by Filane Mikee Cervantes/PNA
Senator Panfilo Lacson on Thursday said the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) should do a methodical survey to accurately measure the extent of the drug problem in the Philippines.
Lacson, chairman of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, made the statement following President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s admission that the illegal drug trade in the country has worsened amid the administration’s intensified campaign against it.
During a news conference, Lacson cited the lack of empirical data and analytical study to determine whether the government’s drug war was successful or not.
Lacson noted that the proposed 2019 national budget allocates a PHP70-million funding for the DDB to conduct a nationwide survey on the actual number of drug users in the country.
“He (Duterte) based it mainly on his observation, meaning his perception… Lumala ba o gumaan ang problema natin sa illegal drugs? Walang makapagsabi ano ang accurate number ng drug users. Doon tayo magkakaroon ng accurate measure kung nag-succeed ba o hindi, empirical data (Has it worsened or improved? No one can give an accurate number on drug users. Only then we can give accurate measure if it’s is improving or not) empirical data,” Lacson said.
“I think the DDB should immediately conduct a survey for us to have an accurate data on the illegal drugs situation,” Lacson added.
Lacson said the President’s perception that the country’s drug situation worsened may be based on the massive drug shipments seized by authorities.
This might mean, however, that law enforcement against illegal drugs has been efficient and effective, Lacson noted.
He said he perceives the seizure of massive amounts of shabu is because of effective law enforcement while the general public might see it differently.
“Sa pag-iisip ng kababayan natin lumalala ang drugs kasi bilyon-bilyon worth of drugsdumarating (In our countrymen’s minds that the drug problem is getting worse because of the billion pesos worth of drugs coming in the country),” Lacson said.
During his speech at a campaign rally of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) in Cagayan de Oro City over the weekend, Duterte admitted that the drug situation in the country has “worsened”, stressing the difficulty of guarding the shorelines, through which illegal drugs could be smuggled.
