SEVEN informants (standing) receive cash rewards for their successful roles in anti-illegal drug operations in Cebu in 2025. (PDEA-7)
CEBU CITY – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) awarded more than P1.6 million in cash to civilian informants for their successful roles in anti-drug operations in Cebu in 2025.
The recent distribution of cash rewards was spearheaded by Assistant Secretary Israel Ephraim T. Dickson, PDEA Deputy Director General for Administration, during a ceremony held at PDEA-Central Visayas office in Barangay Lahug here.
The informants, whose identities were concealed for protection, received their rewards under Operation: Private Eye (OPE) pursuant to Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation No. 5, Series of 2003, as amended.
OPE is an intelligence-driven rewards program that aims to empower ordinary citizens to become active partners in drug law enforcement.
The top informant received P553,742.64 for providing information that led to the seizure of 6.99 kilograms of shabu and the arrest of one drug personality during a buy-bust operation in Sitio lbabao, Barangay Buaya, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, on May 11, 2025.
All rewards released under OPE are subjected to thorough evaluation by the OPE Reward Committee composed of key PDEA officials and representatives from the business, academic, and religious sectors to maintain transparency, integrity, and accountability.
The OPE program seeks to counter fear and apathy that often discourage citizens from reporting illegal drug activities, protecting the anonymity of informants and maintaining the confidentiality of the information they provide.
“Today, we are here to acknowledge the truth. Choice. Heroism is not a title reserved for the few; it is a choice made by the brave,” Dickson said during the ceremony.
Also present during the awarding were Cebu City Councilor Pablo “Paul” Labra II and Police Col. Enrico Figueroa, chief of the Directorial Staff of the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas.
The PDEA said illegal drug activities may be reported to the OPE hotline 09178677332.