Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has expressed his full support to the proposed budget of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) for 2023, saying he expects both agencies to continue the former Duterte administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.
The Senate finance sub-committee has approved and endorsed the proposed P3.009-billion and P447.414-million budgets of the PDEA and the DDB, respectively, on Wednesday, September 28 for plenary approval.
Go reiterated that if the problem with dangerous drugs re-emerges, the country’s problems with crime and corruption will once again resurface.
But he is confident that the PDEA and DDB are “more than up for the challenge” of combatting the country’s drug problem, as they have already exemplified in the past administration.
“The work(s) of the PDEA and the DDB are crucial to our continuing campaign against illegal drugs and criminality,” said Go.
Go said he also agrees with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s push for the drug problem to be addressed through prevention and rehabilitation. He reiterated his call for a multifaceted strategy to combat the drug problem in the Philippines.
“We must remember that drug users are victims in need of physical, psychosocial, and spiritual help. They can still be productive members of our society, and we must endeavor to take care of them as we do any other Filipino,” said Go.
“Inasmuch as we focus on the law enforcement side of our anti-drug campaign, we must ensure that our efforts on treatment and rehabilitation are just as relentless,” he added.
He also said that even though much has been done since 2016 in the fight against dangerous drugs, the government must not stop and continue what it has started.
“Huwag ho natin sayangin kung ano po yung naumpisahang kampanya laban sa iligal na droga (Let’s not waste the opportunity to continue the campaign against illegal drugs,” urged Go.