The Philippine National Police (PNP) confiscated last year approximately P10.41 billion worth of illegal drugs.
According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), this marked the Marcos administration’s vigorous efforts to combat illegal drugs, resulted in over 27,000 barangays cleared of the drug menace.
Citing the PNP year-end report, the PCO said the campaign not only saw the seizure of substantial quantities of illicit substances, but also the apprehension of 56,495 suspects in more than 44,000 raids across the country.
The collaborative efforts of key agencies such as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the PNP played a pivotal role in declaring 27,968 barangays free from illegal drugs, the PCO said.
As of last Dec. 27, at least 23 provinces, 447 municipalities, and 43 cities had implemented their respective community-based drug rehabilitation programs (CBDRPs), as shown in a separate annual accomplishment report released by the administration.
The report also showed that 50 provinces, 1,160 towns, and 30 cities have operational Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (ADACs) overseeing anti-drug priorities at the local level. Additionally, 74 in-patient treatment and rehabilitation facilities were established to support the comprehensive anti-drug campaign.
To counter the supply of illegal drugs, the PDEA heightened its efforts against high-profile drug personalities, not only through arrests but also by bolstering financial investigations to immobilize their assets.
The PDEA also conducted training and capacity-building activities for the local government units and stakeholders in anti-illegal drug advocacy and rehabilitation initiatives.
Looking ahead, the administration aims to achieve a 10-percent reduction in the suspected drug personalities by June 2028.
Additionally, it seeks to establish CBDRPs and ADACs in all provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays, while aspiring to attain a 1:1 ratio of treatment and rehabilitation facilities per province by 2028.