San juan city: Halfway into President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s tenure, his administration's bloodless anti-narcotics drive remains effective, with more than 153,000 drug suspects arrested and over PHP80 billion worth of drugs seized from July 2022 to June 2025.
According to Philippines News Agency, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla emphasized during the post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) discussion session that the drug war is working without any fatalities. He criticized the previous administration's reward system, which led to a culture of corruption within law enforcement, where confiscated drugs were used as incentives. Remulla highlighted a decrease in the demand and supply of illegal drugs, with only 6 tons seized in the last eight months, resulting in a 35 percent increase in the street value of methamphetamine to PHP6,800 per gram.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director-General Isagani Nerez attributed the success of the anti-drug campaign to an 'enhanced' strategy that focuses on human rights. He noted a rise in the number of arrested high-value targets, reaching 9,689 in the last three years compared to 7,054 in the previous administration's first half. Nerez explained that standard operating procedures require coordination with the department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to ensure justice is served.
Based on PDEA data, the Marcos administration's campaign has so far netted PHP82.79 billion worth of narcotics, including significant quantities of shabu, cocaine, ecstasy tablets, and marijuana. In the last three years, 113,815 operations nationwide resulted in the arrest of 153,206 drug suspects, dismantling of 1,488 drug dens, and five clandestine shabu laboratories. Additionally, 29,471 out of 42,000 villages have been declared drug-cleared, with 4,062 in the process of being cleared.
During his fourth SONA, President Marcos acknowledged the achievements and vowed to continue the relentless fight against illegal drugs in the country.
In a related development, Remulla announced the rollout of a unified 911 system in September, aimed at improving law enforcement services. The system promises a five-minute response time, with support from the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection. It also features regional language support, enabling callers to report emergencies in their native dialects, ensuring effective communication and sensitivity to cultural differences.
