PDEA SLAMS POLLUTED SOURCE OF STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT, CITES MODEST GAINS IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITIES AND LIMITATIONS

 

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency lamented the inaccurate portrayal of the Agency based on the recent report by the United States’ State Department, citing that the Philippine drug problem is “significant “.

 

            PDEA Director General/Senior Undersecretary DIONISIO R, SANTIAGO said that the State Department’s source was “disgruntled and polluted”. It failed to establish the time frame of the problems attributed to the Agency that were enumerated in the report. He admitted that PDEA was ridden with numerous inadequacies upon his assumption into office on April 2006. Foremost of these were the absence of an approved plantilla from the Department of Budget and Management, which is the basis for hiring organic personnel and the allocation of the Agency’s budget.

 

            The PDEA Chief mentioned the dismal state of affairs preceding his administration, where PDEA failed to acquire its own organic firearms, communications equipment and other vital resources needed to meet its mandate as the country’s premier anti-drug organization. It was apparent that PDEA’s organizational growth and development was stunted and set aside for 4 years since its inception. “The real PDEA only started in July 2007 with only 105 organic officers and personnel after the return of two-thirds of its seconded manpower, (deemed as borrowed law enforcement experts). Prior to this, we were constrained to implement a painful cleansing process, where some detailed officers and personnel were arrested and charged for their involvement in illegal drug activities; to include the theft of 7 kilograms of shabu on November 2006”.

 

            Director General Santiago also clarified that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report indicating the Philippines having the highest methamphetamine prevalence (6 percent) is quite inaccurate since not all countries religiously submit their reports to the UNODC in this regard. As to the alleged “underreporting of the drug problem by Philippine authorities”, the PDEA Chief said that continuing studies are being undertaken to analyze the cause of the increase in the price per gram of shabu; whether it is more the result of sustained supply reduction initiatives or a steadily increasing demand for shabu.

 

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