PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief General Rommel Francisco D. Marbil said the ‘bloodless war on drugs’ will continue with more focus on rehabilitating users and dismantling the operations of drug syndicates.

The Commander-in-Chief said that “extermination” has never been a part of his administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign, stressing that the drive will remain “bloodless.”

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) headed by Director General Moro Virgilio M. Lazo said that a total of P45.68 billion worth of shabu, cocaine, Ecstasy and marijuana have been confiscated by government agents during the past months.

They include nearly P5.946 tons of shabu, around 75 kilos of cocaine, more than 105,000 pieces of Ecstasy and over 5 tons of cannabis.

Also arrested during the period were 101,757 drug personalities, 6,508 of them described as ‘high-value targets.

Gen. Marbil said that they remained focused on “not only removing drugs from our streets but also on rehabilitating users and dismantling the operations of drug syndicates.”

The top cop said their ‘bloodless war’ on dangerous drugs adheres to the established “8 Es” under the government’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Operation thru Reinforcement and Education (ADORE) or ADORE Strategy, focusing on Engineering the Structure, Education, Extraction of Information, Enforcement of law, Enactment Of Laws, Environment, Economics, And Evaluation. Extermination has never been part of our approach.

Central to the PNP approach is the ‘Whole-of-Nation Strategy’ which integrates efforts from all sectors of society, Gen. Marbil said.

Gen. Marbil also welcomed the report that the number of drug-affected barangays in the country has been reduced by 32 percent.

“As of June 30,2024, we have successfully declared 28,899 barangays as drug-cleared out of a total of 42,002.

There are 6,153 barangays classified as drug-free. Currently, only 6,671 barangays remain drug-affected,” he said.

The PNP chief said this progress is “a testament to the effectiveness of our comprehensive anti-drug strategy, including the vital role played by Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADACs).

Their dedication and collaboration have been instrumental in achieving these results,” he said.

PNP records showed that from July 1, 2022 to June 30 this year, police conducted 96,767 operations, resulting in the seizure of more than P35.63 billion worth of illegal drugs.

The National Capital Region Police Office headed by Major Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. has also recorded no-drug related deaths amid their stepped-up campaign against illegal narcotics.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that to further paralyze the operations of illegal drug syndicates, “dirty money and assets worth more than P500 million have been frozen and preserved.”

With strong case build-up and efficient prosecution, the drug conviction rate is at 79 percent,” he added.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon