PDEA urged: Go after drug lords, not kids

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and other law enforcement agencies should go after major drug traffickers first and not waste time on a fishing expedition among young school children, Sen. Francis Escudero said yesterday.

Escudero said he was not too keen on the PDEA’s insistence on conducting mandatory drug tests on teachers and Grade 4 students and up, as its motives remain unclear and the exercise prone to abuse.

He said the Departments of Education (DepEd) and Health (DOH) have already successful conducted discreet drug tests in schools as provided under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

“If PDEA will conduct the drug tests, that’s another matter. What’s the motive? Do they want to conduct arrests? They want to find out the extent of drug use? The DepEd has that (data) already,” Escudero told dzBB.

He lamented PDEA and other law enforcement agencies are not making major arrests of large-scale drug traffickers or dismantling drug syndicates.

“Instead of them going up the totem pole, they’re going down targeting youngsters,” the senator said.

Escudero said the extent of the drug problem in the country apparently has remained the same as the PDEA was not focusing on shutting down the sources of illegal drugs.

Escudero also asked Malacañang and the Department of Foreign Affairs to step up negotiations with China, which authorities said was the main source of drugs or their ingredients.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said the drug problem among school children is not as prevalent as the PDEA would like the public to believe even as she stressed conducting such test is “very complex” and involves many people and strict protocol.

Briones also thanked the media for not pressing DepEd and the DOH on the tests they have conducted since privacy remains paramount.

“If you subject a 10-year-old to tests, it’s not going to be pleasant. Somebody’s watching you. It’s not like going to the movies… it’s not like we announce to all students to bring urine samples,” Briones said.

“If we find one that is positive (of drug use), we won’t announce it, we won’t go to the principal, we don’t expel. Our purpose is preventive. We check if this can be cured by medication. We give guidance. We also look at the family situation. We’re not punitive. That’s not our role,” she said.

Briones, however, stressed the DepEd and PDEA have always been working closely together in the anti-drug campaign with the anti-drug agency coordinating with her office on cases involving students or teachers.

A ranking police official, on the other hand, expressed support for PDEA’s proposal.

Region 1 police director Chief Supt. Romulo Sapitula said parents should be thankful for the drug test.

“What’s the apprehension about drug test? (This) drug test is for us,” he said.

Sapitula added that if a mother has five children and the drug test is not free, “then that’s something she should worry about.”

However, he said that he too would prefer this free drug testing as it is not something new to the people and serves as a weapon to fight the scourge of illegal drugs.

Local government officials like San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez in Metro Manila threw her support for PDEA’s drug test proposal.

Gomez, however, warned that once implemented, the program should be “very well regulated” and in conformity to the concerns of parents and teachers.

“As a mother, I’m in favor of the drug testing to students. While still young, our children should be taught early the evils of drugs,” she said.

Gomez pointed out that young students are now being used as couriers by drug syndicates.   – With Eva Visperas, Non Alquitran