SINCE July 2016, when President Rodrigo Duterte assumed the top political post of the land, the government has cleared 19,876 barangays of illegal drugs, according tothe Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Now headed by Director-General Wilkins M. Villanueva, a member of Class 1988 of the elite Philippine Military Academy (PMA), PDEA is the law enforcement arm of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).
This means that the dreaded “drug monster” continues to erode the values and energy of the Filipino family system in thousands more villages throughout this impoverished Southeast Asian nation.
However, we are made to believe that PDEA, with the help of other concerned state agencies, is capable of clearing the remaining drug-affected villages by June 2022, when DU30 leaves Malacanang.
“There are 702 days to go before the deadline on ending the country’s drug problem as committed by the President to the Filipino people,” said the workaholic PDEA director-general.
As the lead agency in the total war against the drug menace, PDEA has adopted a three-pronged strategy, which focuses on reducing drug supply, demand and harmful effects.
Since July 2016, the authorities have arrested 9,706 high-value targets. Those nabbed included 401 government employees, 336 elected officials, 279 foreigners and 96 uniformed personnel.
During the period, law enforcement authorities also dismantled a total of 581 drug dens, 16 clandestine shabu laboratories and seized an estimated P52.77 billion worth of illegal drugs.
Admittedly, the “drug monster” remains as the top enemy of the government and the Filipino people.
This is understandable because it continues to deliver “Sunday Punches” against the people, particularly the youngsters who, according to Dr. Jose P. Rizal, are the hope of the Fatherland.
