By Filane Mikee Cervantes | Philippine News Agency
National Police Commission (Napolcom) vice chairperson and executive officer Alberto Bernardo on Wednesday emphasized that the approach of the current administration’s anti-illegal drug campaign is human-rights based.
“Wala na kaming drug war na tinatawag. Purely, anti-illegal drug campaign lang, law enforcement function para rights-based po. Kaya onward po, iba na po yung modalities natin sa law enforcement,” Bernardo said during the House hearing into the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJK) associated with the controversial war on drugs during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Bernardo told lawmakers that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive is to focus on supply and demand reduction efforts, as well as rehabilitation.
“Gaya po ng habilin ng ating Pangulo na kumbaga nasa rehabilitation, nasa supply reduction strategy na po kami,” he said.
Bernardo assured the House Committee on Human Rights, chaired by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., that Napolcom will do its best to “prevent the recurrence of mistakes” in anti-illegal drugs efforts.
Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno revealed during the hearing that the 2017 year-end report of the Office of the President (OP) under the Duterte administration listed a total of 20,322 drug-war-related deaths from July 1, 2016 to Nov. 27, 2017.
On the other hand, from July 2022 to December 2023, the government under the Marcos administration has already conducted 36,803 anti-illegal drug operations, resulting in the arrest of 49,700 drug personalities including 3,284 “high-value targets”, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
Of the number of arrested illegal drug suspects, the government has already filed 47,516 illegal drug charges, with 28,302 cases resolved: 22,201 or 78.44% resulted in conviction while 2,427 or 8.58% resulted in dismissal, and 3,674 or 12.98% resulted in acquittal.
Meanwhile, at least 314,917 drug dependents underwent the Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Program.
Government records also showed that 28,243 or 67.24% of barangays nationwide have been declared as drug-cleared; 6,127 or 14.59% as drug-free; and 363 or 0.86% as drug-affected; while 7,268 barangays or 17.30% have yet to be cleared.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) also reported that the Marcos administration’s campaign against illegal drugs resulted in the seizure of almost P32 billion worth of illegal narcotics from July 1, 2022 to April 21, 2024.