Daily Tribune
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Usec. Isagani Nerez with Dangerous Drug Board Chairperson Secretary Oscar Valenzuela hand over the total of P9.6 Million cash rewards to the six out of the 18 civilian informants behind major drug busts, the remaining awardees received their incentives through PDEA regional offices, held at PDEA office in Quezon City on Thursday, 25 June.
Analy Labor
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) awarded two of its civilian informants P2 million each for providing information that led to major operations that led to the seizure of large quantities of shabu and other illicit drugs.
The two informants made up the total of 18 individuals that the PDEA rewarded that were part of its Operation: Private Eye (OPE) held at the drug agency’s headquarters in Quezon City this Thursday, 25 June.
In a statement, PDEA Director General Undersecretary Isagani Nerez classified the awardees as “silent heroes” through how they were able to save lives and dismantle intricate criminal operations around the country.
Nerez underscored that informants played a crucial role in the anti-drug campaign of the government, as the leads gained from them were used for 23 operations wherein high profile drug personalities were also arrested.
“Without their willingness to come forward, many of these operations would not have been possible. Their actions proved that ordinary citizens can make an extraordinary difference,” the officer said.
As for the two individuals that received millions, authorities said that their tips allowed the police force to dismantle a medium-scale drug laboratory at Industrial Park, Barangay Veinte Reales, Valenzuela City last 22 January.
In a separate raid, over 46,000 grams of cocaine and an arrest of a key drug personality was carried out in Barangay La Mesa, Calamba, Laguna on 21 February by operatives from the PDEA National Capital Region (RO-NCR) Southern District Office.
Nerez reiterated that the success of the mentioned operations would not have been made possible without the assistance of its various informants under OPE.
“These results reflect the power of shared responsibility in law enforcement. When citizens choose to act, criminal networks lose their invisibility. That is how we suppress illegal drugs in the barangays,” he explained.
Given the progress of their initiative, the official urged the public to be more active in participating in the fight against illegal drugs in the country.
