ICAD welcomes VP Leni acceptance of anti-drug czar post

By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan 

 November 6, 2019

 MANILA – Member-agencies of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) on Wednesday welcomed Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo's acceptance of her appointment as the body's co-chairperson.

PARTNERS IN ANTI-DRUG CAMPAIGN. PDEA Director General and ICAD chairperson Aaron Aquino (left) says he welcomes Vice President Leni Robredo's (right) decision to accept her designation as ICAD co-chairperson, during an interview at the PDEA headquarters in Quezon City on Wednesday (Nov. 6, 2019). Concerned government agencies have vowed to support Robredo in her duties as anti-drug czar. (File photo)

"Finally, accepted na ng ating Vice President ang designation niya as my co-chairman of ICAD. Katatapos lang ng ICAD meeting namin ngayon. Sana natanggap niya mas maaga para na kasama namin siya ngayong umaga [Finally, our Vice President accepted her designation as my co-chairman of ICAD. We just concluded our meeting. It would have been better if she accepted it earlier so she could have joined us this morning]," Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aquino said in an interview after the 14th ICAD Regular meeting held at PDEA headquarters in Quezon City.

“We have concluded the third quarter meeting of the inter-agency committee against illegal drugs (ICAD), wherein before we adjourned, I announced that VP Leni Robredo has accepted her designation as ICAD co-chairman,” said Aquino, who is also chairman of the ICAD.

Aquino said he is confident that Robredo will be of great help to the government's anti-drug campaign.

“This is a welcome development for the illegal drug campaign, personally I cannot help but feel somehow awkward to have the second-highest elected official of the country as my co-chairman in ICAD. The campaign against illegal drugs is far from over. The help of Vice President Robredo is very much appreciated especially in terms of harm and demand reduction efforts,” he added.

Aquino also instructed the ICAD secretariat to prepare a briefing on the body's accomplishments to be presented to the Vice President.

The PDEA chief said he is willing to brief Robredo on the functions and accomplishments of ICAD.

"We'll just wait for her call. Siguradong magpapa-briefing siya sa akin [We'll just wait for her call and I'm sure she wants a briefing with me]," I am also expecting a call from the VP’s office anytime for the schedule of briefing and meet and greet with the ICAD members,” Aquino said.

On Tuesday, Aquino said he is fully supportive of Robredo's appointment as he hopes that she could help in the rehabilitation and reintegration cluster of the committee.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman, Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, added that as a member of ICAD, the PNP will "extend to her utmost courtesy, cooperation and full support towards the attainment of a drug free Philippines by 2022".

"The PNP welcomes the acceptance by VP Leni Robredo of the position as Co-Chair of ICAD to oversee the campaign against illegal drugs," Banac said.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary and spokesperson, Jonathan E. Malaya, said they are ready to assist the Vice President in her new task, after all, the objective is the same -- to eliminate the drug problem in the country.

As co-chair of the ICAD, the Vice President can provide leadership and guidance to all government agencies to meet the following objectives of the body, among others, as provided in Executive Order 15 issued in 2017, namely:

-Advocacy campaign initiatives against illegal-drugs on the community level;
-Barangay anti-drug clearing operations;
-Cleansing the bureaucracy of unscrupulous personnel involved in illegal drugs;
-Community-based Drug Rehabilitation Program.

Malaya said the DILG, together with the DOH and DSWD, leads the illegal-drug demand reduction campaign "so we feel that it is in the area of illegal-drug demand reduction that the Vice President can make a significant contribution".

“Aside from those, the Vice President can also provide us with fresh ideas and alternative strategies on how to handle the anti-illegal drug campaign, thus, we look forward to working with her closely in this regard,” he said in a statement.

The DILG directs all agencies under it -- the PNP, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (ADACs), Peace and Order Councils (POCs), all local government units and other attached agencies -- to provide the necessary assistance to the Vice President as she takes on her new responsibility.

Based on recent data from July 2016 to September 2019 presented by Aquino himself, 18,712 villages in the country are still plagued by illegal drugs.

Robredo's appointment was stated in a memorandum dated October 31 and released on Tuesday.

The designation was made following demands by critics and detractors that enforcement power should be given to Robredo “through official correspondence, and not just through a verbal or electronic communication”.

In accepting the post, Robredo said she wanted drug lords pursued and cops involved in narco-trafficking jailed. (PNA)

Almost 15K barangays cleared of illegal drugs: PDEA

By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan 

 November 1, 2019

MANILA -- The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday reported that 14,922 out of 42,045 barangays in the country are declared cleared from illegal drugs from July 2016 to September 2019 under the Duterte administration's continuing anti-illegal drugs campaign.

PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino. (File photo

PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said these barangays have reached drug-cleared status after receiving a certification by members of the Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug-Clearing Program.

The Oversight Committee, chaired by PDEA, is composed of provincial representatives of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Health (DOH) and local government units.

Before declaring that a barangay is free from illegal drug activities, the committee must convene and validate the non-availability of drug supply in the area and the absence of drug transit activity, clandestine drug laboratory and chemical warehouse, marijuana cultivation site, drug den, drug pusher and user.

“Once cleared, we monitor newly-declared drug-free barangays to ensure that they will maintain their status. All our efforts will go to waste if we allow the resurgence of illegal drug activities in these areas,” Aquino said.

Aquino said PDEA aims to clear 18,712 drug-affected barangays by 2022.

Aquino said that these barangays represent 44.5 percent out of 42,045 barangays in the country that are still plagued by the drug menace. Out of the 18,712 drug-affected barangays, 7,817 are classified as slightly affected, 10,616 are moderately affected, while 279 barangays are seriously affected.

“PDEA intends to sustain the pace of clearing an average of 6,200 drug-affected barangays every year or 520 barangays every month, for the next three years. The mission of ridding the country’s drug problem by 2022 would be a reality,” Aquino said.

There are three basic parameters in determining barangay drug-affectation: slightly affected, moderately affected, and seriously affected. Barangays are considered slightly affected if there is a reported presence of drug user/s; moderately affected if there is a reported presence of drug pusher/s and/or user/s; and seriously affected if there is a reported presence of any of the following: clandestine drug laboratory, warehouse, marijuana plantation, drug den/tiangge, drug trafficking or smuggling activities, and drug personalities such as users, pushers, financiers, protectors, cultivators, manufacturers and others.

The National Capital Region (NCR) has the highest rate of barangay drug-affectation with 72.7 percent, followed by Region 7 (Central Visayas) at 72.4 percent; Region 5 (Bicol Region) at 68.9 percent; Region 3 (Central Luzon) at 63.6 percent; and Region 4-A (CALABARZON) at 55.7 percent. The regions least affected by illegal drugs are Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) at 7.2 percent; Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) at 17.5 percent; and Region 13 (Caraga Region) at 17.7 percent.

Integrated approach

To accelerate efforts against the proliferation of illegal drugs in drug-affected barangays, the government has adopted an integrated approach in securing the assistance of the local government units in drug-clearing operations pursuant to Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation No. 3 Series of 2017, otherwise known as “Strengthening the Implementation of the Barangay Drug-Clearing Program”, which includes the activation of Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADACs) in the communities.

For its part, PDEA, as the lead agency against illegal drugs, adopted a three-pronged strategy in the national anti-drug campaign: Supply Reduction, Demand Reduction, and Harm Reduction.

Besides the traditional drug supply and drug demand reduction strategy of the government, PDEA integrated into the campaign a harm-reduction approach to soften the social and economic impact of the drug problem by implementing programs that reduce harms associated with illegal drugs.

To prevent or end drug dependency, PDEA is implementing harm-reduction efforts such as: “Balay Silangan”, a community-based reformation program for surrendering drug offenders; Project: “Sagip Batang Solvent”, to rescue street children, particularly those hooked on solvent-sniffing; drug test of public transport drivers nationwide, to ensure road safety; and “Drug-Free Workplace Program”, to promote a working environment free from the influence of dangerous drugs in business establishments.

“We are gaining ground in freeing every barangay in the country. PDEA will carry on with its aggressive supply reduction operations, and holistic approaches to prevent people from wanting and taking illegal drugs, while offering interventions, thus saving the lives of drug users and surrendering drug pushers,” the PDEA chief said. (PNA)

Army’s 2ID denies 'ambush-slay' of 5 soldiers in Quezon

By Saul Pa-a  

November 10, 2019

 CAMP GEN. CAPINPIN, Tanay, Rizal -- The Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry “Jungle Fighter” Division (2ID) on Sunday condemned the New People’s Army's (NPA) act of propagating fake news and dismissed as false claim its statement that five were "killed" in an ambush last Friday in General Nakar, Quezon.

ALSE CLAIM. Brig. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo B. Burgos Jr., commander of the Philippine Army's 2nd Infantry "Jungle Fighter" Division (2ID), is shown speaking to newsmen in a file photo taken at the 2ID Headquarters, Camp Gen. Capinpin, Tanay, Rizal. On Sunday (Nov. 10, 2019), he branded as fake news a claim by an alleged New People's Army spokesperson that five soldiers were killed in an encounter between the rebels and government troops in General Nakar, Quezon. (File photo by Saul E. Pa-a)

Brig. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo B. Burgos Jr., 2ID commander, said the NPA’s action is a reflection of its desperate attempt to gain relevance in the community as well as to cover up the terrorists’ imminent downfall.

“Any self-respecting spokesman would know that sowing lies and deceit among the people is unacceptable and such despicable act of the NPA’s spokesperson is aggravated by their attempt to use mainstream media,” Burgos said.

He referred to a statement of Eliza dela Guerra, an alleged NPA spokesperson, pertaining to the terrorists’ ambush on some 50 soldiers and police officers in General Nakar’s Barangay Lumutan at around 12:40 p.m.

The General Nakar police station, through its chief of police, has denied the incident and said it was “not aware of that supposed incident”.

Burgos, however, confirmed that government troops launched an armed engagement against the NPA terrorists during their Focused Military Operations on Friday afternoon in Sitio Labno, Barangay Lumutan.

He added that there was no casualty recorded on the government side while the enemies were suspected to have incurred losses based on the discovery of bloodstains on the rebel’s escape routes.

“We hope that the media will not tolerate and glorify acts that bastardize the noble profession of journalism by giving attention to baseless claims such as this report,” Burgos said.

He also called on NPA terrorists to respect the members of the media “by not weaponizing them through psychological operations fully knowing that information given to them should at all times be factual, truthful and verifiable.”

He added that the communist group's propaganda to destabilize the government and recruit the youth and Indigenous Peoples (IP) has been used by the NPA as its main tool for party and army building efforts to support its now deteriorating insurgency movement in the country.

The NPA, which has been waging a five-decade armed struggle against the government, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)