Members of the House committee on appropriations chaired by Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles (1st District, Davao City) expressed support for the P1.4 billion proposed budget of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the additional request for P934.5 million to fund items needed in pursuit of the agency’s mandate as the lead agency in the government’s anti-drug campaign.
In a hearing presided by committee vice chairman Rep. Scott Davies Lanete (Lone District, Masbate), PDEA officials led by Officer-in-Charge Assistant Secretary Julius Fajardo assured lawmakers that the PDEA will be prudent and wise in utilizing its budget in pursuit of drug-free communities for the Filipino people.
The agency proposed an original budget of P3.375 billion to the Department of Budget and Management, but the DBM approved only P1.448 billion to be spent for the following: personnel services, P774.7 million; maintenance and other operating expenditures (MOOE), P471.3 million; and capital outlay, P593.7 million.
PDEA Acting Director for Financial Management Service Maria Lourdes Jacosalen said the PDEA is requesting an additional funding of P934.5 million for various projects, among them the establishment of 81 provincial offices, five district offices and 33 highly urbanized cities offices; establishment of 13 seaport and six airport inter-agency drug interdiction task groups; acquisition of 13 drug-sniffing K9 dogs with training; recruitment, selection and training of 500 drug enforcement officers (DEOs); and procurement of three units of incinerator machines.
Lanete said the procurement of 13 K9 dogs should be in the priority list as there are various airports in the country being monitored by PDEA. “Di lang NAIA ang airport natin, we have also airports all over the country. We need to put K9 dogs in these airports, separately and individually,” said Lanete.
PDEA Acting Director for National Capital Region Charlene Magdurulang said the K9 dogs are important since the agency is monitoring not only international but also local flights in the airports. “So iilan lang po ang K9 na nagdu-duty. Tapos di sila nagtatagal ng six hours. Napapagod na po mga yan. Merong ino-offer yung MIAA na K9 dogs ng ibang agency pero di sila experts sa drugs. They are more on bombs. So pag sa drugs, dapat po PDEA lang ang pwedeng mag-certify and train for drug-sniffing dogs,” she said.
Rep. Federico Sandoval II (Lone District, Malabon City) asked the PDEA what equipment does it need to effectively monitor airport passengers. “I am fully in support of the budget of PDEA. What equipment do you need so we can help in pushing for their procurement funding,” said Sandoval.
Magdurulang recalled their experience involving attempts to bring in cocaine by embedding this on the clothes of flight passengers. She said the Bureau of Customs (BOC) has equipment which can identify the drugs embedded on clothes.
“Nahihirapan po kaming mag-test . But the BOC has an equipment to identify the drugs, idadampi na lang nila duon, na-identify na anong klaseng drugs yun,” she said.
Rep. Rodel Batocabe (Party-list, AKO BICOL) also backed the PDEA budget proposal. He advised PDEA officials to intensify their campaign to highlight the agency’s accomplishments and programs.
He also suggested that drug enforcement officers be conspicuous at the airports and seaports.
Meanwhile, Rep. Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo (1st District, Lanao del Norte) Dimaporo likewise supported the budget of the PDEA. “I would like to manifest again my support for the PDEA budget. I know it is hard to obtain the objectives of the President, but this is the time for PDEA to step up to the plate considering that our President is very serious in this war against drugs,” he said.
Dimaporo asked about how the drug list of the President is managed and validated.
He said elections are forthcoming and the concern of local politicians is that the drug list could be used and abused. He expressed hope that PDEA and the other agencies concerned can instill security protocols so it will not be used for political gain.
PDEA Acting Director for Intelligence and Intelligence Service Gigger Montaliana said the different agencies submitted their lists which were then consolidated by the Office of the President. The agencies are PNP, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), PDEA and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
He said the agencies conduct a workshop once a month on the updated list. The list is confidential, he said. (CONGRESS-PR)
