By Brian Campued
“Sa campaign on drugs, sumusunod tayo sa batas, sa proseso, at ginagawa natin ang tama. Ito ang Bagong Pilipinas.”
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Jonvic Remulla on Tuesday stressed that the anti-illegal drugs campaign of the administration is a whole-of-government approach that follows legal procedures and employs inter-agency collaboration.
Remulla made the remark during the destruction of around P4.56 billion worth of dangerous drugs at the Integrated Waste Management Inc. in Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City, Cavite.
“Ayokong gamitin ang salitang ‘war on drugs’ kasi ang ‘war on drugs’ is may casualty. This is a campaign against illegal drugs. Itong nakikita natin ngayon ay collaboration ng whole of government, barangay, at PNP hanggang PDEA,” Remulla said.
“This is the product of hardwork, this is the product of collaboration. Trust the process. Trust your local officials. We will do our best for the country,” he added.
According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the seized substances, which include 1,136.5221 kilograms of solid illegal drugs and 657.1300 milliliters of liquid illegal drugs, were destroyed through thermal decomposition or thermolysis.
Among those destroyed were 555.2393 kg of shabu, 442.9399 kg of marijuana, 1.6651 kg of ecstasy, 117.3860 kg of cocaine, 15.8149 kg of ephedrine, and 0.5070 kg of ketamine, as well as liquid meth, amphetamine, toluene, and expired medicines.
PDEA said the drugs were seized in various anti-drug operations or turned over following court orders for destruction after the successful prosecution and resolution of the cases where the substances were presented as evidence.
Also among those incinerated were over 43,000 grams of marijuana (kush) and more than 102,000 grams of cocaine recovered along the shorelines of coastal areas in Palawan between late 2025 and early 2026.
Under strict security protocols, the confiscated drugs were placed inside a high-capacity incinerator and are expected to be completely destroyed beyond recovery within 24 hours.
PDEA Director General Usec. Isagani Nerez underscored the agency’s commitment to ensuring that the seized illegal drugs are “permanently destroyed.”
The destruction process was also conducted in full public view and witnessed by representatives from law enforcement agencies, DILG, the Department of Justice, non-government organizations, media partners, and local barangay officials.
“Our processes are deliberately open and closely monitored because the Filipino people deserve nothing less than full transparency. This is in line with the Bagong Pilipinas vision of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., where integrity, accountability, and decisive action define governance,” Nerez said.
-av
