Daily Tribune
FILE: This handout picture released by the Honduran National Police shows ampoules of fentanyl seized by members of the National Anti-Drug Police Directorate, the Customs Directorate, and the Public Prosecutor's Office inside a container in Puerto Cortes, Honduras, on 8 November 2023.
(Photo by Handout / HONDURAN POLICE / AFP)
The Department of Health said Wednesday that the drug fentanyl is used as an anesthetic during surgical procedures and is a "very effective" painkiller.
"Ginagamit din ito [fentanyl] for chronic pain sa mga patients na may pain na hindi ma-treat (We use fentanyl for chronic pain for patients who are hard to treat). So yun ang fentanyl," DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said in an ambush interview.
He noted that fentanyl is "a quick-acting pain reliever" that cannot be bought over the counter as it needs a prescription by doctors.
"It's prohibited and it's prescribed by physicians," Herbosa added.
"Ginagamit namin ang (We use) fentanyl sa (in) emergency department for severe trauma in cases na kailangan ng patient ng (the patients need it for) immediate pain control," Herbosa said, noting that fentanyl is also addictive.
Meanwhile, cocaine, he added is one of the dangerous drugs listed by the Dangerous Drugs Board.
"It's [cocaine] not in the market. Yung fentanyl may (Fentanyl has) FDA (Food and Drug Administration) registration. Yung cocaine, it's illegal and part of the list of the dangerous drugs and it comes in the country imported by drug pushers," he furthered.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte accused President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of being a drug addict during a rally speech in Davao City on Sunday, 28 January.
"Bongbong, he's high. That's why I'm telling you. Bongbong Marcos was high back then. Now he's the president. He's still high," Duterte said.
"You, in the military, especially those in Malacañang, you know it. The Armed Forces of the Philippines, you know it. We have a drug addict for a president!" he added.
Marcos, for his part, laughed off Duterte's allegations.
"I think it's the fentanyl. After five, six years, it has to affect him; that's why I think that's how he turned out. So I hope his doctors take better care of him than this--and not neglecting when he's having problems," the chief executive said in a mix of English and Filipino.
In 2016, Duterte admitted using fentanyl patches to relieve the pain from spinal issues.
