Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ Abalos Jr. lauded the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Friday, July 29, following the confiscation of P408 million worth of crystal meth or "shabu" in a buy-bust operation in Pampanga.
On July 28, PNP and PDEA operatives seized around 60 kilos of shabu from a drug suspect during an operation in front of the Mega Station along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Kilometer 62, Barangay San Felipe in San Fernando City.
“Congratulations, ang galing ng kapulisan, ang galing ng PDEA. Ang galing ng lahat (The police did well, the PDEA did well. Everyone did well)," Abalos said.
Likewise, Abalos cited the three witnesses for accompanying the authorities in the operation, which is one of the biggest drug hauls this year.
“Itong tatlong ito na kasama natin sa operasyon, mga bayani rin ito. (Barangay) Kapitan salamat, sa miyembro ng media na sumama, pati rin sa taga-DOJ (Department of Justice) na nandito sa ating operation (Those who went with us in the operation are also heroes. Thank barangay captain, thank you members of the media who were in the operation including the DOJ representative who was present in the operation),’’ he added.
Abalos also noted that the successful operation was "a symbol of our cooperation and bayanihan."
The DILG chief pointed out that the operation dispels criticisms that the government’s war against illegal drugs only targets small-time drug dealers.
Since assuming the top DILG post, Abalos, a lawyer by profession, has been calling on local chief executives (LCEs) to hire or appoint personnel solely dedicated to accompanying law enforcers in anti-illegal drug operations to stand as witnesses during the inventory of operations and to help build up cases against drug suspects.
He strongly pushed for this after observing that most drug cases were dismissed due to the absence of witnesses mandated under Section 21 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which requires an elected public official, usually a barangay official and a representative of the National Prosecution Service or the media to sign the copies of the inventory.
Abalos’ plea to the mayors stemmed from the success of Mandaluyong City in building up airtight cases against drug suspects. He is a former mayor of Mandaluyong.
'Drug war to continue'
Abalos also stressed that the relentless crackdown on illegal drugs, which was initiated by the previous administration, will continue under the leadership of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
He explained that the government will now address the drug menace at the grassroots level by strengthening the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADACs).
Aside from this, this administration's campaign against drugs, according to Abalos, will focus on demand reduction with a good balance on law enforcement, apprehension, and filing of cases based on the rule of law.
“We will intensify this war on drugs. Walang tigil ito, pukpukan ito (This will be relentless). But this time, we will complement our anti-drug operations with the full force of the law. We will make sure that the cases, especially those against high-profile drug suspects, are airtight,” Abalos said.