Senator Bato Dela Rosa has called on the government agencies, especially the peace and order sector, to continue the relentless efforts and whole-of-nation approach to illegal drugs, criminality, and insurgency which was started by the Duterte administration.
Dela Rosa made the appeal during the organization meeting of his committee, the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, where top officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) were present.
“Kailangan nating masiguro na ang mga pagsusumikap ng nakaarang administrasyon sa pagsugpo ng iligal na droga at laban sa insurgency ay hindi mapupunta sa wala. With this, I am sure that we will be able to protect and maintain the peace and order of our communities and the nation we honor and have sworn to fight for,” the legislator said.
During the meeting, the agencies presented solid accomplishment numbers of the no-nonsense war on drugs launched during the Duterte administration which was first led and implemented by the lawmaker as then-Chief PNP.
In a report to the senator, PDEA Director General Wilkins Villanueva said the past administration implemented the Barangay Drug Clearing Program, which was a whole-of-nation approach to addressing the drug problem with the participation of local government units, government agencies, and various stakeholders.
“Out of the 42,046 barangays in the country, 9,683 na lang ang affected barangays.”
“So, out of the 42,046 barangays in the country, 9,683 (9,693) na lang ang affected barangays (as of July 31, 2022) samantalang meron tayong 25,802 or 61.37% na na-cleared na ng local government units at meron tayong confirmed as drug-free na 5,811 at meron tayong natitirang hindi pa nako-confirmed na 740 drug-unaffected barangays,” Villanueva said.
He said before 2016, more than 34,000 barangays were drug-affected.
As of July 31, 2022, through the Treatment and Rehabilitation on Drug Cleared Barangays program, there were already 298,094 graduates from the Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Program, 2,647 ongoing/graduates from facility-based rehabilitation, and 61,150 graduates from general intervention.
For the supply reduction component of the whole-of-nation strategy, there were 242,263 anti-drug operations conducted in the six years of the Duterte administration, compared to only 99,710 anti-drug operations in the six-year term of the PNoy administration.
Also, under the Duterte administration, 349,427 drug personalities were arrested, compared to only 77,810 arrested during the PNoy government.
Dela Rosa emphasized the effectiveness of the whole-of-nation approach to the war on drugs, citing the success of the NTF-ELCAC in the fight against insurgency.
Iyong ELCAC is winning, talagang winning tremendously because of that whole-of-nation approach.”
“Alam mo iyong whole-of-nation approach ay talagang very effective iyan. Take, for instance, the case of ELCAC. Iyong ELCAC is winning, talagang winning tremendously because of that whole-of-nation approach,” Dela Rosa said.
At the end of the organizational meeting, the former top cop thanked the government’s peace and order sector for their efforts in fighting illegal drugs, criminality and insurgency.
“I just would like to thank everyone for your continued vigor in this particular field natin ‘no, ‘yung public order and dangerous drugs. Maraming salamat sa inyong patuloy na pagsusumikap…Hindi natin tinataya ‘yung sarili natin dito para sa sarili natin kundi para sa future ng mga anak, mga apo natin at mga kabataan na sana mabuhay sila na walang threats sa kriminalidad at saka sa iligal na droga,” he concluded.
