PDEA: Drug-related deaths decrease

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency announced on Sunday that a 52-percent decrease in illegal drug fatalities was logged under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

PDEA director general Moro Virgilio Lazo stressed that the renewed drug approach the PDEA's strategy — in line with Marcos' anti-drug campaign thrust — is geared towards community rehabilitation, going after drug syndicates and getting rid of unscrupulous officials.

"There was a 52 percent decrease in the number of drug-related fatalities during operations initiated by the PDEA, dropping from 40 deaths in the previous period of 2020-2021 to only 19 deaths recorded from July 2022 to September 2023," the PDEA said in a statement.

However, the agency disclosed that the volume of confiscated shabu experienced a substantial rise, going from 2,349 kilograms of shabu in 2020-2021 to 3,795 kilograms in 2022 to 2023, marking a remarkable 1,446-kilogram increase, equivalent to 61.58 percent, under the Marcos administration.

On top of these, the recent bulk seizures of 532 kilograms of shabu in Pampanga, 274 kilograms of shabu at the Manila International Container Port and the 990 kilograms of shabu in the possession of PMSgt Rodolfo Mayo last year are indeed indicative of the continued efforts of the anti-drug campaign to target and combat large drug syndicates operating in the country.

From July 2022 to September 2023, a total of 47,076 anti-illegal drug operations were conducted, reflecting a 2.56 percent increase compared to the 45,902 operations carried out for the same period from 1 July 2020 to 30 September 2021.

These efforts to reduce the drug supply also led to a notable increase in the number of apprehended drug offenders. Specifically, during the period from July 2022 to September 2023, 64,862 drug suspects were arrested, compared to 64,143 arrests in the period from 2020 to 2021.