MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) now estimates that there are 4.7 million drug personalities in the country, the highest figure cited by the administration since launching the drug war last July.
PDEA director General Isidro Lapeña said the higher figure is “more reflective” of the real situation of the drug problem.
He announced the higher estimate during the RealNumbers Forum in Quezon City on Tuesday, calling the drug situation a “national security threat.”
He added that law enforcement agencies should adjust to the “surprising” figures as the administration ramps up its war on drugs.
“The figure reflects the real situation (of the) drug problem. This is better because we have a clearer picture na malaki (bigger), something that surprised us when this came about. We have to adjust our plans, even the logistics,” he said in a phone interview.
The higher figure was reportedly computed based on estimates that there is one drug personality in every eight households in the country.
This was deduced from the number of houses visited under Oplan Tokhang and the number of surrenderees, pegged at 1.2 million individuals.
The PDEA chief said all the surrenderees have real faces, profiles and stories to tell in light of the administration’s drug war.
Lapeña added that this will harmonize the figures of the drug war, which have been formerly inconsistent.
President Duterte is often quoted as saying during his speeches that there are four million drug personalities in the country, which he said is based on intelligence sources.
However, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) pegged the number of drug users in the country at only 1.8 million.
The 2015 Nationwide Survey on the Nature and Extent of Drug Abuse in the Philippines conducted by the DDB, the policymaking body of the government on drugs, released late last year showed that the number could reach as high as three million based on the margin of error, still significantly lower than the newest estimate.
DDB chairman Benjamin Reyes said the discrepancies are valid because of different bases.
“The only way to get a perfect absolute figure is to get a census. In the absence of which, estimates, like surveys and intelligence figures, are good enough baselines to set objectives,” he said.
Reyes said that it would depend on the reader to consider which estimate is more scientific and credible in light of the different statistics.
“If you want to establish a target for a program, it is always better to target high than under-target,” he added.