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No waste of resources in gov’t anti-drug campaign: Palace

By Lade Jean Kabagani

January 25, 2022, 6:38 pm

<p>Acting Presidential spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles <em>(Screengrab from PCOO/RTVM)</em></p>

Acting Presidential spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles (Screengrab from PCOO/RTVM)

MANILA—Malacañang on Tuesday said there was no waste of resources in the government's campaign against illegal drugs as it resulted in over PHP74 billion worth of confiscations since 2016.

Acting Presidential spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, made this comment after Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former police chief, said the government’s drug campaign was too focused on the enforcement side.

"Wala pong sinayang si Pangulong [Rodgrigo] Duterte dito sa laban (President Duterte did not waste anything in fight) against illegal drugs and the facts will speak for themselves. Kung makikita po natin (As we can see) from July 2016 to November of 2021, we have seized more than PHP74 billion worth of illegal drugs, destroyed them as well as the laboratory equipment and other equipment and paraphernalia of illegal drugs," Nograles said in a virtual media briefing.

Nograles said a total of 23,686 barangays were also cleared of illegal drugs because of the massive campaign.

"The government continues its campaign against illegal drugs doon sa mga (in the) un-cleared barangays as often as possible," he added, noting that the expanded anti-illegal drugs campaign continues across the country.

Nograles likewise noted the administration has no tolerance for extrajudicial killings (EJK).

"Ipinagbabawal natin ang EJK, bawal po iyan. Bawal ang any extra-judicial means (We are prohibiting EJK, that's illegal. Any extra-judicial means also prohibited)," Nograles said.

He said whoever is accused of committing EJK should be prosecuted.

"Kung sinuman ang gumawa ng ganoon ay ipo-prosecute natin at kahit doon sa Department of Justice at sa NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] ay mayroon na pong umuusad ang wheels of justice natin (Whoever did that will be prosecuted and even in the Department of Justice and NBI, our wheels of justice are now moving) against anybody accused of any EJK killings," Nograles added.

According to the latest data of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the government has seized PHP74.3 billion worth of illegal drugs, dismantled 1,000 dens and clandestine laboratories, and arrested 319,929 persons from July 1, 2016 to Nov. 30, 2021.

A total of 6,221 drug personalities died in 221,657 anti-illegal drug operations in the same period. (PNA)

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