime volume of 292,589. This decreased to 193,103 in the first semester of 2021. So this means the peace and order situation improved,” Año said.
Citing the 2020 Global Law and Order Report by international analytics firm Gallup, Año said the Philippines is among the top 50 safest countries in the world.
The Philippines got a score of 84 and is tied with Australia, New Zealand, Poland, and Serbia. This is slightly higher than the country’s 82 index score for the world in 2019 by the global analytics firm.
“In Southeast Asia, we are ranked at number four. Number one is Singapore. Tuloy tuloy lang ating kampanya (Our campaign is continuous) and every week submitted (reports) to President and hope the citizens will continue to support our campaign against illegal drugs),” he said.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has been submitting regular updates on the anti-illegal drug campaign to Duterte during his weekly address to the nation.
More than figures
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said while the government has accomplished a lot to combat the drug menace, a lot more needs to be done so that the country will be declared narcotics-free before the end of Duterte's term.
"Hindi namin ikinakaila na pagkalipas ng limang taon may problema pa din sa illegal na droga ang ilang sulok ng ating komunidad pero hindi rin natin maitatanggi na malaki ang pinagbago ng sitwasyon kumpara nung bago mag 2016. Ang mga datos ng mga police operations ay hindi lamang mga numero. Dulot nito ay kapanatagan ng loob ng mga mamamayan (We do not deny that after five years, the illegal drug problem stays in some parts of our communities. However, we cannot also deny that the situation has improved as compared to the situation before the year 2016. The data on police operations are not just mere figures. These bring peace of mind to our people),” PNP chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency.
Latest government data also showed that during 200,632 anti-illegal drug operations by the different law enforcement agencies since 2016, a total of 289,622 suspects were arrested while 6,117 suspects died during operations.
Eleazar vowed that the PNP would remain relentless in its anti-illegal drug operations and in its drive to put a stop to the illegal drug trade.
In line with this effort, Eleazar said all proper equipment and tools were acquired for police units tasked with eliminating illegal drugs syndicates preying on poor Filipinos and their families.
"Our continuing successes are making the streets safer. Our service extends to protecting our cherished democratic way of life. Defending our country against insurgency, armed struggle, and terrorism even entailed ultimate sacrifice to some of our men and women but their heroism is not in vain," Eleazar said.
Likewise, the PNP chief said they remain relentless in the fight against the so-called "enemy within" or rogue police officers involved in illegal drugs.
"I would also like to assure our fellow Filipinos that the PNP leadership continues to implement various policies on internal cleansing to protect the organization against a few scalawags within our ranks. Building on the gains of my predecessors, the internal cleanliness policy is my flagship leadership agenda," he added.
Eleazar added that the public deserves a police force that is a pillar of professionalism and integrity.
"We must be on the right track, our services, our initiatives are what compels private organizations and individuals to voluntarily collaborate and partner with our various units," he said.
He added that police-community relations are now stronger than ever.
"Communities are manifesting trust and confidence by actively participating with and supporting our various units. Sharing with us mutual aspirations, the promotion and preservation of peace and order," he added.
Eleazar said all these accomplishments stemmed from the strong leadership, guidance and resolve of Duterte.
"Buo ang suporta ng ating Pangulo upang ang inyong pambansang kapulisan ay may malakas na kakayahan, mas matibay na kagamitan, integridad sa hanay para lubos na mapagsilbihan ang ating mga kababayan (The President continues to extend his full support so that your police force will have a great capability, more advanced equipment and integrity among the ranks for us to be able to serve Filipinos better)," he added. (PNA)
