President Marcos has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to a complete and final destruction of seized illegal drugs, saying there must be no chance for these substances to reenter the streets.

Marcos said this as he led the incineration of over P9.48 billion worth of illegal drugs at the Clean Leaf International Corporation facility in Barangay Cutcut, Capas, Tarlac, on Wednesday, June 25.

In his remarks, the President said he wanted to witness the destruction process firsthand to ensure that every step—from seizure to disposal—is airtight and accountable.

“Kailangan tiyakin natin na ‘yung mga nahuhuling drugs ay talagang sinisira at wala ng pag-asa na bumalik pa, na maibenta pa, na makuha, ire-report (We must ensure that the seized drugs are truly destroyed and can no longer be recovered, resold, or used as evidence again),” he said.

“That is why I am here today, just to see how the system works, para very, very solid yung system natin from the capture of the illegal drugs, all the way until the destruction,” he added.

Marcos noted that the chamber used to destroy the illegal substances reaches a temperature of 700°C and remains active for 10 hours. A 12-hour cooling process follows, after which onsite confirmatory testing is conducted to ensure no drug traces remain. If any are detected, the process is repeated.

“After nainit ng 700 degrees Celsius… hindi na talaga – sirang-sira na ito (After being heated to 700 degrees Celsius… it’s completely destroyed),” he said.

Meanwhile, the President highlighted the importance of public trust and transparency in anti-drug efforts, particularly after past controversies involving drug evidence recycling.

“I’m glad that the press is here para makita ninyo kung ano ba talaga ang sistema (I’m glad the press is here so you can see for yourselves how the system works),” he said.

The 1,530 kilograms of narcotics were confiscated from a series of recent operations, including maritime interceptions off Luzon’s coasts.

The confiscated substances included methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu), marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy. Before the destruction, confirmatory testing was conducted on random samples at the PDEA National Headquarters to verify their composition.

The President was joined by top officials from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), Department of Justice (DOJ), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The incineration follows Marcos’ visit to the PDEA headquarters a day earlier, where he personally inspected the seized substances and oversaw their preparation for destruction.

According to the Presidential Communications Office, the operation is part of the administration’s broader “Bagong Pilipinas” campaign, which seeks to rebuild government credibility in law enforcement while protecting communities from the dangers of drugs.