DDB to help PDEA get more Congress funding, support

MANILA, Philippines — The Dangerous Drugs Board will help the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency secure more funding and support from Congress, the agency's chairman said on Thursday.

DDB Chairman Dionisio Santiago said that his agency would also help in providing polices that would improve the capacity of the PDEA in reducing the supply of illegal drugs in the country.

"The DDB will help in lobbying for additional support from Congress to reinforce PDEA’s manpower and capabilities. The DDB will also ensure that policies needed to improve the capacity of the PDEA are in place," Santiago said in a statement.

Despite being "undermanned, under equipped and inadequate funded," PDEA director general Aaron Aquino vowed that his agency would strive to deliver the mandate given to it by the order of President Rodrigo Duterte.

He also assured the public that they would "do more with less" and deliver what is expected of them.

Santiago also welcomed the designation of the PDEA as the lead agency in conducting anti-drug operations.

He said that this was in accordance with the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 which mandated the PDEA to ensure compliance with the provisions of the law and become the "implementing arm" of the DDB especially in the conduct of "supply reduction measures."

"The public can also be assured that drug prevention and advocacy programs will continuously be strengthened to complement the supply reduction strategy and bring forth a comprehensive, balanced and holistic approach to the drug problem," Santiago said.

Duterte recently released a memorandum designating the anti-drugs agency as the main government office in conducting anti-drug operations amid mounting criticisms over the escalating number of drug-related deaths and human rights abuses.

The president also told the Philippine National Police and other government agencies to refrain from leading anti-drug operations, essentially relegating the cops in a supporting role.

The Commission on Human Rights welcomed the move and expressed hope that the agency would fulfill its mandate by observing the highest standards of law and respecting everybody's human rights.

However, for human rights watchdog Amnesty International, this move by the president was simply a "public relations" stunt meant to appease the growing local and international criticisms of the government's drug war.

What is needed is for the government to change its approach to tackling the country's drug problem, AI said in a statement last week.

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