PDEA says P500-million confidential funds for anti-drugs ops
A member of the House of Representatives on Wednesday questioned the P500 million in confidential funds sought by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) during the plenary interpellations for PDEA's proposed P4.4-billion budget for 2027.
In response to Philreca Party-list Representative Presley de Jesus' question about the proposed allocation, budget sponsor Representative Marcy Teodoro said the PDEA has been receiving P500 million in confidential funds since 2025, and that this was for anti-drug operations.
"High-impact operations and disruptions of major organizations. The NEP reports that in 2025, 1,471 of 1,991 drug-related information na reports are acted upon or 73.88% resulted in anti-drug operations. Admittedly, not 100% of the drug-related information are acted favorably," said Teodoro, who is also vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations.
Teodoro, however, stated that the PDEA exceeded its target in going after drug suspects.
"In terms of percentage decrease in drug personalities, the target actually is 10% as set forth in this year’s budget. We were able to arrest 173 personalities totaling to or accounting for 10.18% of the target. So we exceeded a bit from the target," he said.
"In terms of high-value targets arrested, our target, as I have mentioned earlier, is 60% of the total arrests. And we were able to have an arrest of 2,368 out of 2,819 on the list. That is 84% accomplishment. And the number of high-impact operations conducted, as I have mentioned in my sponsorship speech, the 500 operations that we targeted this year, we already exceeded that in the number of 696 operations, as we speak now," he added.
Teodoro, who also sponsored the budget for the Dangerous Drugs Board for 2027 amounting to P526.54 million, also reported a decrease in the number of drug users in the country.
Teodoro, citing the 2023 National Household Survey, said that from 2019 when 1,675,000 individuals used illegal drugs, the number dropped to 1,479,000 in 2023.
"That decline is encouraging pero hindi ibig sabihin na puwede na tayong maging kampante. Mahigit isang milyong Pilipino pa rin yan," Teodoro emphasized.
(It doesn't mean we can become complacent. That's still more than one million Filipinos.)
"The task is broader than simply counting facilities. The value of DDB's coordinating role is to help government understand what kind if help is needed, where it is needed, and how people can actually reach it," he said.
The DDB is also responsible for coming out with the Philippine Anti Drugs Strategy (PADS) which is expected to be approved within the year.
"Kasulukuyan po, yung PADS natin ay nire-review. Nasa Presidential Management Staff ito for review and consideration at naghihintay tayo ng enhanced PADS based on the executive order dahil nagbago ang panahon at problema," Teodoro said.
(Currently, PADS is under review by the Presidential Management Staff and we are waiting for the enhanced PADS based on the executive order because the climate and the problems change.)
"Tulad ngayon, ang isang strategy pong kailangan ay hindi na ito dapat street-level drugs na lamang o kaya individual basis kundi ito ay naging transnational na yung [One important strategy is that it should not just be at the level of street-level drugs or in an individual bses, but on transnational shipments] shipment [of] drugs coming [from] outside of the country going into and being distributed. There's an observation that it's already a syndicate operating the drug distribution of illegal drugs. Somebody will finance it. And there will be in charge, different organizations and individuals, in the selling and distribution," he added. — BM, GMA News
