FIFTY-SEVEN new Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents or Drug Enforcement Officers on Friday took their oath of office and were conferred their badges by PDEA chair, Director General Wilkins M. Villanueva.

The 57, composed of 29 males and 28 females, finished the PDEA Drug Enforcement Officers Basic Course Class 2022-Sambisig at the PDEA Academy in Tagaytay City.

They became the 3rd batch of PDEA Drug Enforcements Officers to graduate under Villanueva’s leadership.

“They are our invigorating force in the battle against illegal drugs. We are bringing in new blood to the PDEA organization”, Villanueva said during the graduation ceremonies held at the Development Academy of the Philippines’ (DAP) conference center in Tagaytay City.

The Sambisig Class stands for “Sama-samang Maglilingkod Upang Sugpuin ang Bawal na Gamot para sa Kinabukasan ng Inang Bayan”.

The 57 new PDEA officers received their diplomas, PDEA Agent Badges, and service pistols from Villanueva.

The 20th batch of PDEA Academy graduates underwent a 6-month training under the supervision of PDEA Academy Superintendent, Director Lirio Ilao-Oximar.

All were equipped with the essential knowledge and skills to become the primary implementors of Republic Act 9165 or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The graduates will have a permanent plantilla position with an entry-level Intelligence Officer I.

During the commencement exercises, the PDEA Academy handed ten awards, including the Director General’s Award, Deputy Director General for Administration Award, and Deputy Director General for Operations’ Award, to members of the graduating class who demonstrated exemplary performance in academic and non-academic disciplines.

The Sambisig Class is the roll-out batch of the in-house and online Neuro-Psychological Examination during the recruitment.

They are also the first batch where the Regional Offices (except the National Capital Region) handled the selection and recruitment process from neuro-psychological examination and medical and dental examinations to physical fitness tests and panel interviews.

In addition, the graduating class is the recipient of the latest enhancement and fine-tuning of the program of instruction for the Drug Enforcement Officers Basic Course (DEOBC).

Most outstanding DEOBC external and internal Subject Matter Experts were also feted during the graduation rites.

Villanueva, who himself served as PDEA Academy Superintendent, and supervised the DEOBC training of three batches of agents, said that the new graduates will be deployed to different parts of the country in the course of enhancing the agency’s capability to address the drug problem.