PDEA shows ‘evidence room’ to reporters

PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino excerpt: It was the first time in PDEA’s history that the depository of seized drugs was shown to the public eye.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday opened for the first time to members of media its evidence room where seized illegal drugs are being kept in safety and custody to ensure transparency and accountability.

PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino said a total of 3.6 tons or ₱22 billion worth of dangerous drugs are presently stored inside the newly-improved PDEA Drug Evidence Room as of 31 August 2019.

Once a restricted area, Aquino decided to open the drug room to its media partners to “foster credibility, improve public trust, and build a transparent and accountable government for the whole nation to see.”

Aquino said this is the first time in PDEA’s history that the depository of seized drugs was shown to the public eye.

“In the past, only a limited number of people are allowed entry inside the Evidence Room. But now, we are opening it to the media as a testament of transparency and accountability in handling illegal drugs confiscated during anti-drug operations,” Aquino said.

Aquino said the laboratory and storage facilities for drug evidence are housed in a new three-storey building of the PDEA Laboratory Service, considered to be the country’s premier drug forensic center, at the agency’s national headquarters in Quezon City. The P25-million building was inaugurated last 1 June 2018.

The new PDEA evidence room has an upgraded security system, making it inaccessible to unauthorized personnel, said Aquino.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras were also installed for 24/7 monitoring which he said leave no blind areas in the premises.

Part of the fire exhaustion system are metal grills and double doors were also installed around the facility.

Aquino said the doors of the evidence room are secured with three sets of locks under the custody of three authorized key holders such that the absence of one key holder makes the entry inside impossible.

He said preservation of the physical evidence is as important as its security. Thus, air conditioning units, exhaust fans and dehumidifiers were also installed for proper ventilation inside the facility.

Aquino said biometrics is set to be installed outside the evidence room to control access to the facility. The procurement of 10 new steel racks is also in the offing to enhance the storage of evidence.

According to Aquino, restriction the access to the storage facility is one of the controls instilled by PDEA to assure the security of drug evidence and avoid legal implications in the future.

Meanwhile, three auditors from the Commission on Audit (COA) were granted access to the new PDEA Evidence Room on 15 May 2018.

Based on the 2018 audit report of COA on PDEA’s safekeeping, monitoring, and disposition of seized/confiscated dangerous drugs in its custody, the agency was commended for improving its evidence room by fully implementing all the recommendations of the audit team in the previous year.

As this developed, Aquino said the forensic laboratories of PDEA in the regions are now using an automated inventory system through tagging and bar coding for speedy and accurate documentation and accounting of drug evidence.

Known as PDEA Evidence Inventory and Information System or PEIIS, he said the system provides additional security features, achieves organized data collection while preserving the integrity and evidentiary value of seized drug evidence received in its custody during legitimate anti-drug operations.

The PDEA Laboratory Service is using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), a technology that uses radio waves to track and monitor the movement of the evidence.

“This makes PDEA the first government agency to pioneer the use of these technologically-advanced drug inventory systems in the country,” Aquino said.

“The PEIIS and RFID will address questions on the integrity of drug evidence, issues on recycling, and the manner of safekeeping, quantity and destruction of evidence.”

“This is part of our continuing capability enhancement program for safekeeping of drug evidence. As the lead agency in the country’s anti-drug campaign, the integrity of PDEA in safekeeping of all pieces of drug evidence is of paramount importance,” he added.

PDEA has the sole authority to take charge and custody of seized drug evidence under Section 21 (Custody and Disposition of Confiscated, Seized, and/or Surrendered Dangerous Drugs, Plant Sources of Dangerous Drugs, Controlled Precursors and Essential Chemicals, Instruments/ Paraphernalia and/or Laboratory Equipment) of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, as amended by Republic Act No. 10640.