Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (left), Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin (PPAB)

Ranking congressmen voiced out support on Sunday, Oct. 15 for what they described as the "bloodless drug war" of President Marcos. 

Backing this campaign were Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs; and Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin, a deputy majority leader. 

“It’s a bloodless war. It shows that we can slay the dragon that is the drug menace without lives lost," Barbers said in a statement. 

“The brilliance of President BBM’s anti-drug strategy lies not only in its efficacy but in its humanity," noted Garin in a separate statement. 

They gave these remarks just days after former president Rodrigo Duterte--whose administration was known for its aggressive and bloody anti-illegal drug campaign--assailed the House of Representatives and linked it to the possible misuse of public funds. 

In a public hearing of the dangerous drugs panel last week, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo cited a huge decrease in terms of deaths in drug operations between the last year of the Duterte administration and the first year of the current Marcos administration. 

"There was a 52 percent decrease in the number of drug-related fatalities during the operations initiated by PDEA, dropping from 40 deaths in the previous period of 2020 to 2021, to only 19 deaths recorded from July 2022 to September 2023," Lazo told the panel. 

Barbers said President Marcos' approach was an effective strategy that has gained the trust and support of Filipinos, as more relatives of drug dependents have been willing to share vital information to law enforcers. 

"Violence if it can be avoided by our law enforcers in the pursuit of suspects can result to less anger, resentment, desire for vengeance from our people and will likewise negate attention and condemnation from international watchdog groups," he said. 

Barbers urged law enforcement agencies to continue doing their job, keeping in mind that the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs has to remain on a peaceful, non-violent path. 

For her part, Garin highlighted that in merely 16 months under the Marcos leadership, law enforcement agencies have confiscated an astounding 4.4 tons of "shabu", which has a street value of at least P30 billion. 

“That's 4,400 kilos of illegal drugs no longer on our streets. This means P30 billion is no longer feeding the coffers of drug peddlers, traffickers, and kingpins. Instead, this money is put to other uses, possibly in more productive endeavors like feeding families and attending to other family needs,” Garin underscored. 

The lady solon, who is a former Department of Health (DOH) secretary, further said: "This administration will not stand by and watch small-time drug users and street pushers face dire consequences while the major importers and suppliers of these illegal drugs operate with impunity."

Critics of the the previous Duterte administration have claimed that over 10,000 drug-related deaths took place during that administration.