The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has urged the Senate to pass a magna carta for anti-drug personnel as it investigates the case of one of its agent believed to have been abducted.
During the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs hearing into the case of missing PDEA agent Merton Fesway, PDEA chief Wilkins Villanueva urged senators that a legislation be passed that would include them in the coverage of benefits for uniformed personnel.
“Mapasama sana kami doon sa nare-receive ng uniformed personnel...yung magna carta benefits for PDEA personnel,” Villanueva told the panel, chaired by Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
“We are also risking our lives just like members of the uniformed personnel...Every time that an agent goes out for an operation, we already have one foot in the grave,” he said.
Villanueva lamented that benefits for the surviving families of PDEA agents who died in the line of duty only comes from contributions from the agency’s provident fund.
“But if you are not a member, you won’t receive anything,” he pointed out.
Compared to other uniformed personnel in the police force and the military, Villaneuva said there is no appropriation to provide compensation for the families of PDEA agents who died as part of their job.
“PDEA does not have that kind of benefits. It’s sad because if an agent is not insured, you won’t really get anything,” he explained.
At least three senators, Dela Rosa, Senators Imee Marcos and Francis Tolentino, expressed their to the proposal of crafting a magna carta for anti-narcotic agents.
Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, noted PDEA only has 2,882 permanently filled positions, which is way lower than that of the police and the military.
Compared to agencies like the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), PNP, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Dela Rosa acknowledged PDEA personnel do not enjoy the same salaries and emoluments.
“We will look for funding then,” said Marcos, as she vowed to take the proposal into account when the Senate deliberates on the proposed 2022 national budget.