Sotto wants PDEA abolished, replaced with new agency

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III has filed a bill seeking to amend the 23-year-old Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and establish a central agency tasked with unifying the government’s efforts in combating illegal drugs and substance abuse.

Under Sotto’s proposal, a Presidential Drug Enforcement Authority would be created to consolidate the country’s major anti-drug programs, effectively replacing the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

The proposed agency would be involved in enforcement, prosecution, prevention and rehabilitation, and would aim to improve coordination among concerned agencies and address long-standing gaps in implementation.

“The law, as presently formulated, needs retrofitting, so to speak, like any structure or machine in constant use for 23 years now,” Sotto said.

“Supervision of enforcement activities is desirable to map out policies for more effective anti-illegal drugs campaigns,” he added.

He lamented that the government’s anti-drug efforts have long focused on enforcement, while key aspects such as prevention and rehabilitation, under the purview of the Department of Education and the Department of Health, remain underdeveloped.

Sotto stressed that peace, security and economic stability are tied to the country’s ability to address illegal drug use through a more holistic and coordinated approach.

“There is no best time to cure this social illness than now,” he said.