PNP to focus on reinforcement, drug education to combat drug problem
The Philippine National Police (PNP) will focus on reinforcement and drug education in their anti-illegal drugs campaign under the Marcos administration to prevent cops from abusing their authority, its spokesperson said Sunday.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. earlier said that the Duterte administration’s War on Drugs centered too much on enforcement which may have resulted in abuses of human rights.
“In my view what had happened in the previous administration is that we focused very much on enforcement. And because of that, it could be said that there are abuses by certain elements in the government and that has caused some concern in many quarters about the human rights situation in the Philippines,” Marcos Jr. said in a forum held by the Center of Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
In an interview with dzBB, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said under the Anti-illegal Drugs Operation through Reinforcement and Education (ADORE), they will have a “holistic” approach to the rehabilitation and reintegration of drug users.
“First of all, we respect the statement of the President. That’s our direction now, when it comes to the campaign against illegal drugs. That’s why we have the PNP ADORE (Anti-illegal Drugs Operation through Reinforcement and Education), That’s our anti-drug strategy now,” Fajardo said.
“So we will not just focus on the reduction program, but we will also give equal importance to the demand reduction program. The President is right, no matter how many drug dealers we arrest, there will still be a market for illegal drugs,” she added.
Fajardo said ADORE will have a more “holistic” approach in terms of reinforcement and drug education.
“We will target the youth so that we can show them the negative effects of illegal drugs,” she said.
“On the reinforcement side, we will be more aggressive. We will be using a two-pronged approach and the different government agencies will be playing a big role in this, not just the PNP. We will the first to admit that the National Police cannot fight the war against drugs alone. On the prevention side, we will need the help of all government agencies as well as the LGUs (local government units) and the members of the community,” she added.
PNP personnel are also undergoing retraining and orientation about the right way to conduct illegal operations.
“We are continuously holding retraining and orientation for our police operatives. Especially those who are conducting anti-illegal drug operations. That’s ongoing for the PNP training centers, Training service, not just for the non-commissioned officers, but also for the junior and senior officers. They also have new technology and there are also trainings on the best practices of other nations that personnel from the National police participate in,” Fajardo said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
